Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: fofa on 02/12/2013 09:23:12

Title: What happens if you mix salt peter,wood ash,chalk,salt and throw it in a fire?
Post by: fofa on 02/12/2013 09:23:12

Hi!
I am wondering with what ratios this would do anything, um, interesting when thrown into a fire and any problem handling any of it. I will be very happy to hear everyone's discourses on the subject!!! Also, why would any additional wood ash do something? Isn't salt peter enough already?

Title: Re: What happens if you mix salt peter,wood ash,chalk,salt and throw it in a fire?
Post by: SorryDnoodle on 04/12/2013 18:45:55

What kind of wood ash, the composition of wood ash is highly dependent on how it is made and from what and where, was the tree grown in an area with a high salt content, high iron content etc.
furthermore, wood ash contains a lot of Calcium carbonate as is, so adding even more chalk seems pointless if
                     
I doubt anything impressive will happen, perhaps  Chalk and salt will react slightly.

Title: Re: What happens if you mix salt peter,wood ash,chalk,salt and throw it in a fire?
Post by: sebology on 20/01/2014 17:06:10

Saltpeter - KNO3 and wood ash is an assortment of essentially 'burned' chemicals, trying to react them again with an oxidiser will do little. Calcium Carbonate - CaCO3 makes up a large proportion and no reaction will take place between the saltpeter and the carbonate until the carbonate is thermally decomposed and new oxygen molecules from the saltpeter can bind to it. 

The salt will frustratingly never react with anything you could do at home, nor can I imagine chalk doing anything exceptional either- apart from maybe popping from pockets of water inside the structure which I've seen large bangs from wet slate do.

However, throwing saltpeter onto a fire does cause interesting things to happen as the crystals melt in the heat and violently oxidise the burning fuel - wood, cardboard etc.