Ralf
Harmless
Posts: 2
Registered: 21-2-2025
Member Is Offline
|
|
Burning iron wire in pure oxygen
Hi,
everyone knows that steel wool can burn in air. But did you know that an iron wire can burn as well?
It works, if you use pure oxygen. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL8VSgzIcEc
I used a zinc-coated 0.7 mm thick iron wire for the experiment. It acts like a powerful sparkler. The sparks generated are so hot that they leave burn
marks in the glass vessel. A massive piece of shiny iron oxide (Fe3O4) can be found on the bottom after the reaction. It is magnetic.
|
|
|
woelen
Super Administrator
Posts: 8082
Registered: 20-8-2005
Location: Netherlands
Member Is Offline
Mood: interested
|
|
Looks quite impressive.
Another similar experiment can be done in chlorine gas. Prepare a jar, full of chlorine (e.g. by adding a tablespoon full of swimming pool chlorine
granulate to a few tens of ml of hydrochloric acid). Then immerse the iron wire, while being red hot, in the chlorine gas. it will burn violently,
giving off a brown cloud of very finely divided iron(III) chloride.
Do this experiment with chlorine gas outside! The gas and the brown smoke are things you certainly do not want to breathe and the brown smoke also
stains everything, including wallpaper, ceilings, etc.
|
|
|
Mateo_swe
National Hazard
Posts: 563
Registered: 24-8-2019
Location: Within EU
Member Is Offline
|
|
When testing bank vault alarms they sometimes use a thermic lance.
Its a steel pipe (i think stainless steel) that you connect a pure oxygen feed to and then set the other end on fire.
They then push the rod right through the about 1 meter thick vault door with molten metal pouring out.
Looks really cool and very, very hot.
So steel/iron burns good if supplied with pure oxygen and you manage to set it on fire.
In an pure oxygen environment very many materials burns good and are easily ignited.
They switched from pure oxygen environment after fatal accident in the US space program.
|
|
|
Morgan
International Hazard
Posts: 1731
Registered: 28-12-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by Mateo_swe  | When testing bank vault alarms they sometimes use a thermic lance.
Its a steel pipe (i think stainless steel) that you connect a pure oxygen feed to and then set the other end on fire.
They then push the rod right through the about 1 meter thick vault door with molten metal pouring out.
Looks really cool and very, very hot.
So steel/iron burns good if supplied with pure oxygen and you manage to set it on fire.
In an pure oxygen environment very many materials burns good and are easily ignited.
They switched from pure oxygen environment after fatal accident in the US space program. |
People are still learning about oxygen even after the astronauts. I took a bus tour one time at Cape Canaveral. This in the news recently.
https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/oakland-county/state-lawmak...
|
|
|
moviez
Harmless
Posts: 39
Registered: 25-8-2024
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Great video! That reminded me my middle school days. One of the first experiments I’ve done is to burn iron wire/sulfur and a few other things in
pure oxygen.
|
|
|
Ralf
Harmless
Posts: 2
Registered: 21-2-2025
Member Is Offline
|
|
I also tried to burn household aluminium foil (maybe 10 or 20 µm thick) and a zinc shaving (roughly 25 µm think) but it didn't work. The aluminium
didn't react at all. The zinc burned a second with smoke, but the flame faded quickly and most of the zinc remained unchanged.
I only knew that steel wool burns in chlorine, but not a wire. Sounds good. I will try it.
|
|
|
Radiums Lab
Harmless
Posts: 16
Registered: 18-3-2025
Location: India
Member Is Offline
Mood: Experiencing the elegance of science.
|
|
| Quote: Originally posted by woelen | Looks quite impressive.
Another similar experiment can be done in chlorine gas. Prepare a jar, full of chlorine (e.g. by adding a tablespoon full of swimming pool chlorine
granulate to a few tens of ml of hydrochloric acid). Then immerse the iron wire, while being red hot, in the chlorine gas. it will burn violently,
giving off a brown cloud of very finely divided iron(III) chloride.
Do this experiment with chlorine gas outside! The gas and the brown smoke are things you certainly do not want to breathe and the brown smoke also
stains everything, including wallpaper, ceilings, etc. |
Thanks for pointing it out woelen, even bromine works great for this reaction and it gives a spectacular result.
[Edited on 5-4-2025 by Radiums Lab]
Water is dangerous if you don't know how to handle it, elemental fluorine (F₂) on the other hand is pretty tame if you know what you are doing.
|
|
|
Morgan
International Hazard
Posts: 1731
Registered: 28-12-2010
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
I remember using an eye dropper watching turpentine instantly burst into flames as it fell through the gas in a flask filled with chlorine.
There's this if you're making chlorine.
https://sciencegifs.csullender.com/2015/12/10/Chlorine-Gas-a...
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
