{"id":51177,"date":"2025-08-25T04:26:47","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T19:26:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phys-edu.net\/wp\/?p=51177"},"modified":"2025-08-25T04:26:47","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T19:26:47","slug":"%e3%80%90homemade-fireworks%e3%80%91lets-make-a-snake-firework-a-living-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phys-edu.net\/wp\/?p=51177&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"\u3010Homemade Fireworks\u3011Let’s Make a Snake Firework! A Living Thing?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m Ken Kuwako, a science trainer. Every day is an experiment. <\/p>\n

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When you think of summer, you think of fireworks. While beautiful fireworks lighting up the night sky are great, this time we’d like to introduce a unique type of firework that seems to wriggle and grow as if it were alive. It’s called a “snake firework.” We wanted to make an experiment that you might find in a science textbook feel more accessible and fun as a summer vacation science project or a weekend activity with the family. With that in mind, we challenged ourselves to create an original snake firework with our science club students.<\/p>\n

Unlike commercially available snake fireworks, the greatest appeal of this homemade version is that you can experience the fun of a chemical reaction using everyday materials. Through repeated trial and error, the students came up with their own special mixture and created an amazing “giant snake.” Its appearance is like magic! What’s more, the materials you need are things you can find at home or at the pharmacy. No difficult knowledge is required. Now, why don’t you join us and take a peek into the scientific world of this mysterious snake firework?<\/p>\n

What You’ll Need<\/h3>\n

Sugar (sucrose) 20g<\/p>\n

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) 5g<\/p>\n

Ethanol 25ml<\/p>\n

Sand (We used “Kanuma soil” for this experiment)<\/p>\n

Heat-resistant container (A baking tray or anything heat-resistant is fine)<\/p>\n

There are a few types of ethanol. They are classified in order of alcohol concentration: absolute ethanol (99.5 vol%), ethanol (95.1-96.9%), and rubbing alcohol (76.9-81.4%). For this experiment, any type is fine as long as it ignites.<\/p>\n

Procedure<\/h3>\n

\u2460 Put 25g of sugar and 5g of baking soda into 25g of ethanol.<\/p>\n

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\u2461 Mix the solution and pour it into a petri dish on the heat-resistant container that contains the sand.<\/p>\n

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\u2462 Light it with a lighter.<\/p>\n

\"\"Here’s what it looked like when we lit it.<\/p>\n