Extinguishing a Magnesium Fire
Description: A small pile of magnesium is ignited on a flame-proof board. Water is squirted on it, and fire continues to burn. A source of carbon dioxide is trained on it, and the fire continues to burn. Finally sand is used to smother fire.
Source: UW Card Catalog
Year: N/A Vol: N/A Page: N/A
Keywords: Magnesium, Sand, Carbon Dioxide, Combustion, Metal Fires
Rating: 
Hazard: Medium
- Flammability hazard
- Burn hazard
- Inhalation hazard
- Substances that produce flammable gases when exposed to water
- Explosion hazard
Effectiveness: Good
- Results are clearly observable without guidance
- Strong effects are seen by audience
- Low failure rate
- Time to results is low
- Counterintuitive effects
- Some connection from demo to course material
Difficulty: Medium
- Intermediate steps to results
- Experiments or demos at non-standard conditions
- Use of highly flammable reagents
- Prior training recommended
Safety Precautions:
- Eye protection required
- Gloves required
- Thermal gloves required
- Heat resistant shield required
- Heat resistant surface required
- Class D fire extinguisher on hand
- Perform in a well-ventilated area
- Downdraft hood recommended
Class: Main Group Elements, Groups IA, IIA, and IIIB (1, 2, and 13)
Division: General. Inorganic Chemistry
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