science behind fire extinguisher experiment

• 1 matchbox or lighter
• Baking powder
• Safety equipment: 1 fire extinguisher

Short explanation

Long explanation.

• How many "intermediate pours", i.e. pouring from one glass to another, can you do and still have enough carbon dioxide left to extinguish the candle?
• How many candles at the most can you extinguish with a fixed amount of baking powder (i.e. how can you optimize all other factors)?

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Carbon Dioxide Candle Experiment

• by Joe Crowley
• in Home Experiments
• on January 4, 2021

Contributed by David Jiang

Introduction

• We’ve all seen fire extinguishers before and its powerful stream of nitrogen which can smother a dangerous fire. However, imagine a fire extinguisher that can take out fires “invisibly”. Here is a fun experiment to design your very own, invisible fire extinguisher.
• 2 regular-sized cups
• Matches/Lighter
• Baking Soda
• Put in a couple tablespoons of baking soda in a cup
• Pour a little bit of vinegar into the same cup and wait for the reaction to settle down
• Put a candle in another cup
• Use a match/lighter to light up a candle
• Make sure to not pour the liquid onto the candle

Physics Concepts and Questions

• Fire requires oxygen to burn
• The baking soda and vinegar makes a chemical reaction that makes carbon dioxide gas
• This is because carbon dioxide is heavier than oxygen, so CO2 sinks, and O2 rises
• There is no oxygen to fuel the candle anymore, so the fire goes out

Conclusions and Further Investigations

• Compare the time it takes for one type vs another
• Does this make it harder/easier to extinguish? Or will it extinguish at all?
• https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/co2-extinguisher/

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Science in School

Practical pyrotechnics teach article.

Author(s): Małgorzata Krzeczkowska, Emilia Grygo-Szymanko, Paweł Świt

Hot, luminous and destructive: fire is a force of nature. Here we look at how to use and control it safely with water and carbon dioxide.

Fire has a place in prehistory, culture, and technology. Early humans would have encountered fires of natural origin ­– from forest fires and lightning to perhaps volcanic eruptions. Later, humans learned how to create and sustain fire at will and to use it for light and heat. Much later, we came to understand its chemistry and how to adapt it for use in the most exquisitely controlled way – as in, for example, the internal combustion engine.

Today, as well as being an essential part of technology, fire is a hazard: in Europe, several thousand people lose their lives each year due to fire, with economic losses estimated at one per cent of GDP w1 . Fire is thus an important topic, for both its power and its risks.

Inspired by this idea, we have developed a set of activities for students aged 11–14 to safely explore the nature of fire. In the first activity, we show how to ‘burn money’, while the second activity demonstrates the fire-extinguishing properties of carbon dioxide. Finally, we give students a chance to discuss how to stay safe from fire. The activities require a total of around 35 minutes (the first activity about 15 minutes, and the second and third are 10 minutes each).

As a prelude to the practical activities, we asked the students to name five ideas they associate with the word ‘fire’. The most frequent associations are presented in figure 1.

Activity 1: Money to burn?

This activity is a bit like a magic trick – a demonstration of how you can burn your money and still keep it!

• Fake bank note
• Metal tongs
• Two crystallising dishes
• Approximately 25 g sodium chloride (table salt)
• Methylated spirits or another version of denatured alcohol (ethanol)
• Fireproof surface, e.g. covered with metal, tiles or silver foil
• Fire-extinguishing equipment (a fire extinguisher or a wet cotton towel) – as a precaution.

This activity should be carried out by the teacher as a demonstration.

Safety note

Safety glasses, a lab coat and gloves should be worn. Special care should be taken with the open flames and when handling the methylated spirits to avoid causing a fire.

• Place two crystallising dishes on the fireproof surface. Fill one with about 50 ml of water and the other with 50 ml of methylated spirits (figure 2).
• Add the salt to the dish containing the methylated spirits and stir until the mixture is clear.
• Pick up the bank note with metal tongs. Dip it first into water so that it is fully immersed for a few seconds (figure 3).
• Shake off any excess water, and then dip the note into the methylated spirits (figure 4). Move away from the dish containing the methylated spirits to avoid the risk of igniting the alcohol vapour in the next stage.
• Still holding the note with tongs, quickly (and very carefully) put the burning match to the corner of the bank note and let it burn (figure 5).
• Once it stops burning, ask the students to check the note. Did it burn away? Was it damaged at all?

