Burn magnesium strips?

Question

Is there any way to burn a magnesium strip without using a bunsen burner?

ie using household products

(No - i'm not thinking of doing it, I just need to know for a project on magnesium)

Answer 1

I read somewhere liquid bromine might ignite it. Magnesium will probably burn in a chlorine or fluorine atmosphere, even though there is no oxygen. Instead of Magnesium oxide forming, the products are MgCl2 and MgF2, but the reaction produces heat and light like ordinary combustion. The color of the flame might be different however.

One other way to ignite aluminum is to use an electrical fuse. A tiny piece of wire heats up and will ignite the Magnesium when current is applied.

Magnesium ribbons are often used to start the thermite reaction. This unstoppable oxidation reaction generates tremendous amounts of heat and is used by welders and spies.

Answer 2

Take it from a professional pyromaniac: you can light magnesium strips with a match or lighter.  I used to do it all the time.  You just have to fray the end of it into very fine strips with a pair of scissors or knife.  A hotter flame of course helps, so if you can get one of those little windproof torch lighters, it will light easier.  But fray that end!

Answer 3

I used to ignite magnesium using a CO2 laser, but that's not a household product (if it is, you have a very cool house!)  Magnesium is very interesting because it can actually burn in CO2 once ignited - very few things can.  NASA is considering using magnesium as a fuel on the surface of Mars since the atmosphere of Mars is 95% CO2.  

To ignite magnesium, you need a very high temperature.  I've tried just using a match, but that usually isn't hot enough.

If I remember right, I was able to get some magnesium to burn by lighting a pool of alcohol on fire around the magnesium particle, but it only partially burned.  It is very difficult to keep solid magnesium burning because it will form a magnesium oxide shell around the particle which quenches the flame.