Oxygen Experiments

Gathering Oxygen

• Although oxygen makes up around 21 percent of air, getting a concentrated amount of oxygen is easy without the right equipment. However, there is a simple and effective technique to collect oxygen in a concentrated form. Prepare a jar, potted plant, candle and match. Place the potted plant in a well-lit space and place the jar upside down so that it partly covers the leaves of the plants. When done correctly, this simple setup gathers all the oxygen the plant releases while in photosynthesis. Leave the jar for at least a few hours. After a few hours, light the candle near the potted plant's location. Once the candle is lit, quickly remove the inverted glass jar from the plant and place it on top of the candle without enclosing it. The flame from the candle should burn brighter for a few seconds, showing the burning of concentrated oxygen.

Oxidation and Combustion

• ̶0;Oxidation̶1; ̵1; also known as ̶0;combustion̶1; ̵1; is the process of burning. To show oxidation, gather two pieces of steel wool, a glass of vinegar, three empty glasses and cold water. Wash the steel wool with vinegar to remove its protective coating. In the first glass, put 2 inches of cold water and steel wool. In the second glass, put 2 inches of water without any steel wool, and in the last glass, put the steel wool without adding water. Vinegar increases the oxidation process of the metal more than water, while water increases it more than air.

Separating Water

• This experiment separates oxygen and hydrogen in water. Prepare two test tubes, a 6-volt battery, two pieces of copper wire, a bowl of water and salt. Dissolve as much salt as you possibly can in the bowl of water and set it aside. Tie one copper wire to the positive pole of the battery and the other one to the negative pole. Avoid contact between the two copper wires to avoid a potential shock. Tape the end of one copper wire inside one of the test tubes and do the same on the other. Invert the test tubes and put them in the bowl with water. The oxygen gathers on the positive pole of the battery, while the hydrogen gathers on the negative pole.

Exploding Bubbles

• For this experiment, you should acquire 30 mm of pure oxygen in a syringe, 15 mm of hydrogen in a syringe, a small petri dish with 10 mm of soapy water and a lighter. Wear safety equipment because this experiment makes small ̶0;explosions.̶1; Put the petri dish with soapy water in a safe location and combine the oxygen with hydrogen. Once the elements are combined in a single syringe, slowly transfer the contents of the mixture into the petri dish. Try to create a mound of bubbles on the dish. Once the mound is ready, set aside the syringe and light the mound with the lighter. The little explosion produces an audible sound and creates a small flame burst.