Recently, edited photos of ‘burning ice’ swarm the Internet. Most of us think that it sure sounds ridiculous. However, making an ice catch fire is extremely easy to do.
What You Will Need
- Ice Cubes (must-have!)
- Ethanol
- Rubbing Alcohol (90% Isopropyl)
- Methanol (optional)
- Boric Acid (optional)
Directions
- Set the ice cubes in any surface that can withstand fire such as a metal pan, Pirex, stoneware, etc.
- Put Ethanol, Rubbing Alcohol or Methanol on top of ice before igniting it with fire. You can also add Boric Acid in order to make green-colored flames. As long as there is alcohol, the ‘burning ice’ effect will continue.
However, if you’re planning to eat the ice, just use Ethanol. Rubbing Alcohol, Boric Acid and Methanol are known to be highly-toxic so I don’t recommend using those. The fire from Methanol is very hot compared to other alcohols so exercise extreme caution when using this one. And as an added security, use food-grade Ethanol as much as possible.
How does this ‘Burning Ice’ Trick Work?
Since alcohol ignites easily and is known to have a lesser density than water, it is somehow considerably lighter. Pouring it on top of water before igniting it will somehow give a ‘burning water’ effect. If you desire, you can also freeze alcohol (alcohol’s freezing point is different than water’s) so you can directly ignite it. However, it is way impossible if you’re planning to consume it.
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