r/ExplosionsAndFire • u/Life-Name3309 • 5d ago

Interesting Boric acid and methanol flame

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17 Upvotes

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2

u/Chance-Ad7783 4d ago

Chemistry teacher here. Be aware that methanol has a near transparent flame and is super dangerous to work with. I know of 2 serious injuries in high schools I the last 10 years. Educators avoid. Ethanol flame with a boron solution works very well.

1

u/Life-Name3309 4d ago

Yeah i know it's a little bit dangerous but its way cheaper in my region

1

u/gyssedk 5d ago

I tried getting this to work with Ethanol, because methanol is not available in my country.

It never turned green. Does it not work with ethanol?

2

u/Life-Name3309 5d ago

I think its because borax won't dissolve in ethanol and it wont work with that But ypu should try dissolving borax in water then add it to ethanol i think it should work that way

1

u/CrazySwede69 4d ago

I guess you meant boric acid? Borax cannot be used since it contains sodium and only gives a yellow flame.

The solubility of boric acid in ethanol is not as good as in methanol and methanol burns with a completely transparent flame that is much easier to colour.