![]()
Ammonium Dichromate Volcano
The ammonium dichromate volcano illustrates what happens in a chemical reaction. The orange solid is ammonium dichromate. When a wick soaked in alcohol is placed into the ammonium dichromate and ignited with a match the higher temperature causes the ammonium dichromate to start reacting. The darker material which is forming is evidence of a chemical change. As the reaction proceeds it generates heat and the dark solid material is formed more rapidly. Flames and sparks can be seen shooting upward. The orange solid has been transformed into a dark gray-green solid and the temperature has changed. These observations are characteristic of a chemical reaction: a substance with one set of properties is transformed into one or more new substances with a temperature change.
The size of the movie file is 4.2 MB and its duration is 62 seconds. The name of the movie file is "VOLCANO.MOV" and it is located in the folder "MOVIES/VOLCANO".If your browser has not brought the movie into the above space (you might be running a version of Netscape earlier than 3.0 or not have the proper plug-in), clicking on the following will possibly access the movie. Play movie.
| Chemistry Comes Alive! (entry page) | Table of Contents | Matrix of Chapters and Topics | Index | Alphabetical List of Topics | Chemistry Textbooks |© 1999 Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.