Explosive pumpkin

How to exorcise a pumpkin

Safe­ty pre­cau­tions

Do not try this at home! Per­form this ex­per­i­ment only un­der pro­fes­sion­al su­per­vi­sion.

Reagents and equip­ment

  • cal­ci­um car­bide;
  • wa­ter;
  • carved pump­kin;
  • lighter;
  • plas­tic cup;
  • screw­driv­er;
  • stop­per.

Step-by-step in­struc­tions

Bore a hole in the side of a carved pump­kin us­ing a screw­driv­er. Plug the hole. Lift the stem, place a plas­tic cup in the pump­kin, pour some wa­ter into it, and toss in a piece of cal­ci­um car­bide. Put the stem back and wait 1 minute. Re­move the plug and bring a lit splint to the pre-made open­ing. A venge­ful spir­it is re­leased! At­ten­tion: when carv­ing the pump­kin, do not re­move the carved pieces.

Pro­cess­ de­scrip­tion

Cal­ci­um car­bide re­acts with wa­ter to pro­duce flammable acety­lene gas.

СaС₂ + 2H₂O = Ca(OH)₂ + C₂H₂↑

If the acety­lene gas is ig­nit­ed in a closed space such as a pump­kin, it will ex­plode and dis­lodge any weak points. Take note: though this ex­per­i­ment is pret­ty awe­some, you shouldn’t at­tempt it at home. But did you know? There are so many safe, equal­ly amaz­ing ex­per­i­ments in the MEL Chem­istry sub­scrip­tion!

Try it