Combustion is very common when mixing two chemicals together, doing so can create an exothermic reaction. An exothermic reaction is a reaction that requires less energy to break bonds but more energy to create new bonds, thus releasing heat and form of energy. One type of combustion was made by mixing potassium permanganate and glycerin. The permanganate which is an oxidizer an reacts with a carbon- hydrogen bonds in glycerin. A video of this reaction happening can be watched here, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kA12Y-B-U08. The reaction only happens when the temperature is above 70°F though. The materials can easily be found in hardware stores (permanganate ) and in bakery stores or drug stores (glycerin). Exothermic reactions are very helpful in everyday life. For a rocketship to propel itself upward it uses exothermic reactions. To light a cigarette it requires exothermic reaction(I do not recommend using cigarettes though). Spontaneous combustion also happens in nature. When a forest fire ignites it is not just because of people, it is because of spontaneous combustion. A chemical in nature can react with trees, grass etc. and create a fire.
Photo : http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite
Author: Theodore Gray
Published : Oct 18. 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment