Spontaneous Fire
Action:
A few drops of liquid from a medicine dropper fall on a mound of powder, in the center of which a small depression has been made. A violent fire flares up.
You Need:
granulated sugar
powdered potassium chlorate
concentrated sulfuric acid
insulated mat
Why:
Dehydration and oxidation of sugar is accompanied by flames.
How:
Powder the chemicals separately in a mortar. Place equal volumes of the mixed materials in a mound on an insulated mat. When a few drops of acid fall on the mixture, a reaction produces an immediate fire.
Caution:
Page 64 of Chemical Magic, second edition, by Leonard A. Ford. Revised by E. Winston Grundmeier and published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, # 0-486-67628-5.