Ethanol Cannon
Description: Plastic containers are filled with a small amount of ethanol and a cork is placed on the top. Touching the nails on the outside of the containers with a Tesla coil causes a spark inside the container which ignites the ethanol vapor, and the cork blows off.
Source: Shakhashiri, B.Z. Chemical Demonstrations: A Handbook for Teachers of Chemistry
Year: 1985 Vol: 2 Page: 216
Keywords: Ethanol, Cork, Tesla coil, Combustion, Spark
Rating: 
Hazard: Medium
- Electrical shock hazard
- Projectile hazard
- Flammability hazard
- Explosion hazard
- Noise hazard
- Eye irritation
Effectiveness: Good
- Somewhat connected to course material
- Results are clearly observable without guidance
- Time to results is low
- High reliability
- Strong effects are seen by audience
Difficulty: Medium
- Some sequential manipulations
- Use of reactive substances
- Use of high voltage
- Handling of organic chemicals
- Manipulations are simple for most to perform
Safety Precautions:
- Eye protection required
- Ear protection required
- ABC fire extinguisher on hand
- High ceiling (greater than three meters)
- Use caution when igniting to minimize projectile hazard
- Do not look into empty cannon bottle while energizing
Class: Combustion, Organic Chemistry, Thermodynamics
Division: General, Organic Chemistry
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