You will need:
- Orange peel (from a
juicy orange) - Candle
Ask an adult to help to create flame balls
with two simple ingredients.
INSTRUCTIONS
- With the help of an adult light a candle and place it on a fireproof surface.
- Next, ask the adult to hold the orange peel in such a way that the oily surface is facing the flame.
- Ask the adult to squeeze the peel backwards so as to squirt the oils from the surface of the orange into the flame.
- Once you have tried this in a small amount, you can ask your parent to take a larger piece of orange peel. Keeping the peel a distance from the flame, squirt it really well.
- Be careful and stand some distance away. The flame will enlarge and blow out like a flame ball. But why?
RESULT
The orange peel is made up of oil compartments on its outer surface. When the peel is squeezed backwards these compartments are pulled taut and the oil is released into the air as if it were squirted. The oil is a hydrocarbon, which (like petrol) is flammable, thus making the flame enlarge. The surface of the orange has oil so that it may be eaten only by larger animals and not by fungi and insects. The oil keeps the skin of the orange water repellent for fungi and is poisonous for insects. That is why the oily surface of oranges makes a great mosquito repellent. But be careful; it is also highly flammable.
