Noah+Hahn+and+Michael+Phillips

Title: The effects of        Hydrogen Peroxide         on  lighter fluid  as a propellant

Question:Will hydrogen peroxide when added to lighter fluid  burn hotter than regular lighter fluid

Background: This experiment is being performed to find out if hydrogen peroxide has any profound effects on lighter fluid as a propellent. Hydrogen Peroxide will be mixed with lighter fluid in different ratios and then set ablaze and the heat of the flame will be measured with a thermometer. Then we will compare this to lighter fluid that was set ablaze without the hydrogen peroxide and measured. This hypothesis was founded upon the fact that the oxidizing capacity of hydrogen peroxide is so strong that it is considered a highly reactive oxygen species. (Hydrogen 2013) An oxidizing agent is an important part of the triangle for making a fire. The triangle illustrates the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel , and an oxidizing agent (usually oxygen ). (fire 2013) "A ** propellant ** is a chemical used in the production of energy or pressurized gas that is subsequently used to create movement of a fluid or to generate propulsion of a vehicle, projectile , or other object. (propellant 2013) So our hope is that as the hydrogen peroxide burns with the lighter fluid, it should        free oxygen         particles and give the flames an excess amount of oxygen to use for the reaction and then act as a propellant and cause the flame to grow larger and hotter than the control. So in summary, if we mix hydrogen peroxide with lighter fluid, then it will cause the ensuing flame to expand to a size larger than the control flame.

Hypothesis: If we combine hydrogen peroxide and lighter fluid, then it will propel the flame to grow hotter.

Materials: For this experiment we will need these materials
 * hydrogen peroxide (H202)(35%)- already acquired
 * lighter fluid $5
 * an igniter or long necked lighter- __$1__
 * grill thermometer (fahrenheit)- already acquired
 * 3 pipettes- provided by school
 * 1       graduated cylinder        - provided by school
 * tin foil - already acquired
 * glass container (for lighter fluid)- already acquired
 * glass dish      (to contain mixture)- already acquired

Method:
 * 1) The graduated cylinder that the H2O2 will be kept in for        easy access        will first be wrapped in tin foil to keep the H2O2 from deteriorating
 * 2) The lighter fluid will be poured into a glass dish for easy access
 * 3) The glass dish will be set on flat ground
 * 4) The thermometer will be placed in the center of the dish and secured with tape so it doesn't move from the center
 * 5) 10 drops total will be placed in the dished, with the appropriate amount of drops from each substance to equal the desired ratio (i.e. 7 drops fluid, 3 drops H2O2)
 * 6) It will then be set ablaze using the lighter
 * 7) The thermometer will be watched and the temperatures in     degrees fahrenheit     monitered
 * 8) The max temperature will be recorded for each lighting
 * 9) This will be repeated 5 times for each ratio
 * 10) The information will be entered into the table, averaged and compared to the other results
 * 11) From this we will determine the conclusion

Data:
 * > ** Lighter fluid (Drops) ** ||> ** H2O2 (Drops) ** ||> ** Max Temp (F) ** ||
 * > 10 ||> 0 ||> 345 ||
 * > 10 ||> 0 ||> 500 ||
 * > 10 ||> 0 ||> 430 ||
 * > 10 ||> 0 ||> 505 ||
 * > 10 ||> 0 ||> 490 ||
 * > Average Temp (F) ||>  ||> 454 ||
 * > 9 ||> 1 ||> 365 ||
 * > 9 ||> 1 ||> 490 ||
 * > 9 ||> 1 ||> 490 ||
 * > 9 ||> 1 ||> 430 ||
 * > 9 ||> 1 ||> 445 ||
 * > Average Temp (F) ||>  ||> 444 ||
 * > 7 ||> 3 ||> 355 ||
 * > 7 ||> 3 ||> 360 ||
 * > 7 ||> 3 ||> 425 ||
 * > 7 ||> 3 ||> 400 ||
 * > 7 ||> 3 ||> 390 ||
 * > Average Temp (F) ||>  ||> 386 ||
 * > 5 ||> 5 ||> 280 ||
 * > 5 ||> 5 ||> 290 ||
 * > 5 ||> 5 ||> 285 ||
 * > 5 ||> 5 ||> 280 ||
 * > 5 ||> 5 ||> 340 ||
 * > Average Temp (F) ||>  ||> 295 ||
 * > 3 ||> 7 ||> 200 ||
 * > 3 ||> 7 ||> 0 ||
 * > 3 ||> 7 ||> 230 ||
 * > 3 ||> 7 ||> 150 ||
 * > 3 ||> 7 ||> 260 ||
 * > Average Temp (F) ||>  ||> 168 ||

Analysis: The data collected during experimentation indicates that the regular lighter fluid has an average temperature when set ablaze of 454 degrees fahrenheit. The mixture of 9:1 lighter fluid and H2O2 had an average burning temperature of 444 degrees fahrenheit, the 7:3 had a 386 degree average temperature, the 5:5 a 295 degree average temperature, and the 3:7 mixture had a 168 degree fahrenheit average tempurature. As evidenced by the table, as the percentage of hydrogen peroxide rose, the average temperature fell for the mixture when it was set ablaze. This amount of decrease rose very sharply between mixtures, going from a 2.2% decrease between the 10:0 and 9:1, to a 13.1% decrease between the 9:1 and 7:3. Similarly, the percentage keeps decreasing more steeply as the hydrogen peroxide percentage increases in the 5:5 and 3:7 measurements. These percentages were 23.6% and 43.1% respectively. Also, every time the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was increased, it took a .5-1 second longer to light the mixture. At the end of the testing, when the ratio was 3:7, it took 2.5-3.5 seconds to light the mixture and keep it alight on its own. Another trend that was noticed during experimentation was the sound of sizzling whenever any concentration above 7:3 was lit. One possible theory that explains these trends is that the water that constitutes the other 70% of the hydrogen peroxide stifled the heat of the lighter fluid and caused the heat to be less intense.

Conclusion: If we combine hydrogen peroxide and lighter fluid, then it will propel the flame to grow hotter.This hypothesis has been rejected, in large part due to the fact that the data doesn't support it. As stated in our analysis, as the percentage of hydrogen peroxide in the mixture increased, the average temperature decreased. If our hypothesis would've been supported, the average temperature would have increased as the percentage of hydrogen peroxide increased.

Limitations: The first error is an environmental error. On the day of testing, it was 5 degrees fahrenheit. In the garage where the testing was performed, the temperature was roughly 20 degrees fahrenheit. This could have slightly decreased temperatures on measurements. This could have been fixed by performing the testing in a warmer area, or by warming the garage. The second error is a measurement error. The thermometer that was used measured only to the 10th place, so measurements weren't as precise as they could have been if our thermometer would have gone past the 10th. The third error is a human error. During the lighting of the mixture, the flame from the lighter was not always placed in the same spot, so lighting it took longer some times compared to others and the spread of the flame could have been inconsistent.

New Hypothesis: If we add 100% Hydrogen Peroxide to lighter fluid, then it will propel the flame to grow hotter

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"Showroom Chemicals Inorganic Chemicals Oxide Industrial Hydrogen Peroxide: 5,898 Products Found from 299 Suppliers Manufacturers." // Industrial Hydrogen Peroxide, Industrial Hydrogen Peroxide Products, Industrial Hydrogen Peroxide Suppliers and Manufacturers at Alibaba.com //. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. =====