Flaming dragons: Take a mixture of approx. 90% diluted washing up liquid and 10% glycerin and bubble methane gas through it. Pick up the bubbles in WET (v. important!) hands and set fire to them - very exciting! (Goes without saying, but sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, etc.) Spontaneous combustion: Get a piece of paper and crumple it into rough cup shape. Put it in a fume cupboard and pour some KMnO4 powder into the cup. Add a squirt of glycerol. Now QUICKLY scrumple the paper into a ball and move back. It will catch on fire in a few seconds and burn with a brilliant purple flame.
Flaming dragons: Take a mixture of approx. 90% diluted washing up liquid and 10% glycerin and bubble methane gas through it. Pick up the bubbles in WET (v. important!) hands and set fire to them - very exciting! (Goes without saying, but sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, etc.)
Spontaneous combustion: Get a piece of paper and crumple it into rough cup shape. Put it in a fume cupboard and pour some KMnO4 powder into the cup. Add a squirt of glycerol. Now QUICKLY scrumple the paper into a ball and move back. It will catch on fire in a few seconds and burn with a brilliant purple flame. Good for demonstrating energy transfers. The KMNO4 is used by special forces troops in their survival kits for firelighting, antiseptic, marking snow and purifying water. Very useful stuff.
Fire Writing with Potassium Nitrate. I can't seem to get this to work, am I using the correct chemical? I made up a saturated solution of potassium nitrate using a beaker on a hotplate with stirrer. I know that it was saturated as the potassium nitrate crystallised out when the solution was left to cool. I painted this onto a sheet of paper and left it to dry. I applied a flame and the potassium nitrate impregnated areas singed a bit before the paper burst into flames. Not quite what I was hoping for. Is sodium nitrate better? Could I possibly allow the pupils to use sodium nitrate solution?
I do this by supporting a large sheet of paper between 2 retort stands... message is painted on the paper with saturated sodium nitrate solution beforehand. See Salters Chemistry Club 'Fire Writing' activity http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/teachers/chemclub/pdfs/volone/SCC1_Prac13.pdf for details.
Put a layer of plasticene on a metal tray then stick about 3 boxes worth of matches into the plasticene. Each match should be stood vertically about 8mm from next match with matches in rows. This is to model a forest fire. Light one match andd the fire should spread to all the others. Can be used to teach the fire triangle as it shows that heat form one match causes nest match to light. However I also use it with my Year 11s when doing deforestation to try and enliven the boredom.
Hydrogen eggs Equipment Stand with two clamps Conical flask Two bungs with glass tubing through them Rubber tubing Magnesium Ribbon Sulphuric Acid Egg Pins Sellotape Method 1. Use a pin to pierce the egg at either end and blow the contents out into a beaker 2. Rinse the inside and cover the top with Sellotape 3. Decorate if preferred. Teachers who are particularly disliked go down well!!!!! 4. Enlarge slightly the bottom whole in the egg shell enough to allow the glass tubing to fit into the egg 5. Set up the equipment as shown in the diagram above. The egg must rest on the top of the second clamp!!!!! 6. Place a little sulphuric acid into the conical flask about one third full 7. Drop some magnesium ribbon into the acid and replace the bung 8. Hydrogen gas should pass up the tube and into the egg 9. Lower the bottom clamp away from the egg to prevent back flash into the flask 10. Place a lighted splint under the egg which should be launched upwards.
heat about 3cm square cube of candle wax in a crucible on a tripod until really really hot and is alight. Once it has been going for a while using a pipette and standing well back put a drop of water (and no more) into the crucible. The results definately make the point about not adding water to the chip pan fire. Also watch the roof it does make a mark and definately dont do it under any projectors!