Oranges is a citrus fruit, rich in nutrients and poor in calories. Also, oranges are great in providing good health.
Do you think oranges are only great in providing good health to humans? If you think so, you are wrong. Because oranges are a great supplemental help to start fire during your outdoor camping’s and events where you are in need of fire.
In addition, oranges work as a great cleanser in order to clean your oven and chimneys.
Today, in this post I am going to give a lot of information about orange peels and fire through a simple activity.
Orange peel fireworks is a fun and easy activity to show kids about fireworks and chemical reactions that happen with oranges.
Hence, do not put the orange peels in to the bin from now on, instead explore the beneficial part of it in a fun way.
Orange Peel Fireworks
Objective: To explore the chemical reactions between orange peels and fire
Safety Measures: As we are working with fire, adult supervision is must if children are performing the activity. I suggest to wear safety glasses and gloves throughout the activity. Also, do not perform this activity at home instead try out at your backyard or outdoors.
Materials Required:
Here are the simple ingredients we need to gather on the experiment table to start the experiment.
1) Any kind of fire source (like candles, match stick, lighter, etc.)
2) Orange Peels (Fresh)
3) Safety Equipment like gloves, glasses, etc.
You might be interested in reading Interesting Science Facts about Oranges
Instructions to do the Orange Peel Fireworks Activity
Step-1:
Take a candle and lit it using match stick. Then, take a fresh orange peel and bring it near the flame.
Step-2:
Once you bring the orange peel to the flame, squeeze it over the flame. Observe the flame spreading into the air. Make sure you are squeezing orange peel half inch away from the flame.
You can see wonderful flashes of flame when you squeeze orange peel over the candle.
What is the science behind this activity?
Orange peels are the great source for several important oils.
The liquid droplets that come out of orange peel are actually the essential oils contained in it.
These oils are highly flammable, which is a great positive part of orange peels.
Limonene is one of the main essential oils that is present in orange peels in great amounts.
When we squeeze orange peel over the flame, these essential oils react with the fire and results in wonderful fireworks.
Extension Tips
Orange peel is the hero of this activity. You can try this activity using different varieties of citrus fruits like lemon, grape fruits, mandarins, etc. And observe how the flame reacts to the different citrus fruits.
Children over 14 years old can try this experiment on their own with proper safety measures. And children below 14 years must try this activity under adult supervision.
Explore the chemical reactions between orange peel and flame in a fun and educational way.
