Limonene: an invisible weapon
Materials:
Balloons
Tangerine or orange
Candle
Knife
Procedure:
1. Inflate a balloon
2. Cut the peel of the tangerine or orange with a knife (only the external part).
3. Bring the peel closer and fold it so that the liquid it contains comes out.
4. Wait a few seconds
5. Surprise!
6. Light a candle
7. Bring the shell closer and repeat the movement.
8. You will observe small flamesdas
Explanation:
Limonene is a chemical substance present in citrus peel capsules. Its chemical formula is C10H16.
It is an apolar molecule, it does not have charge differences along its structure, so it is a good solvent for substances with the same characteristic.
As we can see in the experiment, limonene can dissolve the rubber, an apolar substance that is part of the balloon. When inflated, the balloon presents a very thin layer of rubber, and when a small amount dissolves in the limonene, it produces a tiny perforation through which the pressurized air will begin to escape, producing, most of the time, an explosion.
It is also a very flammable compound, burning at 48 ºC, but we can produce small flames by squeezing an orange or tangerine peel near a lit candle.
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