Attention Chemistry Nerds!
I’ve got some highly intelligent readers. I know, because y’all make me feel like a fart in a goddamn windstorm. 
Sooo, because the extent of my chemistry classes consisted of watching the clock and writing stories whilst the teacher lectured us on how not to explode ourselves in our next lab project, I am sending out a call to those of you chemistry buffs who DID pay attention in class.
Basically, my problem is this. I am writing a science fiction story in which I need a compound that can replace wood or oil (or any carbon-based substances) for cooking fires, etc. This compound can self-ignite in oxygen (I have been toying with the idea of phosphorous or magnesium), though it needs to be something that won’t be toxic to people if they happen to breathe it in. Respective rarity of substances and the limitations of certain elemental forms naturally found on Earth does not need to apply–I’ll be working with another planet and ecosystem entirely. It can be a combination of elements and can be either a liquid or a solid. If it’s hazardous to handle, that’s even better. The only real constraint is that it can’t be toxic when burned.
If you’re have ideas, please please please email me at kingnovel@gmail.com. I would love to discuss it with you more in-depth.
-Sara King
www.kingfiction.com
Proud Graduate of Odyssey ‘08