HOMEMADE HAND WARMERS

 Question: 
What ingredients cause the hand warmers to heat up?




Hypothesis:
When iron powder combines with water, a chemical reaction produces heat.

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  Purchased Hand Warmer                         Homemade Hand Warmer                       

MATERIALS

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Ingredients and materials needed to make homemade hand warmers


    . Safety goggles
   . Pencil
   . Pencil Sharpener (pencil shavings)    
   . Sandwich Bag
   . Salt
   . Water
   . Vermiculite
   .  Iron Powder
   .  Pulverized Activated Charcoal


  • Material 3
  • Material 4
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Makin' Hand Warmers at SIS Science Night!

SAFETY PROCEDURES
1. Listen and follow all directions

2. Do not touch anything until told
3. Make sure you have goggles on
4. Do not eat

PROCEDURE         

1. Put on goggles.

2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except water. (1 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. vermiculite, 2 1/2 tbsp. iron powder, 2 tbsp. pulverized activated charcoal, 3 tbsp. pencil shavings.)

3. Pour mixture into a bag.

 4. Add 2 tbsp. water to the sandwich bag.

 5. Seal bag tightly. Make sure you allow air to remain in the bag.

 6. Squeeze and agitate bag gently, observe the results. 

SPECIAL NEEDS
Have fun and be safe!

    
                         

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
At first our project was not successful so we tried changing the measurements or eliminating ingrendients until it felt warm.  Below is a list of how we changed the experiment to yield warmth.

> Failed Changes 
    - No water
    - Less pencil shavings
    - No Vermiculite
    - No Charcoal
    - No Salt
    - No iron

> Successful Changes
     - Room temperature water
     - Additional charcoal
     - Additional water
     - Mixed ingredients in a bowl instead of a plastic bag
      -Additional iron powder
     -Crushed charcoal into powder versus granular pieces.

Watch the A and A news! Making Hand Warmers!

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT!
The chemical reaction of iron, and oxygen is called oxidation. The salt is a catalyst. which speeds up the reaction. When these three ingredients are combined heat is produced. This is called an exothermic reaction. The charcoal spreads heat around. The vermiculite and the pencil shavings help hold the heat in.

CONCLUSION
   We accept our hypothesis because when we experimented with the ingredients, if we left out water, salt or iron powder it would not heat up.   

About Anna

 I am 10 years old and I am in fifth grade. I enjoy playing violin and soccer. I have one brother, one sister and one cat.  My favorite movie is Pee Wee's Big Adventure! 

About Amanda

I am 11 years old and I am in fifth grade.  I enjoy playing soccer and would like to learn to play drums .  I have two sisters, a dog and a hamster.  My favorite movie is Les Miserables. 

About Both Of Us

We have known each other since we were born and live down the street from each other.  We love to play soccer, Man Hunt and build snow forts.  We enjoy being outside, hiking and exploring the woods too.