After the experiment, ask the students to discuss among themselves in groups what happened. Encourage them to come up with their own ideas, using a worksheet w2 or the following questions:

• Did the note burn?
• If not, why not? (Water moistened the bank note, preventing it from burning. Alcohol is more volatile than water; the methylated spirit vapour burns just above the surface of the paper.)
• What colour were the flames – and why? (The yellow flame indicates the presence of sodium from the salt.)

Then discuss the students’ ideas as a class, guiding them if needed to the correct explanations.

Activity 2: Making a chemical fire extinguisher

This activity is carried out by the students under teacher supervision. There are two variations: in the simpler one (version 1), we produce carbon dioxide in a beaker and then find that it will extinguish a lighted match or candle placed in the beaker. In version 2, we tip the carbon dioxide over the flame – an action similar to that of using a fire extinguisher to put out a fire.

Safety glasses, a lab coat and gloves should be worn, and the activity should be carried out in a well-ventilated area. Special care should be taken with the open flames and when handling the methylated spirits to avoid causing a fire. Students should be reminded how to work safety with flames, and what to do with the hot remains after the experiment.

• One beaker (version 1) or three beakers (version 2)
• 20–50 g baking soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate, NaHCO 3 )
• 25 ml of 10% white vinegar
• Place the baking soda in a beaker.
• Pour about 25 ml vinegar onto the baking soda (figure 6) – a vigorous reaction should take place.
• After the reaction has continued for a few seconds, carefully light a match or candle and hold the burning item in the beaker, above the liquid (figure 7). What happens?
• As soon as the reaction starts, place another beaker on top of the first and hold it in place, so that the gas produced in the reaction is trapped (figure 8).
• When gas production in the bottom beaker stops, turn the top beaker upright and place it on a table. (The carbon dioxide will stay inside because it is heavier than air.)
• Light a candle and place the burning candle in the third beaker. Then tip up the seemingly empty second beaker, which contains the gas, so that the invisible gas flows into the beaker with the burning candle (figure 9). What happens?

Ask the students to discuss among themselves in groups what happened (in either version of the experiment). Prompt them with questions such as:

• What happened to the candle or match flame – and why?
• What gas is produced in the reaction?
• Why does the gas stay in the beaker and not escape?

Use a worksheet w2 to provide a structured approach to these questions, guiding students to the correct explanation.

The gas produced in the reaction of baking soda with vinegar is carbon dioxide (CO 2 ):

NaHCO 3 + CH 3 COOH → CH 3 COONa + H 2 O + CO 2

Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it stays in the beaker. It also does not support combustion – in fact, it prevents oxygen from reaching the flame, which is needed to sustain burning, so the flame goes out. The fact that carbon dioxide is heavier than air also means it can be ‘poured’ from beaker to beaker.

Carbon dioxide can also be dangerous for humans and other animals, when it occurs in higher concentrations or in an enclosed space (which is why it is necessary to carry out this experiment in a well-ventilated area). This is not simply because we need oxygen to breathe, but also because our bodies sense carbon dioxide levels and use this to regulate breathing – so an atmosphere containing just one per cent carbon dioxide can interfere with this mechanism. But carbon dioxide is also useful: plants use carbon dioxide, water and light for photosynthesis, which produces oxygen and enables plants to grow.

Activity 3: How to stay safe

The aim of this final activity is to raise students’ awareness of the risks associated with fire. Topics to cover include:

• Everyday items or activities that cause the main fire risks
• How to prevent fires at home and outdoors
• How to put out a fire (types of fire extinguishers and how to use them)
• What to do in the event of a fire (important fire-fighting dos and don’ts)
• What to do if someone gets burned (important first-aid dos and don’ts)

We suggest starting with an initial teacher-led discussion, followed by students carrying out Internet research in groups. Each group can tackle one of the questions above (or similar questions), creating a poster or a presentation to show the rest of the class.

