Always have a FIRE EXTINGUISHER and ADULT HELP handy when performing fire experiments. NO EXCEPTIONS.
This video will show you how to transform the color of your flames. For a campfire, simply sprinkle the solids into your flames (make sure they are ground into a fine powder first) and you’ll see a color change. DO NOT do this experiment inside your house – the fumes given off by the chemicals are not something you want in your home!
One of the tricks to fire safety is to limit your fuel. The three elements you need for a flame are: oxygen, spark, and fuel. To extinguish your flames, you’ll have to either wait for the fuel to run out or smother the flames to cut off the oxygen. When you limit your fuel, you add an extra level of safety to your activities and a higher rate of success to your eyebrows.
Here’s what we’re going to do: first, make your spectrometer: you can make the simple spectrometer or the more-advanced calibrated spectrometer. Next, get your chemicals together and build your campfire. Finally, use your spectrometer to view your flames.
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Thanks.
Yes, as long as you follow the instructions in the video, you should be fine.
sorry I ‘m not good at explaining. What I mean is, that it is alright to do it on a campfire that has wood and not gas? I just wanted to be sure, Sara and Savanna already asked that, I think, but I wanted to be sure I understood.
-Gabe
I am not sure I understand your question… ??
so It is safe to do it on a regular campfire without Menthol just roast before you add your chemicals to the fire?
Thanks for asking! No, we do not yet have the shopping lists for the Grade Level part of the program, as I am still adding content to it. I would recommend going through and checking the materials for the experiments you want to do to build your list from there. I apologize for not having these ready for you yet!
Is there a shopping list that is particular to the experiments chosen for the 8th grade level chemistry exploration? I’m wondering if we limit ourselves to the 8th grade list, is it necessary to buy the C3000 set in order to have what we would need? We’re just considering what to study next. Thanks!
Ok, thanks!
Not a silly question at all! Lots of people have wondered that exact thing. 🙂 Fire is a chemical reaction which produces different temperatures. You can have a hot flame, a cool flame, or anything in between, and each kind is going to have a different color to it. If you’re more technical, it’s actually the electron jumping between shells that emit light. Don’t forget that not all light emitted is visible – the infrared waves are a lower energy, longer wavelength than red light.
This is probably a silly question, but why does fire produce light? Just wondering :/
Sure thing! Just don’t roast anything you plan to eat over the colored flames. Just watch instead!
Hi Aurora
We are having a camp out this weekend and were wondering if this experiment would be safe to perform on our campfire?
Thanks!
Sara and Savannah
Since methanol is a solvent, simply swish it around and dispose of the same way you’d dispose of excess gasoline, which is in a suitable container and brought to the local garbage facility, for hazardous waste disposal. It’s a lot easier to just let it burn completely dry and wipe out the inside residue (excess powder) with a paper towel (make sure it’s cooled down or you’ll ignite the paper) and do the next experiment. I use disposable aluminum tart pans when doing this experiment for easy clean-up.
How should we clean the pot in between experiments if we extinguish the flame before all the MeOH is burned off?
It’s not a question of whether glass will catch on fire, but how the glass changes (expands) when heat is applied to it. Have you ever seen a glass crack when hot water is poured in? That’s because the glass expanded unevenly, and it cracked to relieve the tightness it felt as part of it expanded while the rest didn’t. Thermal expansion is what causes test tubes to crack, glass tables to shatter, and worse in a chemistry lab. Ceramic, stone, or steel are the best choices when dealing with fire, depending on how hot the flame is. In this video, I used the sidewalk – also a great choice. Does that make sense?
I can see why you would wonder since glass is made from sand witch most people think is flamable but is not so glass is no either so yes it should be safe on a glass tabletop.
Sounds like you’re wondering how hot the fire gets? Well, where do you think a safe place would be to do an explosive experiment?
Can you do it on a glass table?
Can you do it on the roof?
1. You need METHANOL (a liquid), not methane (which is a gas at atmospheric conditions).
2. I put a small bowl made from tinfoil on top of my logs before lighting my campfire, so I have a good place to watch the colors burn. As with lighter fluid and BBQ’s, do NOT pour methanol onto a lit campfire! Get an adult to mix up your solution, place on your logs, then store your chemicals safely away, and THEN light the campfire. Have an extinguisher handy!
Yes, in most cases it’s fine. Get the highest percentage you can find.
Can you use isopropyl alcohol? They don’t have heet in our area and limited methanol.
A couple questions,
1. Do you need the methane for the campfire or can you just use the chemicals?
2. Do the amounts you need of each chemical change when you use a campfire?
Thank you.
No – you’ll want to roast your marshmallows and THEN color your campfire – the color doesn’t last long, just until the chemicals are consumed.
We only have the salt and borax for coloring fire. Is it safe to roast marshmallows on those chemicals.
Yes, you can look at the flame using your spectrometer, but DO NOT add chemicals to the flame inside the house – they’ll make a mess because won’t burn completely, and the part that does burn gives off fumes you don’t want inside your house. Also – I don’t recommend mixing chemicals and food (you take the chance of getting powders on the counter top, etc… when you do chemistry in your kitchen). Play it safe and keep them separate.
If you’re just looking at the flame itself (without adding anything to it), be careful because the stove’s going to be hot! Try this experiment at night to eliminate other light sources – your spectral lines will show up a lot better. Hope this helps!!
opps- I guess I should of said– instead of creating a campfire to burn the elements listed above –could I use (for example) the stove top. Will we still see the change of colors when the flame is small? Thanks.
Yes, you can use any light source (EXCEPT THE SUN): Aim the spectrometer at a light source such as a fluorescent light, neon sign, sunset, light bulb, computer screen, television, night light, candle, fireplace… any light source you can find and you’ll see the emission lines inside your tube (or box). Click here to learn how to calibrate your spectrometer and also learn how to make one without a diffraction grating! If you’re puzzled about how a diffraction grating does its magic, then click here to learn how it works.
Hi- just wondering if the fire needs to be a campfire or could we use something else? (ex: use the gas flame of a stove top?) And since this is going to be tried during the day– will we still be able to see the color change?