1. By: Christian Young and Daniel Zalivchii
Firefighters
By: Christian Young and Daniel Zalivchii

2. Purpose of the Project Create a paint that is cheap, but effective
Safe for young children
Persuade people to use fire retardant paint
Reduce the amount of fires and money lost in the US.

3. Statistics
In the year 2012 a total of 480,500 structure fires were reported
These fires caused a total loss of $1.1 billion dollars
300 civilian deaths and 800 civilian injuries occurred
If fire retardant paint was used more often in homes, then almost all of these statistics would change. The amount of money lost would decrease every year if people only used fire retardant paint in there homes. Since paint covers all the walls in a house, a retardant paint would help by giving more time for escaping victims.

4. Hypothesis
Hypothesis: If Baking Soda is used as a chemical additive the amount of time it takes for the flame to go out will be the shortest. We predicted that the baking soda was going to be the most effective chemical for retarding fires, because it is a main component in dry chemical fire extinguishers. Baking Soda also contains carbon, which has the highest melting point of all elements.

5. Materials Borax Baking Soda Interior White Paint
“1 Inch” Cardboard Squares
Scissors
Plastic Cups
Mixing Spoon
Lighter
Timer

6. Procedure We took 3 cups and fill each with 50 ml of paint
Then we set one cup aside to serve as the control of the experiment
After that we measure and mixed in 7.5 ml of borax into the second cup
We repeat step four except using baking soda
Next we cut a total of nine 1 inch squares of cardboard using scissors
Three squares were painted with the regular paint, three with the “borax” paint, and three with the “baking soda” paint
Half of every square was painted on the front and back
This paint was let to dry for the specified time on the can of paint
After drying, we tested each square by lighting the bare area of the cardboard
The stopwatch was used to record how long it takes for the flame to go out

7. Elements of a fire
To make a fire 3 things are needed of the right mixture:
Oxygen
Fuel
Heat
If a single element is removed the fire will be extinguished.
Water reduces the heat
Fire Blankets remove the oxygen or oxidizing agent

8. Borax (Sodium Borate) Characteristics
soft, colorless crystalline, solid clumps
Formula: Na₂B₄O₇·10H₂O
Mineral
Used in fireproofing cloth and wood
Fairly Inexpensive

9. Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
Characteristics
white odorless, crystalline chemical compound
Formula: NaHCO₃
when baking soda is heated above 50 degrees Celsius it releases CO2
Causes fires to go out by covering them
with CO2, which is heavier than air

10. Safety Precautions
Borax: Little risk, but still effects on the skin, eyes, and internal system.(Irritant)
Note: Reactive with reducing agents.
Baking Soda: Little risk, but still effects on the skin, eyes, and internal system.(Irritant)
Note: Dangerous reaction with monoammonium phosphate or a sodium-potassium alloy

11. Observations Chemical Baking Soda Borax
Painted area doesn't undergo any physical changes
Painted area becomes crisp and slightly browns
Contact causes flame to extinguish rapidly
One of the painted cardboard pieces turned yellow and started to bend

12. Conclusions
From experimentation we concluded that baking soda worked the best out of the two chemicals for making fire retardant paint. Borax was also very effective, but would have been better if the chemical was mixed in better (clumping).

13. Any questions ?

14. Works Cited
"Fires in the U.S." Fires in the U.S. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan "Dry Chemical Extinguishers." Dry Chemical Extinguishers. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan "What Is Borax?" About.com Chemistry. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan "How Do Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers Work?“ HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan "How to Make Cloth Fireproof." WikiHow. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan