Using a Bunsen Burner

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

With the air hole closed a Bunsen gives a luminous yellow safety flame, visible and cool. Opening it gives a roaring blue flame that is hotter and much harder to see — which is exactly why you close the hole whenever the burner is not in use.

Key words

safety flame
The luminous yellow Bunsen flame, produced with the air hole closed.
roaring flame
The hot blue Bunsen flame produced with the air hole fully open.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

Bunsen burner
heatproof mat
beaker
thermometer
tripod
gauze
stopwatch

Get ready

⚠️ Safety first

Light the splint before turning on the gas, and close the air hole the moment you finish heating.
Tie back long hair, tuck in loose sleeves, and never leave a lit burner unattended.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "safety flame" and "roaring flame" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Light a Bunsen correctly, then compare the two flames by timing how long each takes to bring 100 cm³ of water to 40 °C. Record both times and the appearance of each flame.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

The safety flame is produced when the air hole is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

The blue roaring flame is dangerous partly because it is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Accurate Measurement of Volume and Mass All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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