Cold fire is called special type low temperature flame. Such fire is “tame”: you can touch it, hold it in your hands, play with it. Probably each of you has seen films or animated films in which the characters let go of their hands. fireballs. Of course, all this is the result of the work of computer graphics industry professionals, but today, thanks to the science of chemistry, we will tell you how to make a cold fire at home.

You will need:

We are preparing the base on which we will apply the finished mixture. The fact is that cold fire can cause significant harm to the skin if it is applied directly to the hand. So for these purposes we will build a small ball.

To do this, we wind a fairly dense woolen thread into a ball. A ball of 2-3 centimeters in size is enough for 3-4 minutes of burning.

If you don’t want to risk touching the fire with your hands, you can build something similar to a torch by placing a ball on a knitting needle or a thin long stick.

We proceed directly to preparing the mixture for cold fire.

To do this, pour a tablespoon of ethyl alcohol into a small container. We add the same amount of boric acid, and only after that – a drop of hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. It is very important to maintain proportions and thoroughly mix all ingredients, since we are dealing with very unstable and strong chemicals.

Next, we need to heat the resulting mixture. To do this, it is best to use a water bath (2-3 minutes will be enough). To check the temperature, dip your fingertip into the mixture: if you can stand it for a few seconds (it doesn’t burn too much), remove it.

We blot the ball with the solution. Before setting it on fire, keep in mind that hydrochloric acid (or boric acid, depending on which you used) will begin to burn first, the flame from which is almost insensitive. But after this, the alcohol will ignite, which, when burned, can seriously burn the skin. So as soon as you begin to feel a slight burning sensation, extinguish the ball, or put it in a specially prepared empty container.

Many of us have repeatedly seen on various shows how daredevils hold a blazing flame in their hands. Often, in films, the skill of computer graphics is used as such fire, but in real life you can surprise the audience with the dance of fire on your palms. Cold fire is the name of this miracle. Cold fire is a term used in chemical science to describe low-temperature fire.

Cooking fire at home

To surprise your friends with the ability to hold fire in your hands, it is enough to have several simple ingredients and a little skill. The main components necessary to create a cold fire are alcohol, boric acid (dry), sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. To prepare the solution necessary for a cold fire, you need to take a medium-sized cup and pour alcohol into it (about one tablespoon). Add a tablespoon of dry boric acid and no more than one drop of acid (sulfuric or hydrochloric) to the alcohol. You need to be very careful, as this is a fairly complex job. hazardous substances. Do not add more sulfuric acid for a bright combustion, this can be very dangerous to life. The ingredients mixed in the cup must be heated. The fastest and safe way- for a couple. A few minutes are enough for the mixture to warm up and be ready for use. Test the resulting mixture with your finger; if it is not very hot, it means it can still be used.

It is not recommended to pour and burn the mixture directly on your palms. This can only be done if you already have experience in handling cold fire. Take woolen threads and wind them into a small ball, which will be set on fire in your palms.

Precautionary measures

Despite the innocuous name of cold fire, it is still fire, and precautions must be taken with it. As soon as the ball of thread has been soaked with the prepared solution and set on fire, the combustion process of boric acid occurs, which will last several minutes. After the boric acid has burned out, the alcohol will begin to burn, and it will no longer be so cold. Before conducting experiments with cold fire, it is recommended to remove the hair from your hands, since, without experience, it is difficult to control the moment when boric acid stops burning and the burning of alcohol begins, which can catch the hair on your hands, which will leave a rather bad smell. To quickly put out a fire, just cover it with your palm and, without access to oxygen, it will go out very quickly.

You never know what surprises life will throw at you. Therefore it is worth it. We present to your attention a post by Boris Zak, a lover of travel, trail running and running in general (who, by the way, has already told us about his own). Today Boris will tell you about 10 ways to light a fire. Some of them will seem useful to you, and some will probably surprise you. :)

A little theory. What is fire?

Fire is the main phase of the combustion process, which is accompanied by the release of light and heat. A fire may occur due to various reasons: heating, chemical reaction, exposure to electricity.

So, to start a fire we need combustible materials, oxygen and high temperature.

Method 1. Start a fire using a condom

The condom is truly a unique thing; I think that all travelers have long appreciated this multi-purpose item. So, take a transparent condom and fill it with water.

Starting a fire with a condom

We use it as a lens, focus the beam on pre-prepared dry grass or paper, a little patience, and now smoke appears.

Method 2. Pepsi can

We polish the bottom of the jar and use it as a reflector. We direct the beam onto a sheet of paper or dry grass.

Method 3. Photo frame and cling film

Take a photo frame and wrap it in cling film.

Place the frame on the stand and pour water.

That's it, the fire ignition installation is ready.

Method 4. Steel wool and mobile phone battery

Steel wool is a weave of very thin steel fibers that looks like regular cotton wool from a pharmacy. The steel itself is 98% iron and 2% carbon, the proportions may vary depending on the type of steel. We prepare a “nest” of dry leaves and grass, put cotton wool in it and run the battery contacts across the cotton wool several times.

