When I was about 11 or 12 if I recall right, my Dad took me to the local pharmacy (chemist). He told the man behind the counter, 'Sam, this is my son. You can sell him anything he wants.' Needless to say my chemistry set was supplemented by many items not in the set sold in the toy department.

When I was young, we lived in a semi-free environment; sadly, those days are long gone. I am afraid if you asked for half the things I bought as a young teen, the police would pick you up before you left the front door.

Still, there is one experiment I did as a show and tell demonstration in, if I recall correctly, about 5th or 6th grade. We were doing a unit on volcanoes, and I bought some ammonium dichromate, (NH₄)₂Cr₂O₇ and magnesium ribbon. I practiced the demonstration at home. Then I prepared the necessary materials and took them to class, where I demonstrated for my teacher and classmates. You might ask your teacher if he or she can do the experiment when you study volcanoes.

In this demonstration you will need a heat resistant base, the ammonium dichromate, magnesium ribbon or some other way to light the orange crystals, and a source of flame (matches, lighter, etc.) You will want to do it in a well-ventilated room and have a fire extinguisher nearby. When I was young, we were naïve about these things, but today I would recommend that.

Place about a tablespoonful of the crystals on the heat resistant pad. Then, put about 10 cm or 4 inches of the ribbon or other fuse in the middle of the pile of crystals and light it.

Once the crystals get hot, they will start to burn and look like a volcano. You will see sparks and red heat in the middle of the mass. Then, a large amount of greenish ash will form and look like a volcano erupting. There will also be steam so be careful, and nitrogen gas.

Unless you are older or have experience in chemistry, I do not recommend you try it at home yourself. Get help from someone who knows how to do it safely, like an adult or older brother, sister or friend.

Of course, you could just ask your teacher to do it in class!

Science is fun, but if you do not follow the safety rules, you can be like many famous scientists, who died from their own experiments!