Alex sent in this Russian “Make your own desktop volcano” instructional site, if anyone knows a little Russian post up in the comments, the google translate isn’t working out so well… Link & translation…
14 thoughts on “Make your own desktop volcano”
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No need to translate, just search for ammonium dichromate volcano.
I’m not sure if the resulting green “ash” is toxic, but it is a chromium compound, please dispose of it responsibly.
Its fun to watch and as far as I know safe if done in the open air.
it makes chromic oxide, a non-toxic Cr+3 oxidation, the nasty is the orange dichromate Cr+6, carcinogenic, be careful! but enjoy! :)
Babel fish does an interesting job of translating.
babelfish.altavista.com
Here is an english language explanation of the reaction and its results:
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/jcesoft/cca/CCA3/MAIN/VOLCANO/PAGE1.HTM
You can also do something similar with glycerine & potassium permanganate, it generates a vigorous purple flame without an ignition source:
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/jcesoft/cca/cca3/MAIN/GLYCER/PAGE1.HTM
(from the same site too!)
The article doesn’t say a lot that is not already written above. Basically, get some ammonium dichromate and light it on fire. They suggest that a few drops of alcohol can help to get the fire started and that the reaction will take off very quickly once it does. It does reccomend the use of fire safety practices. The last paragrph talks about how when the flame goes out, the resulting pile of chrome oxide is larger than the original pile of amonium chromate. It also suggests some uses for the “ash” such as a polishing abrasive, fire suppressing material, or dark green paint. It also says that it is the main ingredient in the polishing paste, GOI.
ammonium dichromate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_dichromate
http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/A5760.htm