In this section of our website we will explore and expose you to the secret lives of atoms and molecules
as well as to the not so wellknown facts about the laws that govern our Universe.

1. Ping Pong Balls are made of rocket fuel.  Really?  Yes -  they are made from cellulose nitrate, a well-known rocket fuel which has as its base, cotton, that comes off a cotton bush.  The balls contain sufficient oxygen to make their combustion self-sustaining and complete.  In the images below we combust (burn) a ping pong ball. Note that the combustion is complete as almost no ashes are left behind. Cellulose nitrate (aka "celluloid") was the only substance used in the film industry for decades for the production of films. This caused many projector room fires over the years, sadly killing a number of people.  It is exactly this combustion of film reel celluloid that "fueled" the Hitler murder plot in the now famous movie, "Inglorious Bastards".
WARNING: This is potentially a dangerous demonstration and should only be performed by a responsible adult wearing safety gear. Use tongs to hold the ball.

2. Lead pencils do not contain lead. The element lead is classified as a toxic substance and is not used in pencil cores. Once upon a time (1556) in England people started marking sheep with graphite and as they throught it to be another form of lead, named the writing tools, "lead pencils".  Somehow the term "lead pencil" has stuck in the memory of people and survived for ages, so graphite pencils are still wrongly named "lead pencils". The material used in the cores of modern day pencils are mixtures of finely ground graphite and clay.  Graphite is another form of the important element of life - carbon (C).

3. Iron or steel can burn in air.  We all know it is impossible to ignite a large steel beam with a flame. But finely divided steel wool easily burns in air. When a wad of steel wool is held with tongs above a heat resistant pad, it can be ignited with a 9V battery. The thin heated metal wires glow and the heat is sufficient to activate the combustion of the steel wool. This is what we tried below . . . The secret is the much increased surface area of the thin steel wool strands which means better exposure to the atmosphere and oxygen.

4. A magnesium pencil sharpener can power a clock.  Magnesium pencil sharpeners have steel blades.  When the body and blade are separated and placed in Cola, they act as electrodes in a galvanic cell:  the blade (iron) acts as the cathode and the magnesium body as the anode.  In Cola they produce almost 2 volts.  We have powered our lab clock from this set-up. Get you magnesium pencil sharpeners here and more ideas on what to do with sharpeners, here.

Always think safety first!

More secrets to follow . . .