Experiment

The Christmas Egg

Have you ever wondered what sparklers are made of? Imagine that a sparkler is a small factory for bright stars. In this factory, there are lots of little pieces of metal (e.g. aluminum and iron) that look like dust. When you light the sparkler, it gets so hot that these pieces of metal start to burn and produce sparks. Aluminum powder creates white sparks and a lot of heat. This heat also makes the iron powder give off sparks, which glow gold.

How does it work?

In our experiment, we will light a sparkler. For the metal powder to burn, it needs heat and oxygen. Oxygen is not only in the air we breathe, but can also be a part of chemical substances. In the sparkler, the oxygen is hidden in a special salt called barium nitrate. As soon as the sparkler is lit, the barium nitrate reacts. It behaves like a blown-up balloon that is slowly deflated at the opening and releases the oxygen little by little. This is also called a chemical reaction. With the help of this oxygen, the aluminum and iron can burn. But can sparklers only burn in the air, or also in liquids? And if so, for how long? Do your own research and find out!

First observations and further questions

You have probably already noticed a few things during your experiment. What differences did you see between the glow of the sparkler in the tangerine and the glow inside the egg? As the oxygen in the sparkler is in the metal, it can also burn in liquids.

How is it possible that a sparkler in water goes out immediately, but two or three of them wrapped in adhesive tape do not? You can try leaving the tape off. What happens if you hold several sparklers into the water without tape?