Thermochemistry

An old bomb calorimeter made by the Parr Instrument Company for show-and-tell. Circa 1964.

What it Shows

An inverted trash can is launched into the air by an exploding bottle of liquid nitrogen.

Link to Liquid Nitrogen Trashcan video can be found here https://harvard.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=6f33f468-528c-4ab5-acd6...

Calcium acetate and ethanol form a flammable gel that gives off enough heat to keep food hot! Additional chemicals can be added to color the flame.

What it Shows

When...

An oxy-propane torch is lit with just propane, and the flame examined, before oxygen is added, changing the flame character and temperature.

The torch head is gaffed to the table top with enough slack to turn the gas valves. The propane tank and the oxygen...

A magnesium ribbon is held with tongs and lit with a match or torch, making a bright flame that consumes the ribbon from the bottom up.

The ribbon should be about 20-30 cm long. Hold the ribbon with the tongs high and at arms length. Let the magnesium...

Sodium undergoes a reaction with water.

A liter of warm water in large pyrex vessel, covered with fine mesh stainless steel screen, is on a stool close by in-floor vent hood.  Add a few drops from the phenolphthalein indicator bottle.

Using the long forceps...

Balloons filled with helium, hydrogen, and hydrogen with oxygen are combusted. Great demo for the first day of class!