Teaching goals will vary with the audience. The rocket will fly around 15 m through the air with a high pitched hiss.Īny spare ethanol can disposed of down the sink, followed by plenty of water, before firing the rocket. Light the rocket by holding a lit splint attached to a metre rule next to the hole in the bottle. Place the bottle on the ramp with the base facing the bottom of the ramp. Remove your finger from the hole in the base. Dispose of the excess alcohol (see below). Pour out all remaining liquid into a beaker and replace the lid. Replace the lid and shake the bottle thoroughly for 10 seconds, to facilitate vaporisation. Wearing gloves, cover the hole with your finger and pour approximately 6 cm 3 of ethanol into the bottle. Position the audience at least 3 m behind the bottom of the ramp. This can be done with a bradawl or with a glass rod, the end of which has been heated in a Bunsen. Make a hole (approximately 5 mm diameter) in the base of the bottle. Bottles should not be used after a demonstration without having been left inverted to cool and dry for at least 24 hours. The area in front of the ramp should be clear for at least 20 m (you may need to perform this experiment outside).Įnsure the bottle is completely dry. Make a ramp angled at approximately 20 o by propping the end on a number of textbooks. Splint attached to the end of a metre rule.A section of guttering (approximately 1 m).Look for PET on the bottle or the recycling symbol with a '1' inside. 1 or 1.5 l PET carbonated drinks bottle, thoroughly dried.

This time we look at a variation that shows how the energy from this reaction can be put to good use. The 'methanol whoosh bottle' has gone from a little known demonstration to one of the most loved by chemistry teachers in the last 10 years, due in part to its simplicity and the crowd-pleasing flame and whoosh that gives it its name.Įxhibition Chemistry described this demonstration back in September 2009.

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