MATCH+O2Fire+Ash+CO2+H2O.PDFVIP

Reaction of Potassium Permanganate and Glycerin. Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4) is a dark purple solid that is used as a very powerful oxidizing agent. An oxidizing agent is a substance which, in its traditional sense, adds molecular oxygen to a compound (this definition has been upgraded to mean an oxidizing agent removes an electron from a compound, however, this is not necessary to understand this demo). The molecular addition of oxygen (O2) is often a very exothermic process. This can be understood by simply striking a match and placing it in an empty jelly jar. MATCH + O2 ? Fire + Ash + CO2 + H2O Matches are made of wood, which is composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms. By starting the reaction, the match will consume oxygen to form carbon dioxide and water. The oxygen is necessary for the reaction to continue. Proof of this can be seen by closing the lid on the jar. Once the oxygen is used up, the flame will extinguish. Potassium permanganate is a much stronger oxidizing agent than molecular oxygen (4 oxygen atoms vs. 2). By adding this to a substance which has a lot of carbon-hydrogen bonds, a similar effect to burning a match will occur. KMnO4 + Glycerin (high concentration of C-H bonds) ? Fire + Ash + CO2 + H2O The setup for this demo is simple: MATERIALS: Potassium Permanganate- KMnO4, Glycerine, mortar and pestal, small ceramic dish 1) A small pile of finely ground KMnO4 is placed in the bottom of a reaction dish. a. The KMnO4 must be finely ground. Coarse crystals take a long time to react or may not react at all. The more finely ground the crystals, the faster the reaction occurs. b. A reaction dish is recommended to keep the crystals piled and contained. The pile should be about the size of a quarter. 2) A few drops (5) of glycerin are added to the center of the pile. 3) Allow about 30 seconds for the reaction to occur before adding more glycerin. Smoke should appear first followed by eruption of a small purple flame. WARNING: Caution should be used at