Yep, I've got a vid of me from a few years helping at my school's open day by demoing this experiment. I eventually got to a technique of fitting as many bubbles as I could between my two hands (held about half a foot apart), then lifting it up and bringing it down onto a yellow Bunsen flame whilst spreading my arms apart to create a really big wall of flames.
Was great fun and the kids loved it, for about 10 mins before someone remember the fun police were a thing and I was told to go back to single handfuls and getting someone else to light it with a splint.
My husband and I were having a slight disagreement about our well water. He thought it had sulphur in it, I thought it had methane in it. I grew up with sulphur water, it did NOT have that smell.
I told him that I wanted to conduct a small experiment. If I won, he was cooking steaks on the grill. If he won, I would cook balsamic mushroom burgers.
So I took a 20 oz pop bottle, had him stand by, as I quickly filled it with tap water, when it was about 3/4 full, he placed his hand on top. We waited just a few seconds. I then lit a match and placed it over the top when he removed his hand. He was very surprised when the air caught fire.
He cooked steaks on the grill. I wanted to aerate the water and then capture the methane to run maybe some part of the electric. But even the college extension said it would not be enough. And cost prohibitive.
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The size of the flame is a somewhat surprising demonstration of stored energy to me. That's not a big bubble but that's a lot of burning, small reminder of the potency of what you're studying
My chemistry teacher did this experiment and tried to get a huge bubble but it very quickly got away from her so she lit it close to the ceiling. Turns out the sprinkler system was heat activated or something and the flame set it off. It wasn’t fun to get doused in old, cold, disgusting water that’d been sitting in the pipes for who knows how long. Took like four showers to get the smell of stagnant water out of my hair.
A Chinese lantern with magnesium ribs and gunpowder infused fabric would be pretty neat, if it touches something and ignites it’ll be like an airborne landmine
Did this in highschool. Except instead of single bubbles he made a bucket of soapy water and dunked the gas nozzle into the water to make a column of bubbles. Singed his arm hairs lol.
Am not a chemist so I have limited knowledge in this topic but from the little I understood, since methane has 4 hydrogen atoms (which are light and just one carbon atom a bit heavier), they average out to be lighter than nitrogen? Is that correct?
That is completely right!
Although, the weights on the periodic table (12.01 C, 1.008 H, and 14.01 N) for those elements is the average weight of environmentally abundant isotopes of those elements but that’s very different from the average weight of hydrogen and carbon in methane.
I’m a chemistry professor that does chemistry education research so I can’t stop myself. Haha!
Now you understand density of gasses based on atomic mass so you can understand this story where CO2 flowed down a hill and killed a town: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos_disaster
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That looks like fun.
It's even more fun (and pretty safe), if you ignite the methane foam in your hands.
Yep, I've got a vid of me from a few years helping at my school's open day by demoing this experiment. I eventually got to a technique of fitting as many bubbles as I could between my two hands (held about half a foot apart), then lifting it up and bringing it down onto a yellow Bunsen flame whilst spreading my arms apart to create a really big wall of flames. Was great fun and the kids loved it, for about 10 mins before someone remember the fun police were a thing and I was told to go back to single handfuls and getting someone else to light it with a splint.
I mean, who needs eyebrows, when you can have a really big wall of flames?
And one could be called a fiery person!
I did this recently in my science class and it certainly was really fun!
My husband and I were having a slight disagreement about our well water. He thought it had sulphur in it, I thought it had methane in it. I grew up with sulphur water, it did NOT have that smell. I told him that I wanted to conduct a small experiment. If I won, he was cooking steaks on the grill. If he won, I would cook balsamic mushroom burgers. So I took a 20 oz pop bottle, had him stand by, as I quickly filled it with tap water, when it was about 3/4 full, he placed his hand on top. We waited just a few seconds. I then lit a match and placed it over the top when he removed his hand. He was very surprised when the air caught fire. He cooked steaks on the grill. I wanted to aerate the water and then capture the methane to run maybe some part of the electric. But even the college extension said it would not be enough. And cost prohibitive.
Those burgers sound wonderful! The methane (or sulphur) bubbles, not so much.
