When we tried wetting the test 0 with methanol it didn't work very well, presumably because some of the methanol remained behind.
But when we dissolved the same mix in water there was likely water left behind, but that worked great.
But methanol burns well and water...doesn't. So what's going on?
We decided to test the effect of KNO3 on three flammable liquids: hand sanitizer (an alcohol gel), glycerine, and paraffin. For each we prepared a 5cmx5cm square of paper, 4g of fuel, and (for half of them) 8g of oxidizer.
| 4g of.. | no oxidizer | plus 8g KNO,3 |
|---|---|---|
| Sanitizer | Test 5a Burned with invisible flame, paper burned where dry | Test 5b Gel burned, but KNO3 did not |
| Glycerine | Test 6a Burned smoothly | Test 6b Burned faster, with sizzling bits |
| Paraffin | Test 7a Burned like a candle | Test 7b Burned like a sputtering candle |
The glycerine seemed to burn better with the KNO3 but the others did not.