Amazing Experiment: Carbon Dioxide and Potassium Permanganate
On the first experiment, they use a pepper-like substance called Potassium Permanganate (KMn04) which is an oxidant and an oil-like substance called Brake Fluid which is a fuel. When they combined these two substances in a stainless container, this results on having a little fire on the container. And they said it is because of the Chemical Reaction made by the two substances and the mixture should release energy in the form of heat that’s why this results on combustion. At first, I thought that the Brake Fluid they used is just a simple Cooking Oil and the Potassium Permanganate is just a pepper.
But those “simple” substances I thought made an amazing experiment which makes me understand how heat was released by a Chemical Reaction. On the second experiment, the special substance they use is Dry Ice – which is a Frozen Carbon Dioxide – together with a balloon, funnel, mortar and pestle (to crush the Dry Ice) and a bottle with water. They crushed the Dry Ice first into small pieces then they put in the funnel which is connected to the balloon, and after this they put the balloon with Dry Ice onto the bottle with water.
They let the Dry Ice be poured into the water which results in Sublimation and the gas this made was used to inflate the balloon. This gas is called Carbon Dioxide. I already knew that a Dry Ice is a Frozen Gas, but I didn’t know that this gas is a Carbon Dioxide which is commonly used to inflate a balloon. Before the experiment started, I knew that the combination of Dry Ice and water has something to do to inflate the balloon because I’ve done this before with my siblings.
On the third experiment, they used a wick, an aluminum tray, one spoon of salt peter (salitre), one spoon of sugar and lighter. First they combined the salt peter and sugar into the tray then they insert the wick. After that they light it using the lighter and this result on having a smoke-effect because of Oxidation. I have learned so many things on this experiment, first is that when the salt peter and sugar were heated, the electrons of the sugar were transferred to the salt peter. And that the molecules released with oxygen will be a smoke which we can be seen.
On the last experiment, Faye Young, a Prosthetics Artist made fake blood using water, corn syrup, liquid soap and food color, these liquids are Miscible – refers to two/more substances that can be dissolve into one another without separating. And she also did a fake finger using Clay which is a Malleable object, and she painted it with make-up foundation. I am amazed on how simple objects like Clay, Food Color, Liquid Soap, Corn Syrup and Water can be an effective additive on creating illusions or imitations of some parts of a human body (like fingers and blood).
