School science experiments

Purple Flame Magic

Materials
5g of pottassium permanganate cystals, 2ml of glycerol, a porcelain tile and a dropper.
Procedure
Pile 5g of powdered KMnO4 crystals on a porcelain tile.Make a small depression on the centre of the pile. Using a dropper or a glass tube add carefully about 3 to 4 drops of glycerine to the depression. After a few seconds a white puff of smoke is produced followed by sparks and purple flame.
Discussion
This experiment demonsrtates spontaneous combustion. KMnO4 oxidizes glycerol exothermically producing heat and light.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Soap hating and sugar loving match sticks

Materials
A bowl with water, match sticks, sugarlump, soap piece.

Procedure
Arrange the match sticks (about 6 of them)in the bowl of water leavinf space between the ends about the size of a rupee coin.
Place a small piece of soap with a stick at the center. The match sticks run away to the sides of the bowl showing they hate the soap.
Remove the soap piece and place a lump of sugar at the center of the bowl. All the match sticks will come to the center showing they love sugar.

Discussion
Soap contains long chain sodium salt fatty acids which are hydrophobic and repelled by water molecules.So the sticks go away to the sides.When sugar is placed in the bowl the water molecules dissolve the sugar particles and their attraction causes the match stiks to come close to one another.

Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Coin Challenge

Materials
Dinner plate or glass plate, coin, glass tumbler,candle match box and cork.

Procedure
Pour some water in the dinner plate and place a coin in it. Fix a candle piece to the cork and place it above the water level in the plate. Light the candle with a match stick and invert a glass tumbler on it carefully.The candle continues to burn with the dull flame and after sometime it is extinguished. The waterfrom the plate rushes inside the tumbler leaving the coin behind. The coin can be picked with hand and shown to the audience.
Discussion
The burning candle takes up the oxygen from the air in the tumbler for burning. Once oxygen supply is finished it gets extinguished. Due to consumption of oxygen the water is sucked inside. The coin becomes free from water.
Caution:
Do not add too much water.

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Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Magical Wand of Fire

Materials
5g of KMnO4 crystals , 5ml of conc.H2SO4 , 10 ml of ethyl alcohol, glass rod and porcelain tile.

Procedure
Spread powdered KMnO4 crystals on the surface of the porcelain tile. (Do not make big piles) Moisten the crustals with conc.
H2SO4 by dropping small drops of acid carefully.
Dip a glass rod in ethyl alcohol taken in a test tube. Remove the glass rod and carefully bring it in contact with the pile on the tile.
Flame errupts and it cab be seen on the glass rod as well as on the top of tile.
The experiment can be shown number of time with other portions of the tile.

Discussion
KMnO4 is a powerful oxidiing agent . It oxidizes ethyl alcohol and the heat liberated makes the remaining alcohol to catch the fire.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

The blue bottle

Materials
10g of glucose, 8g of KOH, 300ml of distilledwater, 6-8 drops of methylene blue indicator, 500ml round bottom flask.
Procedure
Dissolve 8g of pottassium hydroxide in 300ml of water in 500ml round bottom flask. When the KOH has dissolved add 10g of glucose to the flask and dissolve it by shaking. Add 6-8 drops of methylene blue indicator to the flask and swirl it. Allow the flask to rest untill the solution becomes colourless.
Give the flask one or two shakes. The blue colour will reappear and then slowly fade. The regeneration and fading of blue colour maybe repeated a number of times by shaking the flask and allowing it to rest.
Discussion
Methylene blue indicator is blue in the oxidized form and colourless in the reduced form. It is reduced to the colourless methylene white by alkaline glucose. Shaking the flask dissolves oxygen in the flask and the dye is oxidized back to the blue form.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Coloured Fountain

Materials
500ml round bottom flask, 300ml water, 5-6 drops methyl red indicator, a long glass tubewith anozzle at one end, one holed rubber cork, conc.HCl, 2-3gof sodium bicarbonate.
Procedure
Take 300ml of water in the round bottom flask and add one test tube of conc.HCl and 5-6 drops of methyl red indicator and shake well. Fit the flask with cork carrying a long glass tube with the nozzle at the open end.
Pack 2-3g of sodium bicarbonate in a filter paper or tissue paper, tie it with a thread with a loose knot and place in just above the solution in the flask passing the free end of the thread outside the flask through the cork. Cover the flask so that only the thred and glass tube visible to the audience.
Ask the inaugurator to pull the thread gently so that the sodium bicarbonate packet detaches and falls into the acid. Within few seconds red coloured fountain emerges out of the nozzle.

