Thursday, 8 December 2011

Thermite Reaction - Smash! Bang! Boom!

You've probably heard of rubbing two sticks together to make fire...but who would think of using large steel ball bearings to make fire?


Let's have a look on the video below.



A Texas-based chemistry professor recently made a "smashing" discovery when he wrapped two rusty, high-density, steel spheres with aluminium foil. Smashing the two together resulted in the release of heat energy along with a surprising bang and spark. This reaction between the rust (iron oxide) and the aluminium graphically illustrated the chemistry of the classic thermite reaction.

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