grain elevator and questions

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From: Mike Schulist (schulist@marin.k12.ca.us)
Date: Tue Dec 17 2002 - 16:39:28 PST 

Message-Id: <f04330100ba2571e90d81@[10.10.43.185]>
Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 16:39:28 -0800
From: Mike Schulist <schulist@marin.k12.ca.us>
Subject: grain elevator and questions

Last summer in the alumni chemistry class, we built "grain elevator"
tubes. The plastic tubes stand upright and a candle sits on the
bottom. The idea is to put powder substances in the tube and see
them ignite. I'm having trouble remembering exactly how this worked.
I bought Lycopodium, and my first few attempts produced nothing.
Then, I dumped teaspoon on the flame, and it was a great fire effect,
but the powder got all over everything and it left a huge mess. I
also remember being able to put other poweders in the tube and seeing
them ignite. So far, everything either does nothing or just puts out
the flame. I seem to recall this was a more "graceful" and easy to
perform experiment. Does anyone know how to get the maximum benefit
from this tube? Is there a way to make corn starch and flour light
into a nice fire?

Also, my students asked some questions today that I said I'd "research."
1. "does the carbon dioxide in dry ice go directly from being a gas
to being a solid?"

2. "do other substances sublimate besides dry ice?"

3. "Is plasma a higher energy state than a gas? Where else does
plasma exist besides the outer atmoshpere and in fires?

Thanks for your help!

-Mike Schulist
Miller Creek Middle School

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