Chemistry+background

** Background to the Methane Mamba:[[image:bond_angles.gif caption="Figure 1"]] **
The main ingredient in this amazing experiment is methane! Methane is a simple gas at room temperature where one carbon molecule is bonded with London forces to four hydrogen atoms. The bond angle between each hydrogen atom is 109.5 degrees as shown in figure 1. Methane does not have any scent or any apparent colour and although it may not have a high health hazzard risk from inhalation, there is a potential for getting burnt from this flammable gas. The combustion of the methane and soapy bubble solution has awesome explosive presentation therefore making my demonstration cool :D Methane is not as reactive or as explosive as hydrogen therefore safer to use.

The main attribute of my experiment is the combustion of Methane gas, where the basic chemical formula for burning methane gas is as follows:

CH4(g) + 2 O2(g) CO2(g) + 2 H2O(l)

with an Enthalpy change of –891 kJ, meaning that this reaction is (obviously) exothermic. In this specific exothermic reaction, large amounts of energy heat is released and harnessed. The energy produced from the combustion of methane can be used by the heating industries throughout the world to heat homes, or fuel stoves.

In this experiment I use propane instead of methane because any natural gas should be good to use, and methane was not readily available. Methane is combustible but not as explosive as Hydrogen, where there would be a higher potential risk of hurting either yourself or someone else. Propane is also a colorless, flammable gas, C 3 H 8, of the alkane series, occurring in petroleum and natural gas used chiefly as a fuel and in organic synthesis.

"Methane is an important source of hydrogen and some organic chemicals. Methane reacts with steam at high temperatures to yield carbon monoxide and hydrogen; the latter is used in the manufacture of ammonia for fertilizers and explosives. Other valuable chemicals derived from methane include <> (1).The incomplete combustion of methane yields carbon black, which is widely used as a reinforcing agent in rubber used for automobile tires"(3).

Other ingredients in this experiment is water and soap. Water is a key ingredient in this as it will allow you to scoop the bubbles without breaking them, and allowing the bubbles to stick to your hands, and will also help protect your skin, as the water will evapourate leaving your hands dry and unscathed. the chemical reason behind this is that water has a higher boiling point ( 100'C) than methane −161 °C therefore allowing it to absorb the energy produced from burning methane bubbles, hence protection. And now some fun facts about water uses in Canada: Compare this to the reality in much of the developing world: Most of the 1.1 billion people categorized as lacking access to clean water use about 5L of unsafe water each day—less than what we use to flush a toilet.
 * "In Canada, about 65% of indoor home water use occurs in our bathrooms. Toilets are the single greatest water user. Here's the breakdown for residential indoor water use in Canada: 35% bathing and showering (5 min shower: 100L, tub bath: 60L)
 * 30% toilet (one flush: 15-19L)
 * 20% laundry (washing machine: 225L)
 * 10% kitchen and drinking (dishwasher: 40L, dishwashing by hand: 35L)
 * 5% cleaning (hand washing with tap running: 8L, brushing teeth with tap running: 10L)

Overall, the five main water uses in Canada are: thermal power, manufacturing, municipal use, agriculture and mining. Re  residential use accounts for 56% of the municipal category .( 7) " || || The history of soap is quite interesting as it is derived from Roman sacrificial mountain, Mt Sapo, where rain would wash fat- from the sacrificed animals- and ashes- from the torches- into the rivers and this solution helped clean the ancient roman's clothes. The basic chemistry of soap is "consisting of a long hydrophobic (water-fearing) hydrocarbon "tail" and a hydrophilic (water loving) anionic "head": CH 3 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 CH 2 COO − or CH 3 (CH 2 ) n COO − ... In studying how soap works, it is useful to consider a general rule of nature: "like dissolves like." The non polar hydrophobic tails of soap are lipophilic ("oil-loving") and so will embed into the grease and oils that help dirt and stains adhere to surfaces. The hydrophilic heads, however, remain surrounded by the water molecules to which they are attracted. As more and more soap molecules embed into a greasy stain, they eventually surround and isolate little particles of the grease and form structures called micelles that are lifted into solution. In a micelle, the tails of the soap molecules are oriented toward and into the grease, while the heads face outward into the water, resulting in an emulsion** of soapy grease particles suspended in the water. With agitation, the micelles are dispersed into the water and removed from the previously dirty surface. In essence, soap molecules partially dissolve the greasy stain to form the emulsion that is kept suspended in water until it can be rinsed away... Although the popularity of soap has declined due to superior detergents, one of the major uses of animal tallow is still for making soap, just as it was in years past. Beyond its cleaning ability, soap has been used in other applications. For example, certain soaps can be mixed with gasoline to produce gelatinous napalm, a substance that combusts more slowly than pure gasoline when ignited or exploded in warfare. Soaps are also used in "canned heat," a commercialized mixture of soap and alcohol that can be ignited and used to cook foods or provide warmth. Overall, soap is a remarkably useful substance, just as it has been for thousands of years."( 6)