 Combustion was the first chemical reaction that man put to use. In the art of lighting fires he discovered a way of protecting himself from the cold and danger. Today we live in highly developed information societies thanks to the energy that the combustion processes produce in power plants and engines. But while combustion benefits us it threatens our existence by the damage it does to our atmosphere. In order to combat this threat we must learn to understand the chemical processes in combustion. The knowledge about combustion that we now possess comes as a result of man s lengthy and tenacious attempt to understand Chemistry in Flames and Fire.