Flaming Bubbles

Submitted by david.thacker on

What do you get when you mix water, a little soap, and a bit of methane gas?  Just ask one of Mr. Bartholomew’s 8th grade science students.

According to Mr. “B”, “Today in science, we looked at chemical reactions involving oxygen.”  The specific reaction students observed is written as CH4 + 2O2 -> CO2 + 2H2O.  If the scientific notation throws you, here is Mr. “B’s” explanation in layman’s terms: “I bubbled methane gas into soapy water, and then lit the bubbles on fire.”

The reaction is shown in this video.  How can people say science is boring? 

Attributions
by Rillene Nielsen and Nate Bartholomew