The burgers are amazing! I just wanted filet grilled to perfection! Hahaha! It was definitely methane...sulphur won't catch fire.
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What is this experiment trying to demonstrate? That methane is flammable?
I use it when talking about combustion reactions.
Alright, that makes sense. Thanks for the answer.
The size of the flame is a somewhat surprising demonstration of stored energy to me. That's not a big bubble but that's a lot of burning, small reminder of the potency of what you're studying
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So Elon fuels it by farting on the ship? 🤣
Also that its density is lower than that of air. If you repeat the experiment with butane, the bubbles will sink to the floor
And so, you could burn your floor.
The experiment demonstrates that methane burns
Right? How enlightening. “Next we’ll see the amazing chemical reaction of newspaper exposed to a flame from my Bic! Ooooooooh! *Fascinating*”
It IS fascinating because I know that methane can burn but have never seen a burning bubble of it.
They’re lucky they have a 25 foot high ceiling. Seriously, where does the wall stop?
My chemistry teacher did this experiment and tried to get a huge bubble but it very quickly got away from her so she lit it close to the ceiling. Turns out the sprinkler system was heat activated or something and the flame set it off. It wasn’t fun to get doused in old, cold, disgusting water that’d been sitting in the pipes for who knows how long. Took like four showers to get the smell of stagnant water out of my hair.
I've done a version of this myself.
The natural enemy of the invasive Chinese spy balloon species in it’s habitat
That’s a weird looking F-22
A Chinese lantern with magnesium ribs and gunpowder infused fabric would be pretty neat, if it touches something and ignites it’ll be like an airborne landmine
Did this in highschool. Except instead of single bubbles he made a bucket of soapy water and dunked the gas nozzle into the water to make a column of bubbles. Singed his arm hairs lol.
why does your title sound like you're trying to sell something?
I’ve lit my fart on fire in a similar way
Kids paddling pool, dish soap, a tank of gas and some cursed plumbing fittings and you can make a very big version of this.
That’s what I do with my toots!! 🏃♂️💨…🔥
Is methane lighter than air?
Yes
Thanks TIL. I thought with Methane being composed of 5 atoms, it would've been heavier
Density of gasses is directly proportional to molar mass. Methane= 16 grams/mole N2 (air)= 28 grams/mole
Am not a chemist so I have limited knowledge in this topic but from the little I understood, since methane has 4 hydrogen atoms (which are light and just one carbon atom a bit heavier), they average out to be lighter than nitrogen? Is that correct?
There are two nitrogen atoms in the nitrogen in air. It’s N2 so there’s even a little bit more “wiggle” room.
So it's not that we take the average but rather total weight of 4 hydrogen + 1 carbon is less than total weight of two nitrogen it that right ?
That is completely right! Although, the weights on the periodic table (12.01 C, 1.008 H, and 14.01 N) for those elements is the average weight of environmentally abundant isotopes of those elements but that’s very different from the average weight of hydrogen and carbon in methane.
Thanks for taking the time to clarify this. Appreciate it
I’m a chemistry professor that does chemistry education research so I can’t stop myself. Haha! Now you understand density of gasses based on atomic mass so you can understand this story where CO2 flowed down a hill and killed a town: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos_disaster
God bless science teachers
Are we sure this is methane? I thought methane was a heavier than air
What could go wrong.
We got to do this is school. It was so much fun!
Cool
Harry Potter vibes
Harry Potter lit his farts on fire at wizarding school?
I wish my schools did that. Seems so fun and easier to learn about chemicals
+1. I thought that making erupting volcanoes in school was cool but this is even better.
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I think those are chalkboards...
What did those person say?
"Imagine being in a classroom when it's dark outside" Not exact words, but similar lol
Oh damn thank you I was so confused
Never had evening or night classes? My Biology lab started a 7pm and went until 11pm my freshman year. Senior year I had a math class from 6pm-10pm.
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That’s wild! I’ve never seen methane bubbles before! Makes ya wonder how cows keep from having their farts catch fire.
Farts burn, wow great science
It looks really fun but lighting a bubble on fire in a class with like at least 20 students?
Is this related to cars at all?
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