Have you ever experienced a chip pan fire or other kitchen grease fire? This photograph actually is a simulated chip pan fire, produced as a demonstration. I have to wonder if the simulation was intended to be that spectacular. Also, I bet that fire was pretty intriguing to people passing by the lab outdoors.

Chip pan fires reportedly are the most common cause of house fires in the UK. A chip pan is a deep metal pan filled with oil used to fry chips (french fries). A fire can start if the oil gets too hot and ignites. Overfilling the pan or adding wet chips can cause oil to overflow the pan and catch fire, too. If you add water or wet chips to the pan, the water sinks to the bottom of the pan. The bottom of the pan is hot, so the water vaporizes. The water vapor expands, forcing the oil out of the pan (which can splash you with hot oil even if it doesn't cause a fire).

Back to that photograph... If you feel like setting your own lab on fire by trying the simulation, here's how to set it up. You fill a metal beaker with wax, heat it over a Bunsen burner until it catches fire, then add a little water to the beaker (presumably from a distance). This also goes to show, dramatically, why you don't want to try to put out a grease fire with water.

State of Matter of Fire | Less-Dangerous Fire Projects

January 28^th is Kathleen Yardley Lonsdale's birthday. Lonsdale was a leading figure in the field of crystallography. She began her work in the laboratory of William Bragg developing the techniques of x-ray crystallography. Her early work centered on simple molecules and branched into more complex organic compounds. She was the first to verify the shape of the benzene molecule. She showed the six carbon atoms that make up benzene were laid out in a flat hexagon.

Her later research involved x-ray crystallography of pharmaceuticals and other biochemical compounds. The Royal Society elected her as their first female Fellow in 1945 to honor her work. Find out what else occurred on this day in science history.

Here's a new video showing exactly how to make colored and flavored rock candy or sugar crystals. These are easy crystals to grow, plus you can eat them or use them as swizzle sticks for drinks.

Rock Candy Resources

Basic Sugar Crystal Recipe
Colored & Flavored Rock Candy
Fix Problems Growing Rock Candy
Video - Tips for Growing Rock Candy Crystals
Rock Candy Photo Gallery

You've heard of saturated fats in the context of foods, but do you know what it means for a fat to be saturated? It simply means the fat molecule is fully saturated with hydrogen atoms, so that there are no double bonds between the carbon atoms.

Examples of Saturated Fats

Saturated fats tend to be waxes or greasy solids. Animal fats and some plant fats contain saturated fats and saturated fatty acids. Saturated fats are found in meat, eggs, dairy, coconut oil, cocoa butter and nuts. A saturated fat is made from a triglyceride bonded to saturated fatty acids. Examples of saturated fatty acids include butyric acid in butter, stearic acid (shown) in meat in cocoa butter and palmitic acid in palm oil and cashews. Most fats contain a mixture of fatty acids. For example, you'll find palmitic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid, lauric acid and butyric acid in butter.