Homemade Hand Warmer
Question: Can we make a Hand Warmer with supplies found at home?
Our Experiment
Materials:
Pencil Pencil Sharpener Self-sealing sandwich bag 1 teaspoon (tsp.) salt 2 tablespoons (tbsp.) water 2 tablespoons (tbsp.) vermiculite (garden shop) 2 tablespoons (tbsp.) iron powder (hobby shop) 2 tablespoons (tbsp.) pulverized activated charcoal (pet store) |
Safety ProceduresWe used Safety Goggles as some of this materials can irritate the eyes if they come in contact with them
Try not to breathe any of these fine powders |
Procedure:
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Watch us in action: |
What's Going on?
So what makes a hand warmer get warm? Turns out that a chemical reaction, a process by which atoms of different elements combine to form a “compound,” is responsible. In this case, the elements are iron and oxygen, and when they are combined they form “iron oxide” and something else: heat. A chemical reaction that releases energy (usually in the form of light or heat) is called “exothermic.”
Pretty complicated, right? Wrong! The reaction’s not only simple but also one that humans have run into (and complained about) for thousands of years. You see, iron oxide is just a fancy name for rust, the stuff that forms on your toys and sports equipment when you leave them outside in the rain.
Now, in our experiment, the iron comes from the iron powder, while the oxygen, as you probably guessed, comes from the air (did you know that air is only about 21% oxygen?). So, if that’s all there is to it, what’s with all the other materials (water, salt, activated charcoal, vermiculite and pencil shavings)?
Well . . . it turns out that iron and oxygen need a little help in order to get them to combine, and the water and salt do just that (something that helps a chemical reaction to occur is called a “catalyst”). The activated charcoal helps to disperse the heat, while the vermiculite (a natural mineral with a host of commercial uses) and pencil shavings act as insulators, helping to retain the heat.
Pretty complicated, right? Wrong! The reaction’s not only simple but also one that humans have run into (and complained about) for thousands of years. You see, iron oxide is just a fancy name for rust, the stuff that forms on your toys and sports equipment when you leave them outside in the rain.
Now, in our experiment, the iron comes from the iron powder, while the oxygen, as you probably guessed, comes from the air (did you know that air is only about 21% oxygen?). So, if that’s all there is to it, what’s with all the other materials (water, salt, activated charcoal, vermiculite and pencil shavings)?
Well . . . it turns out that iron and oxygen need a little help in order to get them to combine, and the water and salt do just that (something that helps a chemical reaction to occur is called a “catalyst”). The activated charcoal helps to disperse the heat, while the vermiculite (a natural mineral with a host of commercial uses) and pencil shavings act as insulators, helping to retain the heat.
About AidanMy name is Aidan and I’m a 5th grader in Ms.
Monteleone’s class at Somers Intermediate School. I enjoy playing sports like soccer, football and lacrosse. I enjoy learning about science, so that is why I decided to do hands on science night. |
About NoahNoah is a 5th grader in Mrs. Lukes class in Somers Intermediate School.He enjoys playing sports like soccer, baseball, football, basketball and lacrosse. He also enjoys playing the drums. Science is one of his favorite subjects so that is why he chose to do hands on science night.
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