Make a Test Tube Thunderstorm!

In this cool science experiment we make a thunderstorm in a test tube using alcohol, sulfuric acid and potassium permanganate.

WARNING:This experiment is extremely dangerous as it involves corrosive acids and flammable liquids with a small, but not negligible, chance of a damaging explosion. Face shields, goggles, fire extinguishers and fire safety protocols must be present. This should only be attempted by an experienced chemist.

Just get a test tube of 95% alcohol and carefully pipette a layer in a bottom of sulfuric acid. Then drop in some potassium permanganate crystals.

The reaction of the permanganate and the sulfuric acid produce manganese heptoxide that explodes on contact with organic matter like the alcohol. This also works with acetone.

Website: http://www.nurdrage.com

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• potassium
• permanganate
• manganese
• heptoxide
• sulfuric
• acid
• alcohol
• ethanol
• science
• explosions
• thunderstorm
• cool
• experiment

[ajmvanpeer]

u are correct. I suppose one could add anhydrous CuSO4, resulting in a rather unstable "pure" alcohol. Wouldn't last in normal ie. non-laboratory settings though. Surely cannot be bought and used in said experiment.

[NurdRage]

@ajmvanpeer actually you can buy anhydrous alcohol off the shelf pretty easily. i have 4L bottles of anhydrous ethanol that i use for various reactions. Its quite stable even after years of storage (as long as its in an airtight container).

[ajmvanpeer]

pure alcohol does not exist freely.. look up azeotropes.

[NurdRage]

@ajmvanpeer Azeotropes only apply to distillation of mixtures. But i can make pure alcohol pretty easily via chemical means.

[John54228]

hello, i want to play a little game

[820423]

You didnt say what superpower I get, if I should fill my bathtub with it and fall in.

[pikuorguk]

@samsaras "The procedure is dangerous" ... later we see a test tube vomit acidic alcohol all over the bench. :)

[samsaras]

Greetings fellow nerds. :)

[SoCoMzXeLiTe]

I remember doing a simple science experiment during Biology, we were melting ordinary aluminum foil with this water clear liquid, what liquid/acid is it if you know? I forgot

[SolarisBlitz]

@ajmvanpeer NurdRage MAKES what he wants!

[TheRealGeriBoss]

"Greetings fellow nerds"

THAT'S ME! YAAAY

[WasabiMeal]

@John54228 LMFAO TOTALLY.

[shootemndie]

is this your real voice?

[cptorangutang2]

@alyana1208 EtOH, but any straight chain alcohol works.

[leakylevrage]

aw man, i thought when he said "test tube" he meant YouTube's test tube