Who Asked: Lauren
NaNo-novel: Ten Indians and Some Kerosene: A Mystery
Answer: I know this is probably going to be disappointing, but the answer is not much. The “Drying of Fuels” article asserts that kerosene can be concentrated by running an electrical current through it to remove water. But if you are hoping for something dramatic, like an explosion, then electricity is not the way to go.
Why is that? Elementary Chemistry says, “Under ordinary circumstances electricity does not travel through the air. To go from one point to another on a circuit, it must have a conductor through which to pass. Such conductors are likely to be metals like copper or solutions of inorganic compounds like sulfuric acid. Non-conductors are likely to be non-metals like sulfur or organic liquids like kerosene.” Several of the articles I looked at recommended dipping lab equipment in kerosene before using them in experiments involving electricity to ensure better results.
Kerosene seems to be a relatively safe substance. It is actually used as a packing material to transport less stable substances. Wikipedia says, “Since kerosene is chemically stable, it is used to store substances with redox tendencies within to prevent unwanted reactions, such as alkali metals. Kerosene is also used in the packaging and storage of white phosphorus to prevent immediate combustion on contact with oxygen.”
Yet, we are talking about a substance that is a petroleum fraction that Elementary Chemistry places on a chart right between gasoline and jet fuel. Why, then, do you need to be worried about going in and out of your car (thus creating static electricity) at the pump? Two reasons: one, fumes are a lot easier to ignite. The “Static Electricity” article says, “Kerosene for example may have a flash point in excess of 70 Degrees Celsius, but can be ignited at room temperature with a low-energy spark,” when in the form of a vapor. Two, you have to have some kind of a spark.
Add in that spark, that single bit of fire, and you can get the explosive results you are looking for. The title of your book is intriguing. I hope it is going well!
Thanks for playing Stump the Librarian!
Amber
Web Resources
- Kerosene article on Wikipedia
(Please remember that anyone can add to or edit a Wikipedia article.) - Static Electricity
Print Resources
- Elementary Chemistry by Hollis Godfrey
- Chemistry by Zumdahl
- Journal Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils, “The Drying of Fuels in a Constant-Current Electrical Field” by P. S. Deineko, M. M. Kukovitskii, P. M. Nedogrei, N. M. Taimolkin, V. I. Gordienko, and A. B. Glozman