Discussion
Sodium bicarbonate as it comes into contact with the acid liberates carbon dioxide. The pressure built up pushes the water from the flask in the form of afountain.
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Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Funny liquids

Materials
25ml carbon tetrachloride, 2-3 crystals iodine, copper sulphate solution(0.1g of salt dissolved in 25 ml of water) ,25ml benzene, 100ml measuring jar ,glass rod.

Procedure
Place 25ml of carbon tetrachloride in the measuring jar. Add 2-3 crystals of iodine and shake to get a pink colour. Ask the audience what is the resulting colour when pink is mixed with blue. Pour copper sulphate solution into the jar and show the distinct pink and blue layers. Slowly introduce benzene into jar and exhibit the third seperate colourless upper layer. Using a glass rod try to mix the solutions by stirring. The layers remain as they are. Now closing the mouth of the jar with your palm give a vigorous shaking to the jar.Allow the solutions to settle. Exhibit only two layers-pink and blue.

Discussion
Copper sulphate solution is immiscible with carbon tetrachloride and the two form seperate layers. Similarly benzene and copper sulphate are immiscible;benzene being lighter forms the upper layer.on vigorous shaking benzene dissolves in carbon tetrachloride and the colourless layer dissappers.

Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Colour bands

Materials
Honey, liquid soap(green), water coloured by adding a rystal of KMnO4, vegetable oil, alcohol coloured by adding food colour.

Procedure
In a tall glass jar or measuring cylinder pour directly about 10 ml of honey( do not pour from the sides). Above the layer of the honey slowly introduce about 10ml of coloured liquid soap. Next introduce pink color by adding coloured water. Similarly introduce vegetable oil and coloured alcohol. Exhibit the five different bands of colourswhich do not mix with one another.

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Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Magic fire

Materials
candle, potassium chlorate 1g, sugar 2g , conc.H2SO4 ,glass rod.
Procedure
The foot of the wick is made a little cup shaped by previous burning. In this cup place a mixture of one gram of potassium chlorate and two grams of sugar. Dip the tip of a glass rod in conc.H2SO4 and bring it in contact with the wick of the candle. The candle catches fire instantly.
Discussion
Potassium chlorate exothermically oxidizes sugar in the presence of conc.H2SO4 and the heat produced is sufficient to light the candle.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Fire writing.

Materials
White sheet of paper, sodium nitrate solution ( dissolve 2g of the salt in about 20ml ofwater), glass rod, splinter or agarbatti stick.
Procedure
Write the word on the white paper using sodium nitrate solution with the help of a glass rod. (there should be continuity from the first letter to the last) Allow the paper to dry. The writing is almost invisible. Hang the paper in front and using a glowing splinter or glowing agarabatti set the fire to the begining of first letter. The sparkling fire continues till the last letter.
Discussion
Sodium nitrate is an oxidizing agent. As it decomposes giving oxygen the reaction ccontinous along the writing of sodium nitrate.

Dancing sodium and blushing water

Materials
Sodium piece, glass trough, phenopthalein.
Procedure
Cut a small piece of sodium. Dry it between the folds of filter paper. Using a clean spatula drop the piece of sodium into the glass trough containing water and a few drops of phenopthlein. Sodium runs around in the water with hissing sound gradually dissapperaing itself. Meanwhile the solution in the trough turns pink in colour.
Discussion
Sodiumreacts with water readily liberating hydrogen. Hydrogen as it comes out pushes the sodium and sets it in a random motion. Sodium hydroxide formed during the reaction renders the solution pink in the presence of phenopthalein.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Magic Milk

Materials
A clean plate, milk about 100ml, food colours( As many as youwant), dish detergent, a cotton swab.
Procedure
ut milk into the plate so that it covers the entire plate. Place a few drops of food colours around the milk in different places.
Dip a cotton swab( earbud) in dish detergent.
Touch the milk with the dish detergent swab at the center. The food colour will start to swirl and move in different directions giving a colourful art work.

Discussion
he dish detergent reduces the surface tension of water which allows the food colour to spread around the milk.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Disappearing beakers

Materials
Beakers 250ml,100ml, 50ml, 20ml, carbon tetra chloride 100ml, benzene 100ml.
Procedure
Place the small beaker into a big beaker. 20ml beaker in 50ml,50ml beaker in 100ml and 100ml beaker in 250ml. The beakers will be visible with definete boundaries. Pour a mixture of 100ml of carbon tetrachloride and 100ml of benzene into the250ml beaker untill the liquid level crosses the 100ml beaker upper rim. Hold the big beaker in front of the audience. The small beakers look to have dissappeared.
Discussion
Mixture of carbon tetrachloride and benzene has the same refractive index as that of glass and te ray of light passing through the beakers donot suffer refraction and hence the beakers become invisible.
Shared by/ Source
Praveen Kamath Sir, GHS Ankanahally, Somavarpet Taluk, Kodagu

Fire ball in hand

Materials
Roll a piece of cotton cloth into a ball. Using a string tighten the ball. Soak the ball with lighter fuel. Set fire to the ball and keep rolling into your palm or transfer from one palm to the other.

