Non-combustible euros

2001/12/01 Ares, Felix Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Materialak
• Fisika

To carry out the experiment, we will need a five-euro ticket, a bottle of alcohol, a glass, a kitchen tongs, a little salt, a golarín and a box of matches.

In the glass we will put both alcohol and a couple of fingers and also we will pour the same water. That is, we will put the same amount of alcohol and water.

Then add two sweets with salt and mix well.

Then you put the five-euro ticket into that mix and it stays close to the minute for it to move well. When it is well wet, grab with the kitchen tongs, light a match and set the ticket on fire.

You will see that it makes reddish fire. But in a few seconds you will discover that it is off and that the ticket is kept. Besides not smoking, you will see that it is quite dry.

Why has it not been burned? The key is the contribution of water and alcohol. Water enters the paper fibers and burning alcohol, but not paper, which is soaked with water. When all alcohol has been burned, the paper is still wet and does not burn, it does not burn.

And salt for what? As you well know, alcohol carries a very difficult blue fire to see. Salt is sodium chloride and by making it “we burn” sodium. And that generates a reddish fire that greatly facilitates vision.

We have proposed using a ticket of five euros so that if the experiment goes wrong do not stay still. But since you learn the technique well you can use more valuable tickets. Nor is it wrong to try the paper before using real money so that you do not run out of weekly payments.

Keep in mind that this experiment is for those who are a little asleep and the little ones you would have to ask for help from parents.