It is also worth considering inviting a guest speaker – ideally a fire-fighter or a first-aid provider trained in dealing with burns. As well as providing information, this will underline the fact that fires really do happen – and while we rely on trained experts when things go wrong, it’s up to all of us to help prevent fires from happening in the first place.

Web References

• w1 – Visit the The Geneva Association website to see the world fire statistics.  
• w2 – The worksheets for activity 1 and 2 are available to download from the additional material section.
• An explanation of how fire extinguishers work and how to use them .
• Rau M (2011) Fizzy fun: CO 2 in primary school science . Science in School 20 : 24-29.

Małgorzata Krzeczkowska is a senior lecturer in chemistry at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. She trains secondary-school chemistry teachers and is the author of many educational materials for teachers and students. She is also involved in science workshops for primary and upper secondary-school students and is an enthusiast for home education.

Emilia Grygo-Szymanko is a PhD student at the Jagiellonian University, where her subject is new methods in inorganic analytical chemistry. She holds a master’s degree in chemistry and is interested in developing teaching methods for school chemistry.

Paweł Świt is a PhD student at the Jagiellonian University, where he studies the development of new analytical calibration strategies and the use of flow techniques. He holds a degree in engineering and chemical technology and a master’s degree in chemistry. He is also interested in education, especially in relation to chemistry.

This article is a great opportunity for teachers to connect lessons with the children’s everyday experiences. It combines exciting activities with a final discussion about safety; I like the fact that the article is based on learning about fire safely. Furthermore, the final activity makes the article suitable for discussions relating to the limits and dangers of chemistry and science, and their application in real life.

Christiana Nicolaou, Archangelos Elementary School, Nicosia, Cyprus

Supporting materials

Worksheet for Activity 1 (Word)

Worksheet for Activity 1 (Pdf)

Worksheet for Activity 2 (Word)

Worksheet for Activity 2 (Pdf)

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March 2, 2017

Fire-Fighting Foam

A fiery science project

By Science Buddies & Svenja Lohner

Extinguish fire with a chemical reaction!

George Retseck

Key concepts Chemistry Gases Acids Reactions Combustion

Introduction Do you have a fire extinguisher at home? Hopefully, yes! It can save your life in case there is a fire. But have you ever wondered how these extinguishers work? Some of them don’t even contain water, which is what you probably think of first when it comes to stopping a fire from spreading. What else other than water can extinguish a flame? Do this activity to find out—and put out a candle as if by magic!

Background What actually happens when something is burning? A fire, also called combustion, is the result of a chemical reaction in which oxygen gas reacts with the substance that is burnt. Luckily, not everything catches fire right away when exposed to air or oxygen. For a fire to start, certain requirements have to be met: First, you need a combustible material, or a fuel, that can burn. Second, this material needs to be hot enough so that it can catch fire. The combustion reaction then has to create enough heat to sustain the fire. And lastly, a fire needs oxygen to burn. If either heat, fuel or oxygen are absent, there will be no fire.

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Fire extinguishers are designed to remove one of the necessary “ingredients” for a fire to burn. There are several ways this can be done. For example, water can be used to remove heat from a fire. Adding water often cools down the fuel enough so that it stops burning. Some types of fire extinguishers use dry chemicals to interrupt the chemical combustion reaction. Yet another option is to cover the fire with a layer of foam, carbon dioxide gas or dry chemicals that stop air from reaching the flames. Each of the aforementioned methods results in the same outcome: the fire is extinguished. You can see for yourself in this activity, and you don’t even have to use a real fire extinguisher—just some baking soda and vinegar. Curious about how these two ingredients can put out a flame? Then go ahead and try it out!

Small candle

Adult helper

Baking soda

Play-Doh or modeling clay

Glass dish in which to place your candle (The candle should not be too tall; its must be lower than the top of the dish.)