Burning bubbles

Take soap water in a cup and pass butane gas ( lightergas or LPG)into the solution to produce bubbles. Using a lighter set fire to the bubbles an enjoy the byrning bubbles.

Fire Flare

Materials
Fuming nitric acid 5ml., turpentine 2ml, china dish, beaker 250ml.
Procedure
Pour 5ml of uming nitric acid into the china dish and place the dish at the bottom of the beaker. Using a pipette or a narrow glass tube add turpentine on the acid dro by drop. As each drop falls into the acid it flare up and burns with a large flame, forming a cloud of soot.
Discussion
Fuming nitric acid is a powerful oxidizing agent. It oxidizes the hydrocarbons of the turpentine. The heat produced burns the turpentine.

Green fire

In a glass bowl take about 1g of boric acid (boric powder) and add one test tube of methanol ( methyl alcohol). Set the fire to the alcohol and watch the beauty of green flame.

Inflate a ballon

Materials
Ballon, a plastic bottle,dil HCl, sodium bicarbonate.
Procedure
Add about 100ml of dil HCl to the bottle.Take about 10 to 15gms of sodium bicarbonate in ballon.Now attach the mouth of the ballon to the mouth of bottle without allowing the sodium bicarbonate to fall into the bottle.Then infront of the audience show the ballon inflating by mixing sodium bicarbonate with dil HCl.
Discussion
When sodium bicarbonate is mixed with dil HCl CO2 is released which inflates the ballon.

Hibiscus magic

Take a white paper and fold into 2 equal parts.To one part rub with citric acid and dry it. Then using hibiscus flowers rub the both sides of the paper. The part with citric acid colour chages and the other part the colour do not change. Here the hibiscus flower acts as an indicator.

Al Foil and Sodium Hydroxide

Take a small piece of Al foil and add 3-5 pallets of Sodium Hydroxide pallets into it.Then slowly add 2-3 drops. Alluminium reacts with the sodium hydroxide and slowly the foil burns.

Cloud in the Bottle

Take a plastic bottle and light a match stick near the mouth. Extinguish the fire and then fill the smoke inside the bottle by compressing and releasing.Add the cap and then show the cloud of smoke.

Rotating Candle

Take a candle and insert a nail in between the candle and hang the candle using two tumblers. Now lighten the candle on both sides one after another. After a few seconds the candle starts moving ups and down and then slowly starts rotating.

Magnet

Take a new iron nail. Wrap a copper wire around nail and connect the two ends of the nail to the two poles of the battery. Now the iron nail acts as a magnet. It can be shown by bringing some iron fillings near to this.

Pepper magic

Take a small glass bowl and add little water. Add small amount of pepper powder at the center. Then dip your finger in soap solution and keep it over the water where pepper powder was poured. The pepper powder starts to move to the sides of the bowl by showing they hate the soap particles.

Water jet

Take a plastic straw and insert a small plastic stick in the centre. Now using a knife or blade cut the straw half way on both sides at equal distance from the centre. Now bend the straw in opposite side of the cut portion so that it touches the stick that is passs through the centre. Using cello tape make it stic to the stick. Now dip this straw water jet in water taken in a beaker and rotate usin your hand. The water starts sprinling around.

To show the magnetic lines

Place a bar magnet on the table wrapped with paper. Slowly pour iron fillings around the magnet. Slowly agitate the table. Beautiful magnetic lines can be seen.

Egg magic

Prepare a concentrated solution of NaCl. Take it in a 100ml beaker. In another beaker take water. Now take a raw egg and dip in water. It sinks. Take it out and place it in salt solution it flaots.The reason is because of differnce in density.

Removing the coin

Take two match sticks. Arrange them in such a way that their lighting portion should face upwards, one stick straight and another one errect touching the straight one. Below the errct one place a rupee coin well before. Now the glow the stick, the stick which is erret start moving up in air and the coin can be easily removed.

Dispersion of light

Take a glass trough filled with water.place a plane mirror in a slanted position so that the sun light falls on it. The sun light should fall on that portion of the mirror which is inside the water. Focus a beautiful rainbow on the wall. Here the water and mirror acts as a prism.

References

್ರFuntastic science experiments by Ronald Saldana <ಬ್ರ್br> ್ರ್ರyou tube -easy home science experiments by appu series.