- Make sure that you have fine steel wool, thick steel wool does not burn well
- Start fire using a 9V battery, just touch the positive and negative terminals of a 9V battery against the steel wool
Normal iron could burn if it has form of thin wool
Scientific name: Burning of thin iron wires in normal air
Temperatures of steel wool and fire in this experiment could exceed 1,000°C (1800°F). Wear eye protection.
Always follow general safety recommendations. Please note that conducting chemistry experiments you must comply with the relevant legal procedures in your country.
4Fe + 3O2 → 2Fe2O3
In normal conditions iron is not flammable. Thus you cannot ignite a nail. It is because a normal piece of iron has very small surface which is not enough to self-sustain its burning. But steel wool consists of very thin threads which have enough surface area that heat produced is self-sustaining.