What is thermite composed of?

Question

What is thermite composed of?

Answer 1

"A thermite reaction (a type of aluminothermic reaction) is one in which aluminium metal is oxidized by the oxide of another metal, most commonly iron oxide. The name thermite is also used to refer to a mixture of two such chemicals. The products are aluminium oxide, free elemental iron, and a great deal of heat. The reactants are commonly powdered and mixed with a binder to keep the material solid and prevent separation."



"Uses:Thermite reactions have many uses. It was originally used for repair welding in-place such things as locomotive axle-frames where the repair can take place without removing the part from its installed location. Thermite grenades are used in war to destroy sensitive equipment or documents when at imminent risk of capture by the enemy. Thermite grenades and bombs have been used in combat as incendiary devices, able to burn through heavy armor or other fireproof barriers. Thermite can also be used for quickly cutting or welding metal such as rail tracks, without requiring complex or heavy equipment. It also enables infantry to destroy enemy artillery without the use of loud explosive charges and therefore operate with stealth. The mixture has been sold for many years under the trademark name Thermit for use in railroad welding."

Answer 2

Thermite is a chemical used mainly to destroy pipes, file cabinets, and heavy equipment. Thermite is also used for temporary welding, but it has no finesse, and is not very strong. Now the part you've all been waiting for... the formula for it.



Thermite is composed of magnetic iron flakes and aluminum powder. Thermite may be obtained as a manufactured item or may be improvised for use in welding machinery parts together and burning holes in metal structures. The thermite reaction is initiated by strong heat and cannot be directly ignited with a match, lighter, or fuse. These igniters (found later in this file) are high heat reactions that are capable of producing the heat needed to set off the

thermite reaction.



Thermite is very safe to handle and transport because of its high ignition temperature. It burns well in cold and windy weather. Thermite will penetrate a sealed container and then ignite the contents. It may be easily

improvised if aluminum and magnetic iron flakes of the appropriate size can be found.





My Experiment:





Here's something weird I discovered while playing with my torch. I had a little chunk of flint about 1" long, and 3/16" wide, and wondered what would happen if I heated it up with my torch. Would it make thousands of small sparks, or one big spark? So I tried it out. I heated up the tip of the flint with the torch until it glowed red. I removed the flame thinking the stick of flint would cool off, when to my surprise, it glowed brighter and brighter, and the heat spread. Pretty soon the flint was melting, and about to drip onto the floor, so I tried to blow it out. When that didn't work, I took a spray bottle full of water, and threw water on it to extinguish it. after it dried off, I could see the silvery flint turned a rusty color.

Unlike those "flameless" lighters, that you can still see a faint flame, I could see no flame at all in this experiment, only a spreading glowing red.



Actually this is very easy to explain:



The flints are composed of cerium and iron oxide. Using your torch, you achieve the ignition temperature of this "thermite" composition and it continues to burn w/o the need for additional energy (heat). It is a very exothermic (i.e.: creates heat) process and will continue until there is no more iron oxide or cerium left over. All that is left over is a white ash product.



Another thermite composition is aluminum and iron oxide. This requires a pretty high ignition temperature of a few thousand degrees Celsius. However, using Mg ribbon or powder, this is easily achieved. Once this reaction is started, there is almost no way to extinguish it (with the exception of maybe gobs of sand). Water will NOT extinguish the fire! The resulting heat will melt through almost anything made of metal. Try it (using small amounts) and place this mixture across two 3/16" strips of iron.



After the thermite reaction is over, examine the iron. You will find that they are welded together! If you use a large enough amount, you can burn through a huge chunk of iron (like a V-8 block) with ease. If you try it, PLEASE do be careful, tho. In WW2, Germans used Thermite to weld railroad tracks together.



The reaction that takes place is a so-called Red-Ox reaction. This holds true because the reaction, that takes place, is dual action. A reduction and an oxidation takes place (which is also where the name "red-ox" comes from) at the same time.



2AL+Fe²O³->AL²O³+2Fe (for the true thermite reaction)



Following the electronegativity rules, this works out to:



Reduction: 2Fe3(+) + 6e(-) -> 2Fe

Oxidation: 2Al -> 2Al3(+) + 6e(-)



For the flints, the chemical equations would be:



2Ce+Fe²O³->Ce²O³+2Fe



Reduction: 2Fe3(+) + 6e(-) -> 2Fe

Oxidation: 2Ce -> 2Ce3(+) + 6e(-)



I forgot to mention (in case you want to try the true Thermite) the weight (!) ratio is 1:3 for aluminum vs. iron oxide. This is a very hefty reaction. The reason why the flints simply "glow" and do not throw a shower of sparks, like the true Thermite, is (more than likely) because the mixture is not chemically "proper". In other words, the mixture ratio of cerium to iron oxide is not 1:3, but rather some other ratio. For their normal

use (to make sparks), this isn´t necessary and as cerium is a rare element, it makes for cheaper production, not using too much of this in the flints.





I hope this helps....



Don

Answer 3

"ther" is from the Greek for temperature. "mite" is a small, irritating pest.. So, thermite must be a hot little insect?