Canned Heat - Colorful Flaming Gel

When ethanol is poured into a saturated solution of calcium acetate, a gel immediately forms. Spoonfuls of the gel are scooped out and placed on watch glasses. Lithium chloride, sodium chloride, and boric acid are sprinkled over the gel, then the gel is set on fire. As the flame burns, different colors are emitted. Iron filings can also be sprinkled over the flame to see "firework-like" gold sparks.
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[@ishanr8697]

Got canned heat in ma heels tonight baby!

[@wernervanderstraten]

Nice one. Now how is calcium acetate made?

[@SusanSchmidt-fr9ym]

I once made it when I was starting my teaching career by mixing excess Ca(OH)2 and vinegar. This produces water and Ca(C2H3O2)2 but you have to boil it down until it's dry. Time and energy intensive, and it wasn't very pure. Easier to just order it from a chemical company.

[@puffinjuice]

Cool. I wish you explained more about the gel and the constituents of the gel. What are the properties of each chemical by themselves? Why do they gelatinize when they are mixed together? I feel like a lot of the interesting science was omitted from the video.