How to Start Fire with Water!

You probably already know a few ways to do this, but none that beats this method! It will not only make you be able to start a combustion with a drop of water, but it will be the coolest GREEN flame!

For a brief description please watch this video:

Note: Alot of people have mistakenly claimed that I have stolen video and pictures for this Instructable. To clear everything up, I didn't steal anything, I simply posted elsewhere long time ago, and eventually it became popular on the internet. Look in the beginning of the video for the signature.

Step 1 Materials

Before we start, I must warn you. This is obiously NOT a safe experiment you should allow small kids to make, as this will combust with an explosive-like effect with a drop of water, and might not always go off the way you want it to. This mixture is hygroscopic (will soak moisture from air) because off the ammonium nitrate included. So if it is very humid or raining, making this is not a good idea.

Okay, so let's get started!
For this project we will need following items:

- An "Instant cold pack"
- Table salt
- Zinc powder (grey metal powder, can be bought from unitednuclear.com or inoxia.co.uk)

Further you'll need

- A scale, preferably precise to 0.1g
- A mortar and pestle to grind the mixture

Comments

[techxpert]

a better name would be "insta fire just add water"

[Mutantflame]

Would Aluminium powder work instead of zinc?

If not, would magnesium work?

[ilpug]

is there any place other than a chemical store that you can get Zinc powder? is it expensive? is it controlled in any way? I want to try this.

[ostomesto]

An easy way to get zinc powder is to get a metal file, you cant use sandpaper, and file down some US pennies. They have to be 1982 or later or else they wont be zinc. P.S. they will be covered in copper so the zinc will be under all of that

[nhoja]

I think calcium carbide is better and safer!!

[sonofspikerr]

sink powder? wtf is sink powder? :) just joking. this would be cooler if it was sustained

[knektek]

when zinc burns doesnt it produce toxic gas?

[firestarter24]

This reaction doesn't produce anything considered toxic at these levels.
This is the reaction that is sped up (catalyzed) to cause the heat and fire.
NH4NO3 --> N2O + 2(H2O)

The salt catalyzes the reaction of the ammonium nitrate along with the Zn.
Zn + NH4NO3 --> N2 + 2(H2O) + ZnO

So the only products that could be left if all your starting materials react are zinc oxide, water, nitrogen gas, and/or nitrous oxide (aka: laughing gas). No problem.

[knektek]

Fast reply time :L

[firestarter24]

Eh better late than never. Yet still somehow faster than when I try contacting customer service at some places.

Also, I thought your message said, Jan 11, 2011 when I first read it.

[sparky57]

you can get the potassium permanganate at chemicalstore.com it's used for air and water purification. you might also find it at a self chem store or a pool supply store.

[sparky57]

you can buy glycerin in small bottles, over the counter at the local drug store.

[A is for Anarchy]

would it work to use the zinc from the middle of an alkaline battery? i know the zinc powder is mixed with potassium hydroxide, would the KOH interfere at all in the reaction?

[CodeKid1001]

so which is the part that reacts with the water

[Kataze]

Since ammonium nitrate is acting as an oxidizer here, can it be replaced with KNO3?

[JamesTB13]

if you have KNO3, why not just make gunpowder? All you'd need is sulphur and carbon, and carbon is easy, just use charcoal.

[pudi.dk]

No, ammonium nitrate is needed. As a maximum, KNO3 would heat up a bit.

[Kataze]

ugh, figured as much. Just a bit of wishful thinking on my part.

[zombiefire]

will a medichill work

[A.C.E.]

can i use zinc from zinc pills from the drug store? is it pure enough? last time i just grinded down some pennies and it worked (well ignited from humidity) but it took forever and was difficult..

[pudi.dk]

The zinc found in pills isn't elemental zinc, but a zinc compound like zinc oxide which will not work.

[computer_guy]

so you CAN'T use the mixture after being stored?

[hoihoi151]

well if moisture gets into the mixture while its being stored. it could end very messy.

[computer_guy]

right, right... time to try and make a DIY on Vacuumed sealed bags XD

[pyrorower]

Well you could just put it in a plastic bag with some silica gel packets and get as much air out as you can. The silica gel should soak up any moisture, keeping it from having any problems.

[pudi.dk]

Please don't advice to store this mixture. Silica gel is nowhere near a guarantee that the air won't contain moisture. Just make it and use it, it's as simple as that.

[pyrorower]

If the ammonium nitrate is just an oxidizer, can it be replaced with potassium nitrate?

[alexeagle6630]

how do you make the fire stop and what is a cold pack alexeagle6630

[KWeippert]

If you have no idea what a cold pack is.....you shouldnt be trying this experiment!!!

[A.C.E.]

hey it will go out in just about 3 seconds if you follow this guys amounts.

[codongolev]

cold pack- sold at drugstores, used for injuries. you squeeze the pack of water inside and burst it, and the resulting reaction takes more energy than it creates, therefore making it cold. it's useful for sports, where there's no freezer around.

[Jaycub]

Once you light a mixture that has the oxidiser in it the only way to put it out is to remove the fuel source. So unless you want to poke a stick in it and try to scrape out the un-burnt part of the mixture while it's going you basicaly can't put it out.

[TFrosty]

You could put a bucket over it, getting rid of the oxygen. You have to eliminate one part of the fire triangle, source, heat, and oxygen

[Jaycub]

The amonium nitrate serves as an oxidizer, it doesn't need oxygen from the air.

[TFrosty]

My mistake. I completely blanked out on that.

[zoraxbrooks]

this would help when campin'

[cooldog]

can you sub the zinc with anything else i'm thinking of using it to start camp fires

[A.C.E.]

no, but you can just sand down some pennies and get the zinc thats under the copper.

[lasersage]

When i was a kid, cub/scout master started a fire with a mysterious potion. It turned out to be potassium permangemate, sugar, and glycerine. He'd prepped the fire by grinding the potassium permangemate and sugar into a fine powder and laid it in the kindeling, then he just poored the glycerine on the fire in front of us, and whoosh FIRE! :D I experimented with it at home, warming the glycerine (only hand warm) improved the reaction. Can't remember the sugar to pot ratio, try half and half, but i think they're was more pot than sugar involved. Potassium permangemate is sold over the counter at chemists in tiny little pots, its quite cheap. Old people soak their feet in it or something. Who knows why? Beware it will dye anything very very purple on contact with moisture! Good luck (sorry no Zinc involved in this one:)

[Johenix]

DANGER: Do not grind the permanganate and sugar together, there is a danger of explosion. Grind them seperately and then mix them.

Do not grind a permanganate, chlorate, or perchlorate with ANY organic material- there is danger of explosion.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!