4 ways to make fire without matches by using chemistry

NurdRage Presents: 4 ways to make fire without matches or lighters using chemistry.

Warning: These experiments are for educational purposes only and are not meant to be repeated.

First, a small mount of potassium permanganate is mixed with glycerin. The reaction might be too slow to do anything so we added a few drops of water to get things going.

Second, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and zinc is place ontop of a paper towel. The finer the ingredients are the better this will work. To activate it a few drops of hydrochloric acid are added. (We are well aware that addition of chloride from salt or ammonium chloride will produce a water-activated mixture. But we specifically choose not to demonstrate this for safety reasons, as that particular composition can spontaneously ignite during handling causing severe injury).

Third, a piece of tissue is soaked in acetone to make it more flammable. Then a drop of sulfuric acid is drawn into a pipette and the pipette is dipped in potassium permanganate to pick up some crystals. Then the sulfuric acid is squeezed out causing it to mix with permanganate and form manganese heptoxide that instantly sets the tissue on fire.

Fourth, sodium chlorate and sugar are thoroughly mixed and placed onto a tray. To activate the mixture sulfuric acid is added until it ignites.

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[NurdRage]

@Caveman0713 you answered your own question, educational value in the demonstration of extremely exothermic reactions that can self-initiate combustion. The objective was never to create portable/cheap/readily available means to produce fire, but to show things in chemistry that can do it. Kind of like the famous mentos & coke experiment, no practical purpose (an air-can produces much more gas) but just to show it can be done.

[thekingtamil]

Table Salt + baking soda + 2drop of ammonia = huge 🔥 fire

[hoosherdaddy]

Isn't using a match also using chemistry?

[NurdRage]

@hataycan

The original poster was asking if *WE* could do it. So it *IS* important if it's already been done because it would be easier and faster just to look if someone else had done it rather than wait for us.

In addition, we generally don't repeat experiments if many others have already done a better job.

Thus why it's important if something has already been done.

[NurdRage]

This is way better, it's science!

[petercourt]

It would be pretty cool if you made some videos like the sodium acetate one that we can do at home!

[NurdRage]

Manganese heptoxide is an extremely powerful oxidant. It also has a very low activation barrier to reactivity. So when it hits something with fuel in it, like the acetone soaked tissue, it will quickly react generating enough heat to ignite the acetone.

For further information google a topic called "hypergollic".

[tommasopetrella]

Awesome teaching skills and best in class videos! I wouldn't be surprised if science teacher copy these videos to play in class. Great job, I hope you can continue making them.

[daniellos]

"subscribed" this is a ridiculously awesome channel, u guys showing us the wonders of the mechanical world

[NurdRage]

the steel wool and battery method also done to death. Athlough in a camping/outdoor situation, it's probably the best way.

The tiny drop of manganese heptoxide created there isn't all that bad, it's pretty easy to handle and work with... unless you put it your hand.

[unstoppable]

Going to do method number 3 with some leftover Potassium Permanganate from an Iron Oxalato crystal lab. Lovin' the videos, NurdRage. Keep it up.

[dimitrisaponte]

I can survive an apocalypse with these videos. All i have to do is get to a chem lab.

[NurdRage]

hmm.. good question.

When i figure it out i'll make a video on it. :)

Its actually a super-absorbent polymer, buying it isn't that hard, but molding it into the proper shape I don't really know how to do.

[Microtardz]

-gives you a match box and a towel-
Congratulations, you're the fire making McGuyver of household stuff.
Because most people still have matches or at least a lighter.

[GronTheMighty]

@NurdRage Good :)

Nice videos by the way, just stumbled onto one, and after watching a few more i've noticed that you do regard safety highly indeed, and thus you've won a subscriber - keep up the good work!

[brandoncowan]

While I understand what the purpose of the video is, I would like to point out that the chemistry behind matches themselves is quite interesting and the utilization is ingenious.

[Jaskatzu]

That's really cool :D
How do you know all this stuff, are you a professional chemist?

[mikeandtiff]

those 4 ways would make great bar tricks to light some one's smoke! Awesome video, thanks again for sharing

[NurdRage]

the container we got it from says sodium chlorate but there is a possibility it's a mistake on the part of the manufacturer. Another possibility is the camera's sensor might have misinterpreted the intense infrared as violet, an effect that occurs with some cameras.

[marmaladekamikaze]

Yes I agree, nothing is more immutable than our own sense of expiration, and it is a noble endeavour to try to light that spark of curiousity in young people, unfortunately a lot of ''chemistry teachers'' leave much to be desired. well Diethyl zinc isn't too hard to make, the main problem is having the setup to exclude air, just zinc and ethyl iodide.