Platinum Catalysis

A 4 L Erlenmeyer flask is charged with methanol. An activated platinum wire is lowered into the flask. The wire glows where methanol and oxygen are reacting, and immediately sets off a whooshing conflagration.
The wire continues to glow, a combination of convection and diffusion causing the air/methanol mixture to oscillate between a slow burn and periodic flash over.
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[@NatSciDemos]

We've never got the reaction to start without first heating the platinum. We think the wire is indeed 999, but any platinum would probably work.

[@tedsmith6137]

I knew about catalytic reaction but never seen it demonstrated . Excellent.

[@eg5160]

Awesome! Thanks for this demo!! It explains how a hobby "nitro" or "glow" engine keeps running after the initial start with a brief introduction of an electric current (battery operated glow plug starter.) I've always been curious as to how the engine can keep going without an ignition source. Hobby fuels are basically methanol with additives and model engine glow plugs use platinum as the heating element.

[@PromorteD]

What stops this reaction happening indefinitely, providing there is a limitless supply of methanol and oxygen?

[@NatSciDemos]

I think so, as long as the platinum doesn't become contaminated somehow.

[@SplitSniper7]

Very cool, I wish I could see it in higher quality though :/

[@scottlund4562]

Great video. I clicked (and now subscribed) as yesterday I tried this to try and discern if a freshly exposed seam in ore was either silver or platinum using methanol from a bottle of "Heat", and a few drops placed onto the exposed ore sample. Nothing happened, but now I may heat the sample before exposure thanks to you, and see one more time if this is a viable way to distinguish siler and platinum ore in the field, thank you!

[@rogertycholiz2218]

I really would like to get the platinum wire to glow but I do not want to pay $60.00 for 1 foot of the stuff.

[@Extractables]

Hi, fuelban-- Thanks. No trick. The platinum is acting as a catalyst. The reaction between oxygen and methanol happens on the surface of the wire, which is what keeps the wire glowing. The wire warms the liquid methanol so the flask has plenty of vaporous fuel available, above the combustion limit, but still enough oxygen to react on the wire. Hot combustion products rise, and cool air enters until the mixture can ignite again. Since oxygen is the limiting reagent, I said "oxygen ignites."

[@CollisionDream16]

1:12 - 1:15 Incredible explosion and that lightball

[@patty4449]

So I just learned about something called Nanoporous Silver Telluride which can yield equal results with Overpotential of 27 mV and a Tafel Slope of 33 mv/dec... In my opinion this may create a constant engine if reinforced with some pressure stabilisation and ongoing cooling support...

[@IamJiva]

You are really lucky if you have platinum wire, with it you can do many intresting unusual experiments, for example - termical destruction of water steam to 2H2 + O2, Warming up platinum wire with electric current, and passing water vapor near it(in tube), when the nichrome wire is not suitable for the required temperature(about 2000 ° C) and broking melted, like all the alloys... (I'm not sure only about the graphite rod, maybe it will warm up to the desired temperature without problem in the atmosphere of water vapor, the stream is not oxidative like 20% O2 in air) Graphite can also operate a hermetically sealed lamp where carbon dioxide is formed to protect the graphite from continuing destruction, but I'm wish to test another application. Some months ago, I found that laboratory glass - for example tubes, can be cut like plastic, with a red-hot(and more hot) nichrome wire (i have 0.5mm diameter nichrome wire, from a 2kW heater spiral). However, this requires some skill, and nichrome wire should be heated to the limit of its capabilities, so much that it burns out every minute, which causes inconvenience, and makes the method less practical. I cut the test tubes several times. It takes about 3 minutes to cut the 15-50ml test tube. The easiest way is to start cutting the glass sheet 0.7mm thick (the end of the broken glass or to cut off the glass "tooth") so that the contact area of the nichrome wire with glass (the dark part of wire, dark due to cooling, not the orange-hot like without contact with glass) is minimal. To cut a long tube in the middle, you must first saw the log as a saw with a slightly stretched, orange-hot nichrome wire, otherwise if you just lean the wire against the glass surface, the area of ​​cooling in the contact area is too long - 3-4mm of the wire goes out, even heat of nearest(which is out of glass contact) hot wire ends will not enough, you have to increase the current without (usual with nichrome) melting of wire, freely hanging in the air, it is possible only with platinum wire (very refractory and inert). The process does not differ from plastics cutting with nichrome. Smooth melted edges are formed. Please, if there is time - check, I did with the computer power supply, 5v and 12v, if platinum is small even for 5v, connect in series a piece of nichrome or a rope from several nichrome veins, or nichrome under water - to get the resistor, to The power supply will not turning off from exceeding the current (in case of overload or short circuit, it needs to be turned off, wait for a few seconds, turn it back on)

[@muonneutrino]

Hi! Great reaction! Is preheating of the wire required for the reaction to start or it does only make it quicker to start? What platinum wire have you used in this experiment? Diameter? Was it platinum 999? Thank you!

