Making a chemically powered car

[chucked]

Well i am making a chemically powered car for a project in engineering. What all its really gonna do is when you mix the chemicals, the exhaust given off needs to be forceful enough to move the car (which will be the size of a shoebox) Anyone know what kind if chemicals I can use? It can give off nothing more then water and gas as a reactant, and the gas cannot be toxic. I have a feeling everyone is going to be using baking soda and vinegar.

[blondie69]

There's some type of magnesium chloride or something like that, that u put in water I believe? And it lets off heat and gas and the lil pieces of magnesium chloride like catches on fire. Maybe u can use something like that? I dunno:confused: Just think of a way to use the heat and gasses distributed from the magnesium chloride and try to store it in a way to push the lil car? I dunno. You'd need to take a lil time to think on that.

But don't do Vinegar & baking soda is just so unoriginal, IMO puts a real shame to chemistry class :(

I always liked the experiments in chem...like 1 time we put a gummy bear in something and it like disinigrated or caught on fire or something I can't remember haha.

[blondie69]

I was just thinkin for the MgCl thing...what you could do is gear up a bottle with a cork on the top, and have water in it, drop a lil cube of MgCl in it (consult your chem teacher 1st..cuz you only need a small pieces, ask him how big), then as soon as u put the MgCl in it, put the cork on, and put it on its side, and when there's enough gas built up, it would pop the cork out and maybe give enough force to move the car? Well if it was up against a wall, and when the cork were to pop out, it'd push the car cuz of the momentum. I'm not sure:confused:

[chucked]

well what i shoudl have said before is that we have to make the car go a certain (currently unknown) distance, and a certain amount of water. They will tell us the distance and water amt, and then we will have 1 hr to make the run.

[blondie69]

Oooooh hmmmm....that may be a bit more tricky:huh

[MY450R]

use sodium or potassium in water and see what'll happen:devil:
i garuntee that car will move very fast

[MY450R]

actually that may work but please ask your teacher about these materials for they may be to dangerous
if you could contain the chem reaction and then discharge i somehow
or if that doesnt work use CO2 that will get your car moving
yeah get a co2 cartridge and use that

[JDiablo]

chlorine and rubbing alcholol:devil: o wait can't be toxic:( ahh nevermind then

[chucked]

Originally posted by MY450R
actually that may work but please ask your teacher about these materials for they may be to dangerous
if you could contain the chem reaction and then discharge i somehow
or if that doesnt work use CO2 that will get your car moving
yeah get a co2 cartridge and use that

well there has to be a chemical reaction... and I need to control the distance the car goes at least somewhat!

[blondie69]

Originally posted by chucked
well there has to be a chemical reaction... and I need to control the distance the car goes at least somewhat!


Lmao!! Then what's the fun in that!?:devil:

[I-7]

Gas... and fire



actually nah... that will just torch your project :(


I used co2 before and I think potassium and sodium carbonate have some sort of reaction

[chucked]

Originally posted by I-7
Gas... and fire

haha yea that is a chemical reaction, but the reaction must NOT be dangerous, i have had some great ideas but there was a good chance someone(or something) was going to die if i did them....

[JDiablo]

Originally posted by I-7
Gas... and fire

the gas would have to be under some sort of pressure for it to give any force out,otherwise you will just light the car on fire

anyway it cant be dangerous

[blondie69]

Then if gas and fire is out of the question...then what about propane and fire?:blah:

[Screamin440]

Have you thought about using a small turbine on an axle? I'm not sure which would be more efficient, simply using the gas to push the car or using the gas to turn the turbine.

[I-7]

Or methane and oxygen :p

[chucked]

Originally posted by blondie69
Then if gas and fire is out of the question...then what about propane and fire?:blah:

wtf are you blonde or something???? o yea, you are! HAHA!

[chucked]

Originally posted by Screamin440
Have you thought about using a small turbine on an axle? I'm not sure which would be more efficient, simply using the gas to push the car or using the gas to turn the turbine.

O YEA! one more thing, we have to keep it cheap. so that would be inefficient costwise

[blondie69]

Originally posted by chucked
wtf are you blonde or something???? o yea, you are! HAHA!


Hey now, that was uncalled for:o

And please note that the little :blah: face meant I was joking around.:rolleyes:

[Screamin440]

Originally posted by chucked
O YEA! one more thing, we have to keep it cheap. so that would be inefficient costwise

Why? You can make a small turbine by cutting up a coke can and turning vanes into it.

[lil400exman]

what about this. make a axle with a little paddle system in the center (designed after a paddle on a steamboat) then push the chemical in some sort of funnel or channel it out to the paddle. There that was simple.:D also very efficent and almost no energy lost in transfer.:o you can email for more ideas and pics.

[chucked]

Originally posted by Screamin440
Why? You can make a small turbine by cutting up a coke can and turning vanes into it.

we have to include labor to!

[chucked]

the design is not the problem, I have a few plans for that, but i just dont know what kind of chemicals I can use that will get a reaction like the one i need.