Thread: Snow turning black with flame

There has been a lot of information and videos posted about Snow in the U.s turning black when a lighter is put to the snow. When the snow was put to a lit lighter, it turned black and nearly didn't lose any volume, similar to not melting, as well as giving off a smell similar to burning plastic [Unpleasant]. The response has been widely spread as the result of chem trails being sprayed in our sky. Is this a man made affect or is this a natural occurrence in which the snow is reacting to the lighter's butane? Or is it something different altogether?

Chemtrails are conspiracy theorist nonsense.
Try this link for science.

Originally Posted by spirtboymad1

Is this a man made affect

Yes, fake videos are man-made.

Originally Posted by Dywyddyr

Chemtrails are conspiracy theorist nonsense.
Try this link for science.

Good link, which explains it all nicely.

These people should real experiments. Take two handfuls of compressed snow.

Try the lighter/ flame based melting approach.
While the other handful is put into the microwave for 60 seconds.

Compare the two outcomes.

Job done.

Originally Posted by Dywyddyr

Try this link for science.

I despair at the morons who replied to that web-page.
They think that a lit match or a candle is not going to produce any soot.
(Maybe they have never been trusted with matches.)

But let's just wait until summer and see if there is still white plastic snow all over the country.
Or maybe we will see "Acid Rain Washes Away Plastic Snow!" headlines.

Well, The Sport had "B52 Bomber Found On Moon!" followed a week later by "B52 Bomber Disappears From Moon!" (with a nice picture of the moon's surface sans B52).
So, I guess anything is possible.

Originally Posted by RedPanda

I despair at the morons who replied to that web-page.

Morons such as these were the reason behind this spEak You're bRanes sadly now defunct website. These guys were comedy genius it's just a shame they stopped updating it...

They think that a lit match or a candle is not going to produce any soot.

Oh dear.

Originally Posted by RedPanda

Originally Posted by Dywyddyr

Try this link for science.

I despair at the morons who replied to that web-page.
They think that a lit match or a candle is not going to produce any soot.
(Maybe they have never been trusted with matches.)

What components in lighter fluid would produce soot? I understood it was pure butane. That would produce water and carbon dioxide only. What am I missing?

It would produce CO2 and water if combustion was complete, but this is unlikely, remember burning methane in a bunsen burner, if the air collar is closed the flame is yellow, this is incomplete combustion (the yellow colour is partly caused by electronic transitions in carbon fragments), the flame of butane lighters is often this yellow colour indicating incomplete combustion and hence you would expect some soot. If the combustion was complete the flame would be a blue-ish colour (again remember a bunsen burner flame with the air collar fully open).

Thank you PhDemon. My classroom chemistry is almost a half century in the past. I'm OK with the geochemistry of silicate melts, but there is not much combustion going on in those.

There is so much confusion out there about conspiracies and scientific break troughs that no one knows what is real anymore. You think you have found an authentic source and it turns out to be flawed. Soon Google itself will be unreliable if it not already is.

Originally Posted by Stargate

There is so much confusion out there about conspiracies and scientific break troughs that no one knows what is real anymore.

Not true, anyone who has studied science can spot the conspiracies and nonsense quite easily.

Originally Posted by Stargate

You think you have found an authentic source and it turns out to be flawed. Soon Google itself will be unreliable if it not already is.

You can't blame Google, you need to do your research, think critically and not just believe the first thing you read if you want to sort the crap from the reliable information. This is something you need a lot of practice at

Originally Posted by PhDemon

Originally Posted by Stargate

There is so much confusion out there about conspiracies and scientific break troughs that no one knows what is real anymore.

Not true, anyone who has studied science can spot the conspiracies and nonsense quite easily.

Originally Posted by Stargate

You think you have found an authentic source and it turns out to be flawed. Soon Google itself will be unreliable if it not already is.

You can't blame Google, you need to do your research, think critically and not just believe the first thing you read if you want to sort the crap from the reliable information. This is something you need a lot of practice at

Exactly - you beat me to the punch.

Wouldn't there be soot in a lighter's flame? Why shouldn't that soot gather on the surface of the snow? Or am I misunderstanding the issue?

Originally Posted by kojax

Wouldn't there be soot in a lighter's flame?

Correct.

Originally Posted by kojax

Why shouldn't that soot gather on the surface of the snow?

It should.

Originally Posted by kojax

Or am I misunderstanding the issue?

I think you are understanding reality correctly; the issue is due to other people not.

Originally Posted by PhDemon

Originally Posted by Stargate

There is so much confusion out there about conspiracies and scientific break troughs that no one knows what is real anymore.

Not true, anyone who has studied science can spot the conspiracies and nonsense quite easily.

Originally Posted by Stargate

You think you have found an authentic source and it turns out to be flawed. Soon Google itself will be unreliable if it not already is.

You can't blame Google, you need to do your research, think critically and not just believe the first thing you read if you want to sort the crap from the reliable information. This is something you need a lot of practice at

and if you're still not sure come to a science forum like this. you'll soon be not not sure anymore. :-)

Silly Americans, you don't have snow. That's just salt falling from the sky.

pffft... winter wanna be's

Originally Posted by PhDemon

Originally Posted by Stargate

There is so much confusion out there about conspiracies and scientific break troughs that no one knows what is real anymore.

Not true, anyone who has studied science can spot the conspiracies and nonsense quite easily.

Originally Posted by Stargate

You think you have found an authentic source and it turns out to be flawed. Soon Google itself will be unreliable if it not already is.

You can't blame Google, you need to do your research, think critically and not just believe the first thing you read if you want to sort the crap from the reliable information. This is something you need a lot of practice at

Google is terrible and awesome at the same time. It's really unfortunate how many crank sites can appear on the first page of a search. While most of us on here can distinguish credible sources, many people who aren't educated don't do so well (and sadly even a few who are educated).