Video: Teenage rebellion takes many forms. Some of us get dumb haircuts or listen to some truly terrible music. But for the amateur scientist, breaking your mother’s heart* involves diethyl ether and the family pool.
The thing about deithyl ether is that it’s really, REALLY flammable. And it floats on water. So The Backyard Scientist set out to determine if said fire could lit in a swimming pool, and then be extinguished by liquid nitrogen. Because liquid nitrogen also floats on top of water it creates an oxygen barrier that puts out the raging flames. For a bonus experiment he also attempts the same feat but with dry ice instead of liquid nitrogen. Granted, he also briefly sets his hand of fire in the process.
The Backyard Scientist is not known for doing things in a safe, controlled way. He’s shot homemade bullets into produce without anything to shield his eyes. He probably could have used a bit of welding gear when dropping molten salt into a fish tank. And really, there’s no good reason to add fire to the game of tennis. Please get some safety equipment before you really mess yourself buddy.
*No mum-hearts were harmed in the filming of the video. As with most things on YouTube, apparently this element was staged.