How to make a flying ball

How to make a flying ball

A flying balloon is perfect for any holiday event. Typically, commercial flying balloons are filled with a light, volatile gas such as helium. It is almost impossible to obtain such gas at home without special equipment. But helium is not the only gas that can be used for such purposes. At home, you can easily obtain hydrogen, which is also suitable.
But here it is worth considering that hydrogen is extremely explosive, so it is undesirable to make more than one ball. In general, the entire experiment must be carried out outside the home and in the open air.

Will need


For the experiment we will need:
  • - aluminium foil,
  • - pipe cleaner (Titanium, Mole) - Caution! Alkali!
  • - plastic bottle,
  • - bucket with water,
  • - rubber ball,
  • - funnel,
  • - water,
  • - etc.

Making a flying ball with your own hands


When conducting the experiment, be sure to use rubber gloves and special glasses to protect your eyes!
First of all, roll the kitchen foil into small strips and cut into small pieces. And collect it in a small plastic cup.
How to make a flying ball

We got 7 grams, you can take more foil, the reaction will proceed faster and there will be more hydrogen.
How to make a flying ball

We also take a pipe cleaner (TITANIUM or MOLE) in granules, 19 grams is enough for us. Be careful this is a caustic substance, wear rubber gloves. If you get it on your hands, rinse with plenty of water.
How to make a flying ball

Next, take a plastic bottle, fill it one-third with water, and lower it into a bucket of cold water. For convenience, we take a funnel and pour our aluminum crumbs and pipe cleaner into the bottle, after which we quickly put the ball on the neck of the bottle so as not to release the hydrogen. It is better to insulate the neck of the bottle with electrical tape.
How to make a flying ball

The reaction begins, the balloon is completely inflated in about 15-20 minutes, the plastic bottle is heated and so that it does not melt from overheating, it is dipped into a bucket of cold water.
How to make a flying ball

As a result of the reaction of aluminum, sodium hydroxide and water, sodium tetrahydroxyaluminate and hydrogen are formed, which inflates our balloon.
How to make a flying ball

When the ball is inflated, we squeeze the bottle so that part of the hydrogen from the bottle goes into the ball, twist the tail tighter and remove the electrical tape, after which we remove the ball from the neck.
How to make a flying ball

We rinse the tail with water; if our balloon is not fully inflated, you can inflate it a little like a regular balloon.
How to make a flying ball

We ask someone to hold the ball and tie the tail tightly.
How to make a flying ball

The ball flies very well and will delight you and your children. To prevent the balloon from deflating in half a day, use a gel for flying balloons, for example, “hi float”.
How to make a flying ball

Conclusion


At the end of the experiment, I would like to add that such a ball will descend to the ground after about 6-12 hours of flight. To increase this time, you can use a special gel, which is sprayed in specialized stores that sell such balls.
Be careful: a pipe cleaner (Titanium, Mole) is used to make the ball - this is a caustic alkali, be extremely careful!
Also, do not bring the inflated balloon close to the fire. Otherwise, the hydrogen in the ball will make a loud bang.

Watch the video


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Comments (7)
  1. Mister X
    #1 Mister X Guests September 17, 2018 10:20
    2
    Did the bottle melt? Where does she float??? Down the river?
    1. EN
      #2 EN Guests 11 April 2019 12:21
      1
      The author generally has problems with wording.
  2. Ivan
    #3 Ivan Guests 22 July 2019 20:18
    2
    It turns out to be a flammable ball.
  3. Engineer
    #4 Engineer Guests 15 January 2020 14:45
    0
    If you get it on your hands, rinse with plenty of water.

    God forbid, rinse with water, it will only make things worse! Only neutralize with vinegar or lemon!
  4. bbbt
    #5 bbbt Guests 8 August 2021 22:03
    1
    fill the balloons with hydrogen and give them to the children... a normal topic if the children are tired. At the same time, burn down the house so as not to pay utilities...
  5. SD
    #6 SD Guests 1 July 2022 19:10
    0
    For general development. Na3[Al(OH)6] - a “normal product” or if there is little alkali Na2[Al(OH)4(H2O)2]

    and you need to insert cotton wool into the bottle so that the alkali does not get into the ball, otherwise the ball will quickly deteriorate and when it explodes it can splash your eyes