On the evening of February 4th, the Science Club did a demonstration of spectacular chemical reactions for delegates on a noxious substances course with a local Crawley company, Braemar Howells. The delegates were from Ireland and included two lieutenant commanders, a coastguard and a marine biologist.
Members of the Science club performed the demonstrations and got their audience to join in.
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Affinity reaction show how metals compete with each other for oxygen
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The best affinity reaction is between aluminium and iron oxide. This is so dramatic it needs to be done outside!
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Even steel wool will burn if there is enough oxygen around it
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Iron filings also burn – this is how sparklers work
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Sodium is so reactive it will take the oxygen from the hydrogen in water, it burns with a classic bright orange flame
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Potassium does this too but burns with a lilac flame. These metals give fireworks their colours
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This reaction is the speedy decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with a little washing up liquid to help it look more dramatic. Its know as the Elephants Toothpaste reaction.
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When you pour concentrated sulphuric acid on sugar (C6H12O6) it steals all of the water from the sugar
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This creates lots of heat and leaves lots of carbon
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An Old Brambletyean helped demonstrate the Methane Mamba
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You can even make your hand appear to burn
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No visit to surgery for this marine biologist
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The Lieutenant Commander has a go.
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Posted on
Thursday, February 11, 2010
by Brambletye Admin