Chemistry Experiments With Burning Paper

Egg In a Bottle Experiment

• One science experiment using burning paper involves a 250ml flask and a medium-sized egg. It is possible for the egg to be sucked into the hole without damaging the egg. This demonstrates the effect of pressure and volume. If the pressure inside a flask is low enough, the pressure outside the flask will actually suck the egg into it. Wash and dry a 250ml glass flask. Peel a medium-sized hard-boiled egg. Place strips of newspaper inside the flask and light the strips on fire. As the paper is burning, put the egg over the opening of the flask. The egg will be sucked into the hole.

Rate of Combustion Experiment

• This experiment is a way to see the rate of burning for different materials that are exposed to different compounds. Take five separate cups and fill them with the same temperature of water. Mix different substances, one for each cup. Suggestions for this experiment include rubbing alcohol, dish soap, sugar, baking soda or vinegar. Soak a square of paper, in one of the compounds, and hold It with a pair of tongs. Burn the paper and use a stopwatch to record how long the piece of paper takes to burn. This demonstrates that molecules of different compounds do not combine the same way and release energy at varying rates.

Burning Money Experiment

• In this experiment, the properties of chemicals can influence the combustion of a dollar bill. Prepare a water and alcohol mixture at the ratio of 70 mL of 70 percent rubbing alcohol with 30 mL of water and mix it well. Take a dollar bill and dip the bill into the mixture until the bill is thoroughly wet. Remove the bill with tongs and squeeze out any dripping liquid. Pinch the bill at one end with with the tongs and light the bottom of the bill. The bill will catch fire, but not burn or brown. This experiment shows that the water from the alcohol mixture absorbs some of the heat from the burning alcohol. The temperature doesn't rise enough to combust the paper.

Invisble ink Experiment

• The purpose of the experiment is to show how an organic liquid will oxidize and gain color.
  Take a cup of milk and pour it into a bowl. Use a cotton swab and dip it into the milk. Run the cotton swab over a piece of white paper with a secret message. Now, just heat the paper over a flame. The acids in the organic compound of milk will take on oxygen molecules once they are exposed to heat. This causes a chemical reaction that reveals the invisible message.