A safe area in which to perform this activity

Preparation

Use the Play-Doh or modeling clay to stick the candle into the center of your glass dish.

Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of baking soda around the candle. The bottom of the dish should be fully covered with about a quarter inch of baking soda.

With the help of an adult, light the candle with a match. Observe the flame for a couple of seconds. What does the flame look like? Is it big or small?

Carefully pour some vinegar onto the baking soda in the glass dish. It should be enough to make all the baking soda dissolve. Make sure, however, that no liquid or foam reaches the flame. What happens when you add the vinegar to the baking soda? Can you explain your observations?

Once you have added the vinegar, watch the candle carefully. What happens to the flame? Does the candle keep burning? Note: If you do not see anything happening, try to increase the amount of baking soda or vinegar that you add to your glass dish.

Try to light the candle with a match again if the flame went out. Is it easy or hard to do that? What happens to the match if you get close to the candle?

Clean out your glass dish and repeat the experiment again, but this time instead of vinegar, pour water on top of the baking soda. What happens to the flame this time? Do you observe the same reaction? If not, can you explain the difference?

Extra: Can you find other liquids in your kitchen beside vinegar that make carbon dioxide when mixed with baking powder? Remember, these liquids have to be acidic. Observe your burning candle when you add these solutions to the baking soda. How do they react? Does your flame keep burning or is it extinguished?

Extra: Together with an adult, locate a fire extinguisher in your house (if you have any) and read its ingredients list. Can you find out how it works to extinguish a fire? Ask an adult about how to use this extinguisher in case of an emergency. But be careful to not accidently use it for real!

Observations and results Did you successfully extinguish your flame? You don’t even see what makes the candle go out, but it does—almost looks like magic! Initially, your candle should have burned bright and steady. After all, it had enough fuel from the candle, heat from the match and oxygen from the air to sustain a fire. You should have observed, however, that after you added the vinegar to the baking soda in the glass dish, a short time later the flame suddenly went out. What happened? The answer has to do with the chemical reaction that occurs when you mix vinegar with baking soda.

Baking soda is another name for the chemical compound sodium bicarbonate. It reacts with any type of acid such as vinegar to form gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2). You can actually see it being produced—it makes the bubbles and foam that you observe when you add the vinegar to the glass dish. The same carbon dioxide reaction makes a baking soda volcano erupt or inflates a balloon when you mix an acid with sodium bicarbonate. In this experiment the CO2 extinguishes the candle flame. Although you can’t see it, the CO2 produced by the baking soda–vinegar reaction starts filling the glass dish from the bottom up. Eventually, once all of the air in the glass dish is replaced by carbon dioxide, the flame has no more oxygen left to burn and it goes out. If you try to light the candle again, it won’t ignite because the match also goes out once it enters the carbon dioxide layer in the glass dish.

When you add just water to the baking powder in the glass dish, however, no carbon dioxide is produced because water is not an acid. Therefore, the candle should have kept burning as long as enough oxygen and fuel was available.

This activity was inspired by 101 Great Science Experiments, from Neil Ardley.

Cleanup Make sure you put out the candle. Rinse out the glass dish with water and soap, and discard the Play-Doh or modeling clay.

More to explore What Is Fire? , from Science Learning Hub How Fire Extinguishers Work , from HowStuffWorks Spectacle Science: Exploring Homemade Rockets , from Scientific American Science Activity for All Ages!, from Science Buddies

This activity brought to you in partnership with Science Buddies

Butane Bubbles

Hi readers! We just finished Chemistry Camp for Middle School Girls for the 7th consecutive year, which basically meant that for a full week, 55 middle school girls came to the University of Rhode Island to learn about, engage in, and discuss all manners of science. In honor of Chemistry Camp #7 , I am going to review some of our newer experiments and talk about the science behind them.

Experiment 1: Butane Bubbles

Safety Note: This experiment involves fire and is dangerous. If you want to try this experiment at home, be sure that you have a fire extinguisher and take all necessary safety precautions prior to starting.