Method 5. Battery and chewing gum foil

Cut a strip of foil, fold it in half and sharpen the fold with scissors.

We apply the ends of the strip to the poles of the battery, and the main thing here is not to burn your fingers.

The same manipulations, only more clearly, are presented in the video.

Method 6. An interesting but expensive way to start a fire using IKEA products

Method 7. Ice

This method requires patience. Not only will you light a fire, but you will also stay warm. Take a piece of ice and, with light movements of the knife, shape it into lenses. Then we polish the surface of the lens with our hands.

Well, every child knows how to start a fire with a lens.

Method 8. Chemical reaction

Sodium is a silvery-white metal, ductile, even soft (easily cut with a knife), a fresh cut of sodium shines in the air and easily oxidizes to sodium oxide. To protect against oxygen in the air, sodium metal is stored under a layer of kerosene.

Sodium reacts very violently with water: a piece of sodium placed in water floats up, melts due to the heat generated, turning into a white ball that quickly moves in different directions on the surface of the water; the reaction produces hydrogen, which can ignite. This experiment is also called "dancing fire".

Method 9. Flint

Sparks are struck using a flint. The tool is compact, lightweight and can be used in any weather. You can find a wide range of flints on the Internet. Which one you buy does not matter, the main thing is to learn how to use this gadget correctly.

Making sparks is not difficult, you just need to prepare good tinder. To do this, use dry, flammable material.

Method 10. Fire Piston

This pneumatic lighter was invented around 1770. It works on the same principle as a diesel engine. With strong compression, the air in the cylinder heats up to a temperature of over 300 ° C, which leads to the ignition of the tinder located at the end of the piston.

In order to achieve high temperature, you need a strong blow.

Have you ever seen how they allegedly pour gasoline into the palm of your hand, light it, it burns, but the person does not receive any harm from the fire? Why don't burns appear on the skin? After all, fire is a high-temperature plasma! What's the matter?

Spectacular focus

The example with fire in the palm is, of course, impressive. People who have nervous nerves should not watch this trick. Or immediately tune in to the fact that this is just a spectacular trick. Even if it’s not entirely clear, it smacks of fantasy. Let's break the focus down into its component parts. First, the visual part. What do we usually see?

The magician rolls up his shirt sleeve to his elbow and shows us his palm from all sides. By this he convinces the audience that he has nothing in his palm. Then he takes a glass half filled with a transparent liquid, and by shaking it from side to side he convinces us that this is indeed some kind of flammable liquid, since it was said about the flame that he will light in the palm of his hand. Of course, we associate liquid with gasoline or some other transparent liquid flammable substance.

Next, the magician squeezes his palm a little and pours liquid from the glass into it, puts the empty glass back on the table, takes a lighter, spins the wheel on it and sets fire to the liquid in his palm. It flares up with a voluminous, smoky orange flame. For greater effect, turn off the light. We see how a magician in the dark makes beautiful passes with his palm with a flame, then instantly clenches his palm into a fist and the flame goes out. The lights flash and the magician bows to the applause of the audience.

Now let's look at the second part of the trick - the chemical one. The magician poured ordinary water from a glass into his palm! But it won't catch fire! However, we did not notice that a small cotton ball soaked in a mixture of carbon tetrachloride and cyclohexane in equal proportions, grabbed from the table along with a lighter, fell into our palm. Having poured water into his palm, the magician quietly drained it, and the cotton ball began to evaporate a certain substance, releasing a flammable gas. The magician sets it on fire. The gas burns for several seconds without causing any harm to the palm. Clenching his palm into a fist, the magician sharply limits the access of air to the flame - the fire goes out. He only moistened the skin with water on his palm. Otherwise, a mixture of carbon tetrachloride and cyclohexane would have penetrated into it and there would have been a rather severe burn. The peculiarity is that the combustion did not occur on the skin of the palm itself, but at some distance from it. And since, according to the laws of physics, heat tends upward, a layer of cold air appeared between the palm and the flame.

Another way to repeat this trick

It should be noted that the mixture of carbon tetrachloride and cyclohexane is toxic. For this reason, the focus is placed in a very large, well-ventilated room. For example, in the circus arena, in pauses between performances, when forced ventilation using powerful mechanisms.

A trick using ethyl ester of boric acid is less dangerous. But its vapors burn not with a yellow, but with a greenish flame, which is not so impressive. To prepare ethyl ester of boric acid in a strictly defined proportion, use the dry boric acid, ethyl alcohol, concentrated hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. The mixture releases ether vapors that are not visible. The resulting aerosol burns. This fire does not burn the skin at all. But if after some time (a matter of seconds!) the access of air to the mixture is not blocked, the ethyl alcohol itself will begin to burn, which will result in a guaranteed skin burn.

As you can see, tricks with cold fire are very effective in the dark, but require excellent reaction. When demonstrating them, there is always an assistant with a wet towel next to the magician - in case the magician does not have time to quickly put out the flame and gets burned.