A Methane Balloon Inflation Chamber

Curtis J. Czerwinski and Tanya J. Cordes
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, La Crosse, WI 54601
Joe Franek
Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
J. Chem. Educ., 2005, 82 (2), p 248
DOI: 10.1021/ed082p248
Publication Date (Web): February 1, 2005
History, Education, and Documentation

Abstract

While several lecture demonstrations are possible using methane-filled balloons, it is often inconvenient to prepare these balloons since the pressure from standard laboratory and lecture hall gas nozzles is too low. As a solution to this problem, a methane balloon inflation chamber, prepared from a translucent 3.5-gallon pail and an aspirator or house-vacuum, provides an inexpensive and convenient method for inflating balloons in laboratories or lecture halls. Prepared in this way, methane-filled balloons can be used to demonstrate the effects of vacuum, the lifting power of low-density gases, and the explosive combustion of methane.

Find this demonstration and others in the DigiDemos area of the JCE Digital Library.

Keywords (Audience):

High School / Introductory Chemistry

Keywords (Domain):

Demonstrations

Keywords (Feature):

JCE DigiDemos: Tested Demonstrations

Keywords (Subject):

Alkanes / Cycloalkanes
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  • Received: August 03, 2009

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