How to make zinc powder! (for use in pyrotechnics)

In this video i'll show you how to make Zinc powder with chemistry instead of machining it. im taking a new approach to my videos and i hope you all like it. tell me how i can improve it also. You can obtain relatively pure 31.45% hydrochloric acid from your local hardware strore as "muriatic acid". Depending on how long the acid has been on the shelf it can range it purity from being a dark yellow to a perfectly clear solution.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Zinc
• Sulfur
• Powder
• Flash
• pyrotechnics

[joshpri2008]

you should really put the water that you added into the second equation. you had me mesmerized at how u managed to produce H2 out of ZnCl2 + Mg (the original equation) but i understood what you meant, thanks for the video,,, did anyone else notice this or am i just a nerd?

[spotlightman1234]

@joshpri2008 I didn't put an equation because I don't know what metal is actually reacting to producing the hydrogen, I suspect that it is the zinc since it is so finely divided, however I'm not sure. Most if not all of the bubbling at 2:48 was just the water boiling from the heat produced in the reaction.

[pyrotechnics100]

i dont have a fucking backyard.. i have all the chemicals and needed supplies, but cant do this because i dont have abackyard

[spotlightman1234]

@pyrotechnics100 Just do it outside, somewhere safe.

[lomu42]

Finally a kid who know what the fuck he talkin about

[RadioTrefoil]

And remember kids, don't strike a match at 1:40

[feuerwerk1997hansl]

what is that what you show at the beginning??

[MonsieurChemistry]

@spotlightman1234 Also, the bubbles from the Magnesium would be Hydrogen, because it reacts slightly with water to form Magnesium Hydroxide and Hydrogen gas.

[MonsieurChemistry]

@spotlightman1234 The reaction would be

1. Zn + 2HCl = ZnCl2 + H2

2. ZnCl2 + Mg = MgCl2 + Zn

In the first equation, you should use stoichiometric amounts, (1 mol of Zn, 2 mol of HCl) with the HCl SLIGHT excess. What will happen is the Magnesium precipitates out the Zn, because it is higher up than zinc on the reactivity scale. When you add the Mg in, there will be a slight amount of bubbling as it reacts with the HCl to produce soluble MgCl2.

In summary, you could use Aluminum rather than Mg

[MucusFelidae]

I go to my construction market, buy a can of zinc anticorrosive paint,

add a solvent and spill off the diluted laquer. Do it twice and I have a fine zinc powder.

[defaultbomb14]

this is REALLY ghetto

[TakronRust]

You can use this same step to make aluminum powder too. You dissolve your zinc, and then with aluminum foil or stripped cans, do the same thing. The aluminum will displace the zinc and you collect the zinc and then you add the magnesium and the magnesium will displace the aluminum and you will get zinc and aluminum powder from the same batch.

[Agentoxedo07]

Holy-Terrorist:>*=* I knowed making zinc[Zn] powder, lol, i not looked video, for later, im sleeping!

I speak french and little english.

[spotlightman1234]

@pyrotechnics100 It's 9.972 molar also if you were wondering.