#9: Spontaneous Combustion

I recently received a ton of awesome chemistry supplies for my 16th birthday. Along with items such as a butane burner and periodic table poster, I was given my first batch of lab-grade chemicals. Until then, I obtained most substances from the pharmacy or hardware store which greatly limited what I could do. Thanks to my new materials, I have many fascinating projects planned for the upcoming months. For my first experiment, I wanted to start things off with a bang. Literally.

I began by pouring out a small amount of potassium permanganate (KMnO4), which is an oxidizer. I then added a little bit of glycerin (C3H8O3) as my fuel. While the two chemicals would have reacted eventually, I decided to speed things up by adding a few drops of water. Within seconds, the tiny pile went from a smolder to a miniature flash-bang explosion. It was pretty crazy.

Because the reaction involved the burning of glycerin, which contains hydrogen and carbon, it can sort of be considered a form of combustion. Thus, it is no surprise that with the presence of the oxygen-rich potassium permanganate, the result would be explosive. Caution: this reaction is unpredictable in nature and therefore should only be attempted on a small scale with extreme care.

Considering the small quantity of chemicals used, the reaction was quite vigorous.