Final answer:
Fire extinguishing agents work via mechanisms such as cooling, oxygen displacement, interrupting chemical reactions, or forming a barrier. Fluorinated foams spread out to smother fires involving organic liquids, while other systems may use powders, gases, or foaming plastics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Extinguishing agents can put out fires through a variety of mechanisms. When considering a fluorinated solution, it functions by spreading across the burning surface, thus extinguishing the fire. This property makes such foams suitable for combating fires involving organic liquids.
In the case of agents such as dry-cleaning solvents, these were once used in fire extinguishers, but are now deemed inappropriate for such applications. Nevertheless, they were originally designed to remove heat or oxygen from the fire, disrupt the chemical reaction, or create a barrier between the fuel and oxygen.
Fire extinguisher systems encompass a range of technologies including foams, powders, gases, and other substances that can extinguish fires using different processes. As for foaming plastics, these create a barrier over the fire, smothering it and cutting off the oxygen supply required for combustion.
Overall, four primary mechanisms by which extinguishing agents can put out a fire include cooling, oxygen displacement, chemical reaction interruption, and forming a physical barrier.