Did you know that you can turn a regular Pringles box into a rocket? In the first door of this year's Christmas calendar, Inge and Magne make a hydrogen gas rocket that goes off with a bang.
The Joule calendar 2021 strikes a blow for good old-fashioned hydrogen gas production. A Pringles box is filled with hydrogen gas and ignited via a fuse that enters the box. When it burns and the hydrogen gas is mixed with oxygen, the two react and release energy by firing the box into the air with a bang.
NB! Experiments must always follow the safety rules that apply to laboratory experiments. Remember hearing protection and goggles.
You need:
- An empty Pringles box
- Fuse
- Hydrochloric acid
- Zinc bits
- A flask with cork and hose
- A piece of cotton
Recipe:
- Wear safety goggles and hearing protection.
- Make a small hole in the bottom and top of the box. Use the lid.
- Seal the top hole with the cotton swab.
- In the flask: Add hydrochloric acid (30-50 ml) and 10-15 pieces of zinc.
- Insert the hose into the hole at the bottom of the box. Leave it for a while so that the box is filled with hydrogen gas.
- Turn the box over. Take out the cotton and insert the fuse.
- Light the fuse and pull away.
Here is the chemical formula for what you see:
The hydrogen gas is formed in this way:
Zn (s) + 2HCl®Zn2 + (aq) + 2Cl- (aq) + H2 (g)
About UiS Christmas Calendar 2021:
The Joule calendar is made by Inge Christ, head of The School Laboratory of Science at UiS, and UiS professor Magne Sydnes. For the seventh year in a row, they make a Christmas calendar with chemistry and physics experiments, popular amongst both young and old. This year there is so much energy in circulation that the Christmas calendar was renamed " The Joule calendar". Joule" is one of several units for measuring energy and is pronounced “jul” in Norwegian. With “jul” being the Norwegian word for Christmas, “joule calendar” makes up a fun pun!
This year’s calendar includes a mixture of experiments that can be done at home without the risk of blowing up the house as well as experiments that should only be performed in a lab while taking the necessary precaution