Combustion Demonstrations

See also: Explosions

Combustion is a type of reaction in which a substance reacts with oxygen, releasing energy in the form of heat and light. This category examines the science of burning, the factors that influence it, and the role it plays in both natural and human-made processes. Studying combustion connects chemistry to everyday energy use and environmental impact.

Demonstration	Materials	Difficulty	Safety	Summary
Split Flame With Gauze	★★☆	★★☆	★★☆	A Bunsen burner flame is interrupted with a piece of wire gauze. The gas burns only above the gauze, not below it. This demonstrates how the gauze conducts heat away, preventing ignition below, while hot vapors reignite above the mesh.
Non-Burning Money	★☆☆	★★☆	★★☆	A dollar bill or paper soaked in a 50/50 alcohol-water solution is ignited. The alcohol burns brightly, but the bill remains unharmed because the water absorbs the heat and prevents the paper from reaching its ignition temperature.
Flaming Gummy Bear	★★★	★★★	★★★	A gummy bear (or sugar sweet) is dropped into molten potassium chlorate, which decomposes to release oxygen. The sugar rapidly combusts, producing heat, light, gas, and a dramatic flame.
Carbon Sugar Snake	★★★	★★☆	★★★	A mixture of sugar and baking soda is ignited with lighter fluid on a sand base, producing an expanding black "snake" of carbon and sodium carbonate as gases from decomposition push the solid upward.
Sodium in Water	★★★	★★★	★★★	A pea-sized piece of sodium metal is placed on water, where it reacts exothermically to form sodium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. Heat from the reaction can ignite the hydrogen, and a pH indicator shows the solution becoming alkaline.
Whoosh Bottle	★★☆	★★☆	★★★	A small amount of alcohol is vaporized inside a large plastic jug and ignited at the opening, producing a dramatic “whoosh” sound and a burst of blue flame.
Energy in Food	★★☆	★★☆	★★☆	A small piece of dry food is burned beneath a boiling tube containing water, and the rise in water temperature is measured. From this, the approximate energy released is calculated.
Burning Magnesium Ribbon	★★☆	★★☆	★★☆	A strip of magnesium ribbon, when ignited, burns with an intense white flame, producing magnesium oxide. The reaction is highly exothermic and demonstrates how metals can react vigorously with oxygen.
Acetylene From Calcium Carbide	★★★	★★★	★★★	Acetylene gas is generated by reacting calcium carbide with hydrochloric acid.
Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher	★☆☆	★☆☆	★☆☆	Baking soda and vinegar react to produce carbon dioxide gas, which is then poured over lit candles to extinguish the flames. This models how fire extinguishers use gases to smother fire.
Hydrogen Mini Rocket	★★☆	★★☆	★★★	Hydrogen and oxygen gases are produced in the lab through chemical reactions, then combined and ignited to propel a small rocket across the room. The demonstration highlights multiple types of chemical reactions: double replacement, decomposition, combustion, and synthesis.
Cannon Fire Reaction	★★☆	★★☆	★★★	Hydrogen peroxide reacts with potassium permanganate to generate bursts of oxygen that make a burning ethanol mixture crack, pop, and roar like cannon fire; adding a metal salt can color the flame.
Burning Steel Wool with a 9 Volt Battery	★☆☆	★☆☆	★★☆	In this experiment, fine-grade steel wool is ignited using a 9-volt battery. When the steel fibers complete the circuit, they heat up and react with oxygen in the air, producing glowing sparks and forming iron oxide. This demonstrates that metals, like iron, can burn under the right conditions.
Lycopodium Powder Fireball	★★☆	★★☆	★★★	Lycopodium powder, when ignited in a pile, burns slowly due to limited oxygen contact. When dispersed as a fine dust cloud and ignited, the vastly increased surface area causes rapid combustion, producing a dramatic fireball or small explosion.
Methanol Flame Colors	★★☆	★★☆	★★☆	Metal salts are heated in burning methanol to produce vivid flame colors that correspond to electronic transitions in their ions.
Fire Tornado	★★★	★★☆	★★★	This dramatic demonstration shows how a spinning column of fire can be created using a rotating screen cylinder and a flame source. It models the dangerous fire tornadoes that occur in extreme wildfires when hot air updrafts combine with swirling winds.
Candle and Water Rising	★☆☆	★☆☆	★★☆	When a burning candle is covered with an inverted container standing in water, the candle eventually goes out and the water rises inside the container.
Travelling Flame	★☆☆	★☆☆	★★☆	When a candle is blown out, the rising smoke contains vaporized wax. Bringing a flame into the smoke can ignite the vapor, causing the flame to travel down the smoke trail and relight the candle wick.
Burning Steel Wool Increases Its Mass	★★☆	★★☆	★★☆	When steel wool is ignited, it reacts with oxygen in the air to form iron oxide. Surprisingly, the mass of the steel wool increases after burning because oxygen atoms from the air combine with the iron atoms.

Materials
★☆☆ Easy to get from supermarket or hardware store
★★☆ Available in most school laboratories or specialist stores
★★★ Requires materials not commonly found in school laboratories

Difficulty
★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
★★☆ Available in most school laboratories or specialist stores
★★★ Requires a more experienced teacher

Safety
★☆☆ Minimal safety procedures required
★★☆ Some safety precautions required to perform safely
★★★ Only to be attempted with adequate safety procedures and trained staff