Chemistry & Science
Experiments

Start a Fire with a drop of
Water

Here's an old
formula we used to make when we were kids.
We used to call it "Negative-X" (I
have no idea why), but I'm sure it's known by other names.
Mix the powders
together, pour it in a small pile and put a drop of water on it.
In about a
second, it will bubble and smoke and instantly burst into a blue-green
flame.

"NEGATIVE-X"

Ammonium
Nitrate

28
%

Ammonium
Chloride

3
%

Zinc Dust

69
%

Comments:

Grind the
Ammonium Nitrate and the Ammonium Chloride together in a mortar &
pestle until they are a fine powder. Add the proper amount of Zinc Dust
and mix well.

Note that
as soon as this is mixed, it becomes very water sensitive!

Even a tiny amount of water
will ignite the mixture. You must use this composition immediately after
it is made - DO NOT
STORE IT for any
length of time, and do not mix it with other chemicals.
It's a good
idea to mix this formula & conduct this experiment
outside.

Take about a teaspoon full of the mixture and make a small pile of
it on the ground. Add a drop of water and quickly stand back. In a
second it will bubble, hiss and smoke, and instantly burst into a
blue-green flame. If you're really bored, you can make a few piles of
Negative-X on the ground and try and hit them with a water pistol from a
distance away.

WARNING
Don't store this stuff, use all that you make each
time.
Eventually, (depending on how humid it is where you are) it will
absorb enough moisture from the air (or whatever else it is touching) and
ignite itself without warning!
This is NOT something you want
to mix on a rainy day.