Hooked on science: Burning money

It's that time of the year when money may be burning a hole in your pocket. Did you know you can actually burn money without damaging it? A few materials from around the house that will protect your money from fire. Adult supervision is recommended for this experiment.

Materials

* Cup of water

* Cup of rubbing alcohol

* $1 bill

* Tongs

* Grill lighter

Instructions

STEP 1: Mix the 1 cup of water with the 1 cup of rubbing alcohol.

STEP 2: Using the tongs, dip the $1 bill into the water and rubbing alcohol mixture for 30 seconds.

STEP 3: Holding the $1 bill with the tongs, use the grill lighter to ignite the bill. Make sure you keep the fire away from the water and rubbing alcohol mixture.

STEP 4: Allow the $1 bill to burn for about 10 seconds.

Explanation

Combustion, or burning, occurs between the alcohol and oxygen. The rubbing alcohol is what burns when you ignite the dollar bill. The temperature at which alcohol burns is not hot enough to evaporate the water, therefore the dollar bill remains wet and does not catch on fire. Water is good at absorbing heat without increasing in temperature.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.