squeezing an orange /orange peel against a balloon can make the balloon burst suddenly. Many video versions of this small experiment can be found on the Internet, and people always want to try it after watching it:

however, friends who have tried may feel that the success rate of this small experiment is actually a little bit …... Erratic. Sometimes it will be very smooth, even just peeling an orange next to the balloon will suddenly burst, and sometimes the balloon may not burst even if it is squeezed for a long time. How can this experiment be easier to succeed? Today I would like to share some personal feelings.

first play a video we shot:

the choice of ① peel

the key to destroying the balloon in this experiment is the volatile oil in the peel of citrus fruits. These volatile oils contain non-polar small molecules that can act as organic solvents and infiltrate between the same non-polar rubber molecules, destroying the structure of the balloon membrane. In order to achieve this goal, we must first ensure that a sufficient amount of volatile oil is squeezed out.

theoretically, all citrus fruits, whether oranges, oranges, grapefruit or lemons, should be able to squeeze the volatile oil out of the peel, but which peel will affect the squeezing effect.

the choice I personally do not recommend is orange, mainly because the orange skin is thin and easy to break. Our action of squeezing the pericarp is generally like the following picture, by bending to put continuous pressure on the pericarp, only by keeping it bent without breaking can we squeeze out more volatile oil. Orange peel will be easier to squeeze.

(picture from: fyfluiddynamics)

in addition, the freshness of the fruit is also more important. The more fresh and full the skin is, the easier it is to squeeze.

the choice of ② balloons

different types of balloons feel the success rate of explosion is obviously different, of which the easiest to succeed is the following small balloons:

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I think the main reason is that this kind of balloon membrane is relatively thin, and does not need to blow a lot of air to achieve a high tension state, so it is easy to break.

and some balloons are difficult to break with orange peels. On the one hand, the reason may be that the balloon film is thick. After all, the amount of volatile oil in the orange peel is not much, which may not be enough to destroy the thick balloon membrane and volatilize away by itself. The other factor is the difference in the material of the balloon. According to popular science blogger Tom Kuntzleman, some balloons are made of natural latex and some vulcanized rubber, while vulcanization creates cross-linking between rubber molecular chains, making the rubber membrane stronger and insoluble.

(vulcanization creates cross-linking between rubber chains)

feels that the differences in these balloons actually reflect different product design ideas. The above small balloon called "Happy Ball" is often used to play with it (or throw it with water), maybe the user itself wants to break it, so the manufacturer also makes it easier to break. And many other balloons used for decoration want to keep the shape for a long time, so it will be thicker.

in short, if you want to try this experiment, it is recommended to choose fresh and full orange peel (lemon and grapefruit I have not tried, you can also try if you are interested), and the small balloon in the picture, the success rate will be higher. If you squeeze the orange peel oil on your hand and touch the balloon for a while, you can achieve the same effect. In addition to the noise is a little loud, the overall is still relatively safe and interesting small experiments, do not rest assured that you can wear goggles.