Chemistry

Launch your students into a discussion of chemical reactions with this fun, safe, and exciting demonstration. This thrilling demonstration of the controlled combustion of isopropyl alcohol teaches students the concepts of combustion, thermochemistry,...

Many reactions produce heat. In fact, when students think of chemical reactions, heat production is often expected. However, endothermic reactions, reactions which consume heat, can be just as exciting. One of the most striking examples of this is wh...

Safely demonstrate the production and combustion of acetylene gas with this fun vintage toy. Simply load the specially formulated calcium carbide “ammunition,” close the casing to add water, pull back on the igniter and give the plunger a good push. ...

Are volatile, flammable liquid vapors heavier than air? Safely demonstrate to students that using flammable liquids indoors can create a fire hazard—even if you are quite far from an open flame. In this impressive eye-catching demonstration, hexane v...

Simple, safe, and exciting “carbide cannon” will blow your students away! Fill the base of the apparatus with a few grains of calcium carbide and add water to produce flammable acetylene gas. Wait a minute, and then ignite. The projectile, a soft soc...

Safely demonstrate combustion by performing the “ping pong popper” micro-scaled explosion! Students will love the loud “pop” as a spark ignites alcohol in a popper and a ping pong ball launches 20 feet across the room. Use this eye-catching demonstra...

This loud and fiery variation of the classic thermit reaction is sure to grab your students' attention. Take two rusty iron balls, wrap one in aluminum foil, bang them together and watch the fireworks!    Enjoy all the pyrotechnics of the...

Vividly demonstrate to your students the thermal energy content and potential skin burning hazards associated with steam. Steam is channeled through a copper coil heated by a Meker burner flame which raises the temperature of the steam well above 100...

Be a chemical gourmet—whip up a carbon soufflé! Your students will be amazed as they watch a yellow solid-liquid mixture turn brown, then black, expand out the top of the beaker—and solidify. The beaker becomes extremely hot and the odor of burnt sug...

Liven up your lesson plan on thermodynamics with this entertaining display of culinary wizardry. In an aluminum pan, add water to the “specially formulated” Flinn calcium oxide, and stir. Crack open an egg and pour it in the second pan. Place it over...

Have you ever heard of or read about a dust explosion in your area? They are rather common in grain elevators, coal mines, and sawmills. A spark, even due to friction, can set off burnable dust in air to produce a large explosion.This demonstration w...

The thermite reaction is one your students will never forget. Flames, sparks, temperatures exceeding 2200 ºC and melted iron are all produced by this spectacular reaction. Thermite is a generic name given to a very high temperature reaction between a...

Every day can be the 4th of July with this exciting demonstration. Colliding bubbles of gas produce underwater explosions. This demonstration shows how chlorine and acetylene gas can spontaneously react at room temperature. Safely conducted under wat...

Wow your students with a whoosh! Students just love to see the blue alcohol flame shoot out of the mouth of the bottle and watch yellow dancing flames pulsate in the jug as more air is drawn in. Use this exciting demonstration to teach combustion rea...

A spectacular “fireworks” display is initiated by adding two drops of water to a mixture of dry chemicals. Place a beaker with very small amounts of zinc dust, ammonium nitrate, and a catalyst in a fume hood. Add two drops of water to the mixture and...