[@fuelban]

Thought on it for a wee bit longer, the platinum has a heat loss potential, but before it loses the potential there is a known volume of air {supporter of combustion} entering the confinement space, the gas methanol sits in the base of the confinement and the vapour release is what is ignited. Nice trick mathematician…LOL. Thom in Scotland

[@auxpowerunit]

I'd like to see that done with a smaller flask, so the reaction would cycle faster.

[@OWC2024]

Great video. Thanks for the idea. But it’s the methanol, the fuel, that ignites, not the oxygen.

[@manofohmchemicalcreations1983]

And at the highest peak in the highest tower of the great empire of hephaestus glowed the light from a great torch without fire, the center of a golden world..__ MgO

[@emanuelkszenics7689]

I question from a noob in chemistry, will the platinum wire be consumed at some point if you'll repeat this process?

[@norxcontacts]

That's a nice chunk of platinum.

[@b0mazor]

Add a float valve to keep a consistent level supply of methanol at the bottom

[@aliosmankucukpacalar]

Beatiful...What is the burning time of 1 liter of methanol?

[@adaminsanoff]

Would be nice to have something like this on the table :)

[@chemistryscuriosities]

Can formaldehyde be produced in a useable way using this method or would I need to do this like the way you would produce Ketene for Acetic anhydride production?

[@muonneutrino]

What is the diameter of that wire? Seems it's thick.

[@awbrynes]

At what temperature will ethanol burn with a platinum catalyst?

[@lightdark00]

What is the byproduct of this platinum catalyst?

[@adamobeirne9411]

🎉

[@rogertycholiz2218]

Pure clean platinum will glow without and help from a flame. Look a some of the videos on platinum self-starting lighters.

[@fuelban]

at 2;10, "You say"... Oxygen ignites once enough has entered in to the flask... "I say"... oxygen does not ignite but supports. !. so what's really going on guys ... ? ... the flask is slowly refilled by the supporting oxygen, and a re-burn is seen from the fuel methanol, the methanol being a what is my next question, to have such a long sustainable burn process...good video guys. Thom in Scotland.

[@IamJiva]

not that I need a lot of platinum, I would rather take a tank of methanol ... but a lot of such lanterns at a party would be very helpful, maybe you need to add ethanol ... getting a mixture with methanol - safe for health due to the properties of ethanol, which is an antidote to methanol (but take hydroxyls better in phenols ... tetra hydro :-))

[@Extractables]

No hydrogen peroxide used. Just methanol in the flask, and atmospheric oxygen.

[@Karpoev]

thanks for nice video

[@TheJunky228]

woah

[@awbrynes]

Methanol*

[@DuyNguyen-vf5cv]

Will it be possible to make formaldehyde inside as it is extremly toxic?

[@fuelban]

Having thought on this for a wee bit, my question is, why platinum, and what is the platinum doing to support this phenomena, 1/The oxygen is the supporter of the burn, 2/The methanol, is the fuel, 3/How is the platinum able to ignite over such a sustained time duration?, unless y u are playing with volumetric of known substances to form a trick… !. IS THIS THE CASE?. Interesting non the less… Thom.

[@yaykruser]

fuelban Your wrong, the Methanol is not the fuel, The methanol gets split into hydrogen and formaldehyde, the hydrogen reacts with the oxygen

[@austin503]

What kind of person leaves a dislike on videos like this?

[@zaaxd4549]

selamün aleyküm. vahap hocam selamlar

[@icandoathousandnow]

How to not do safety

[@azra113]

That was awesome

[@Arensi]

5 points to gryffindor.

[@derangedpranks]

Too awesome!

[@rey9883]

what concentration of H2O2 was used here?

[@yaykruser]

rey9883 0%

[@weejockrock]

Do you have information on the diameter of the platinum wire? This is a lovely demonstration of catalysis and I'd love to do it with my 6th form students. Platinum wire is kinda expensive though so I'd aim to buy the thinnest gauge that will work.

[@sciencoking]

Thin wire likely works better than thick. It's all about maximizing surface area :)

[@Sokol10]

R/C engines glow plug. :))

[@gejak90]

Don't do experiments

[@theterribleanimator1793]

Why?