Testing The Presence of Oxygen | Glowing Splint

 Glowing Splint Experiment

Aim: To carry out a test for the presence of oxygen gas.

Equipment: A pea-sized amount of manganese dioxide, boiling tube, a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, safety glasses, wooden splint, Bunsen burner, test tube rack.

Method: 1. Light your Bunsen burner.

               2. Add the manganese dioxide to the boiling tube and place it in your test tube rack.

               3. Add 2ml of hydrogen peroxide.

               4. Light a splint and let it burn for a while.

               5. Blow the splint out and insert the glowing embers into the mouth of the boiling tube.

Observation: When putting out the fire on the splint I made sure there was still some of it glowing from the burning of the wood, and then I made sure there was smoke coming from the reaction of the manganese dioxide and hydrogen dioxide, the smoke is the oxygen dioxide. When I inserted the glowing splint from the mouth of the test tube it then burns the splint even more and it started a flame just like the photo above. I was repeating the process of putting the splint inside the rack because it was pretty satisfying and addictive.