Calcium carbide - the secret of burning ice

How to make ice burn

Burn­ing ice? Re­al­ly? Let’s talk about it.

Safe­ty pre­cau­tions

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

Equip­ment and reagents

  • ice;
  • cal­ci­um car­bide;
  • glass bowl;
  • burn­er.

Step-by-step in­struc­tions

Pour some ice into a glass bowl. Add some cal­ci­um car­bide. Wait a while. Hold a burn­er to the ice. The ice will ig­nite!

Pro­cess­ de­scrip­tion

Cal­ci­um car­bide re­acts with wa­ter to pro­duce flammable acety­lene gas.

СaС₂ + 2H₂O = Ca(OH)₂ + C₂H₂↑

Acety­lene is a chem­i­cal com­pound that forms as a col­or­less and high­ly flammable gas. Once lit, it eas­i­ly burns on the sur­face of the ice.

You know what else is “fiery”? Sets from the MEL Chem­istry sub­scrip­tion! Use them to per­form a wide va­ri­ety of cool and safe ex­per­i­ments!

Try it