======Fire Bubbles======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Hold Fire in Your Hand, Methane Bubbles
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Fill a large bowl with water and add a small amount of dish soap, mixing to create soapy water.  
  - Thoroughly soak one arm in a bucket of water, making sure it is wet up to the elbow.  
  - Place a tube from a gas tap to the bowl to form bubbles.  
  - Scoop up a handful of bubbles (not foam) with the soaked arm, keeping your palm flat and facing upward.  
  - Hold your hand at arm’s length, away from your face, and above head height.  
  - Ensure there is enough clearance from the ceiling and nearby objects.  
  - Use a lighter or candle flame to ignite the bubbles, holding still until the fire burns out.



====Links==== 
Fire Bubbles - Methane Madness - SpanglerScienceTV: 
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Fire bubbles - The Experiment Archive: 
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📄 Fire bubbles - Experiment Archive: [[https://www.experimentarchive.com/experiments/fire-bubbles/]]\\


====Variations====
  * Instead of holding the bubbles, place them on a fireproof surface such as a ceramic plate before lighting.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Safety goggles required.  
  * Keep a fire extinguisher, a bucket of water, and a fire blanket nearby.  
  * Perform only under adult supervision by someone experienced with fire.  
  * Do not perform outdoors, as wind can blow flames toward the face.  
  * Soak arm fully in water before holding bubbles.  
  * Hold hand away from face and above head height.  
  * Maintain at least 1.5 meters (5 feet) clearance from the ceiling or flammable objects.  
  * Practice emergency procedures in case of fire or burns.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why doesn’t your hand burn even though the bubbles are on fire? (Because water has a high heat capacity and absorbs much of the released heat.)  
  * What gases are inside the bubbles that make them flammable? (Propane and butane from the aerosol spray.)  
  * What type of reaction occurs when the bubbles are lit? (An exothermic combustion reaction producing carbon dioxide, water, heat, and light.)  
  * Why must your hand be soaked in water before holding the bubbles? (The water layer provides protection by absorbing heat from the flame.)  
  * What state of matter might exist in parts of the flame besides gas? (Possibly plasma, if the temperature is high enough to ionize gas molecules.)