Ralf
Harmless
Posts: 1
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: 8079
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.
|
|