Skip to main content
This media resource contains experiments that may require adult supervision.

Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguisher

Posted 
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume.
Hand tips jug of white foam above a birthday cake with lit candle as another man watches
Elliot and the Surfing Scientist: Carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguisher

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  9–10


Different types of chemical reactions are used in many everyday products.

Watch this clip to see how two common household substances can be combined to create an 'Invisible Candle Extinguisher'.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What can happen when two chemicals react with one another? Can you think of a chemical reaction that results in the production of a gas?
  2. 2.Watch to see which two substances are combined to create the chemical reaction. A key difference between carbon dioxide (CO2) and air is explained in the clip. What is it? How does it relate to the way the Invisible Candle Extinguisher to works? Something is added to the jug before the second experiment (candles in the beakers) is done. What is added and why?
  3. 3.The Surfing Scientists says that his Invisible Candle Extinguisher 'starves' the candles to make them go out. What does he mean? Can you write a word equation for the chemical reaction in the clip? Hint: include the reactants and the product.
  4. 4.Do an internet search to find out how a real carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguisher works. Does the Invisible Fire Extinguisher in the clip provide a good model for how a real one works? How is it similar? How is it different?


Production Date: 2008


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Posted