Instructions: Fill a container with water and some dish soap. Then take a cylinder with butane gas and compress the cylinder so that butane goes into the water. This will result in the creation of bubbles in the solution, and is also likely to create a foul, rotten-egg odor from the butane. Once you have created that solution, you can either: (1) Light the butane bubbles on fire; or (2) Scoop up some bubble solution in your hands and then light the butane bubbles on fire.

What is the science? Butane is a highly flammable gas, which means that it burns relatively easily. It also burns at a low temperature, however, which means that the flames themselves tend not to be all that hot. When your hands are full of the bubble solution, the butane will burn and the water and soap will not, creating a fascinating effect without too much danger to yourself. If you are nervous about doing this experiment in your hands, lighting the bubbles on fire while still in the pan will also create some pretty dramatic results.

For more information about butane bubble science, check out the links below:

https://www.bealsscience.com/single-post/2017/10/17/Flaming-Soap-Bubbles---Holding-a-Fireball-in-my-Hand

https://www.thoughtco.com/burning-bubbles-science-project-607493

Check out a picture of our very own Ben Cromwell doing this experiment at a recent event:

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Fire Tornado

A fire tornado is just like a tornado but made of fire instead of air.

Print this Experiment

When we picture a tornado, most of us imagine a whirling column of air poking down from the clouds. But this tornado-like effect is not just limited to air. Imagine what it might look like if winds could twist a ground level forest fire into an enormous fire tornado that dances across the tops of the trees. It’s not a special effect found in a movie—it’s a real-world danger that firefighters battle in the most extreme forest fires imaginable. This special demonstration is reserved for science teachers who want to share a small version of this amazing phenomenon.

WARNING! TEACHERS ONLY! This demonstration write-up is provided for educational purposes only and should only be performed by properly trained science demonstrators. In other words, if you’re a kid and you want to see this in action, bookmark this page and share it with your middle or high school science teacher.

Experiment Videos

Here's What You'll Need

Lazy susan (rotating tray), metal screen (you’ll want a mesh size that is similar to the screen found on your windows. the actual size of the piece of screen will depend on the size of the rotating tray.), wire or staples, small glass dish, glass dinner plate or something similar to cover teh fire, pieces of sponge, lighter fluid, safety glasses, fire extinguisher, let's try it.

The key to making this demonstration work well is to test a number of circular rotating trays (commonly referred to as Lazy Susans) until you find one that suits you. It’s truly a matter of trial and error, but you’re bound to find one that functions perfectly.

Take a look at the photographs of the wire screen that is rolled into the shape of a tube. Find a friend to help you shape and hold the wire in place as you roll the screen into a cylinder that’s about the same diameter as the rotating tray. When you’re constructing this tabletop version of the Fire Tornado, it’s best to keep the height of the screen tube between 2.5 and 3 feet tall. Anything taller has the potential of falling over as you spin it. As you can see in the photographs, our wire cylinder rests on top of the tray and is just slightly smaller than the tray itself. Fasten the ends of the cylinder using wire or staples. Rivets or wire can be used to secure the center section.

Position the wire cylinder in the middle of the tray and give it a gentle spin. You should be able to make the cylinder spin slowly without having to physically fasten the screen to the tray. When you’re presenting the demonstration, you’ll need to be able to quickly remove the screen from the rotating tray and cover the fire with a plate to extinguish the flames. IMPORTANT NOTE: If the screen cylinder is not positioned in the very middle of the tray, the cylinder will spin off center and might even fall over. The more accurately you can get the screen centered, the more even the spin will be, which results in the best tornado possible.

Place the small glass dish in the middle of the rotating tray. It is best to find a small square of fire-resistant material (or a small plate or saucer) for the dish to sit on so as not to damage the Lazy Susan.

Cut up several pieces of sponge and place them in the dish. Squirt lighter fluid on the pieces of sponge so that each piece is completely soaked.

Put on your safety glasses. Light the fire but leave the mesh screen off of the rotating tray for now and gently spin the tray. Notice how the fire spins, but no tornado effect is created. Extinguish the fire by covering it with another small plate.

