The fireworks from the tangerine
Tropical fruits are a delicious change at any time of the year. But you can do something very special with their bowls. These contain essential oils and if they come into a flame, the sparks will fly.
 | Since this experiment includes fire, young scientists should not do this without their parents! |
 | The essential oils from the fruits are highly flammable! Be aware that you will also have these oils on your fingers when you squeeze the skins of the fruits. This means your fingers will also become highly flammable until you wash your hands. Keep therefore at all times a save distance between your fingers (and everything that came into contact with the essential oils) and the flame! |
Materials you need for this experiment:
tangerine | If you have no tangerine at hand, most other tropical fruits with a thick skin will also work |
candle | This will be your small flame you use for the essential oils |
How to do the experiment:
 | Fold the skin of the tangerine so that it becomes thicker and take it between your fingers so that you can press like in the image on the left. |
 | When you squeeze the tangerine skin, the essential oils splash into the flame, creating a shower of sparks. |
Fresh fruits with a lot of essential oils work best. |
Try the skins of different fruits. Which work best? Have fun experimenting!