[Mad Scientist]

This is one of these don't try this at home experiments but if your in a lab try pouring a test tube full of water over oil thats on fire. Its well fun. If you've never seen it you get a massive fireball due to the rapid exspansion of air inside the oil. Good times.:D

[TheJames]

Why do people say don't try this at home because as soon as you do you want to try it at home.

Like dropping mentos in coke when the bottle has been surrounded with plastic explosives. .

[ercdndrs]

Since when do fountains of fizzing coke cause insensitive explosives to detonate?

I'm a bit confused as to what you mean..

[DrP]

Mad Scientist said:

This is one of these don't try this at home experiments but if your in a lab try pouring a test tube full of water over oil thats on fire. Its well fun. If you've never seen it you get a massive fireball due to the rapid exspansion of air inside the oil. Good times.:D

Pretty sure that this isn't anything to do with expansion of air. It is because the oil is burning at WAY above the boiling point of water so the water turns to gas very quickly and expands/explodes outwardly rather violently taking the burning oil with it. Telling people to try it in their lab is really dumb advise, even if you had given them a list of safety precurtions that they should take - which you haven't.

If I saw you doing something as stupid as that in my lab I would not let back in - ever.

[Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed]

A far safer fireball is to light a splint, keeping it around 2cm off the floor (using a stand and clamp for example). Then sprinkle dried (fine) powdered milk onto it. The flame leaps up throught particles of dried milk, resulting in a fireball.

[ewmon]

I agree with DrP. Never play with burning fuel. This dangerous experiment also violates one of the prime rules of mixing two liquids:

Quote

Pour the more dangerous liquid into the less dangerous liquid.

And ceribethlem describes what's basically tantamount to "dust explosions", which are also dangerous.

These dangerous acts are a lousy way to get your name in the obituaries.