Reignite the fire and place the wire screen cylinder on the Lazy Susan. Gently spin the tray and watch as the fire twists into the shape of a tornado. The fire tornado will rise as the tray spins faster and faster.

Remove the screen cylinder from the tray and extinguish the fire.

How Does It Work

As you noticed, simply spinning the tray does not whip the fire into a twirling tornado. It’s only when you center the fire in the middle of the rotating screen that you create the perfect fire tornado. It all starts with the heat from the flame that causes the surrounding molecules of air to rise. Couple this with the rotational motion of the screen and you have the perfect storm, so to speak. The rotating screen gives the air molecules an initial spin (called angular momentum ). The vertically rising hot air molecules collide with the rotating screen, and the angular momentum of the screen is transferred to the rapidly rising air molecules, giving them a “twist.” Fresh air fuels the fire from the bottom, and the flames twist into the shape of a tornado.

Take It Further

Experiment by making wire cylinders that are made from different types of metal screen—large mesh or small mesh constructed out of thin or thick wire. Each variation will produce a different effect. Don’t be surprised if the thick wire, large mesh screen doesn’t work at all. Why?

Visit your local thrift store, garage sale, or flea market in search of an old record player. With a little modification, you’ll be able to transform the turntable into the spinning platform needed for your experiment.

Safety Information

Real-world application.

The rotating metal screen is a simple way to illustrate the way winds whip through the trees in the forest and collide with the warm updraft from the wildfire. These so-called fire tornadoes can measure 30–50 meters tall (100–200 feet). Some of the largest fire tornadoes have measured more than a kilometer in height. It’s easy to see how the rising column of twisting fire can dance along the treetops, causing the fire to spread easily.

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3 Awesome Science Experiments With Fire!

Introduction: 3 Awesome Science Experiments With Fire!

Please be careful when you will be performing these fire experiments at home or at school. All of these fire tricks can be extremely dangerous so again, please be careful. Always use safety glasses or face-shield, gloves, well-ventilated areas and adult supervision. Its good to have prepared fire extinguisher.

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3 Awesome Science Experiments with Fire!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlVNs-yHm04

Step 1: ​Fire Bubbles Experiment

Fill a kitchen plate with ordinary tap water. Add a little of dish soap to the water. Submerge the open end of the butane gas tube in the soapy water and press. Butane gas will create bubbles which you can catch by hand.

Before catching the bubbles and light them with lighter or match, make sure that every part of your hands and wrists are covered with water to protect them from a burn and don't forget to put a plate with bubbles a bit far from the place where you will make an experiment. I was using lighter refill with butane gas , you can use same or methane gas.

Step 2: Fire Hands Experiment

Hand Sanitizer contains water, ethyl alcohol which is highly flammable and can contain some perfume. Ethanol, also called alcohol, ethyl alcohol, and drinking alcohol, is a chemical compound, a simple alcohol with the chemical formula C2H5OH. It also has medical applications as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

Gels that contain ethanol produce a relatively cool flame with the blue color because of a high percentage of the water in the product.

But keep in mind, that the flame is still hot enough to burn you if you hold it too long and can ignite paper, fabrics, etc. Use care to perform this experiment in a safe location, away from flammable material. As we recommended before, it's a good idea to have a fire extinguisher or at least a glass of water.

I recommend using this Hand Sanitizer.

Step 3: Traveling Flame

This is simple and easy fire trick with a candle that will surprise anyone who sees it. Almost every candle is made out the wax. When you light a candle, heat from flame melts wax close to the wick and the melted wax flows up inside the wick by capillary action.

The wax becomes a hot gas by heat from the flame and its hydrocarbons (CnH2n+2) break down into carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). The vaporized wax is burned with oxygen (O) and is producing water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), light, and heat.

Smoke from a candle is unburned wax vapor and substance called “soot” which is a black material composed mostly of carbon. For a few seconds, the temperature of the smoke is high enough that it will burn with the touch of a flame. Because smoke is hot, It rises and you would like to light it, you should be few inches above the wick.

I recommend using long candle like this , it's easier to light it.