The Thermite Reaction

My AP Chem teacher has talked about this reaction a few times, and he seems quite excited to do the demonstration: the thermite reaction.



The thermite reaction is used for thermite welding (often joining rails) and in hand grenades. It is a highly exothermic redox reaction of iron (III) oxide with aluminum.

Fe₂O₃ + 2 Al → 2 Fe + Al₂O₃

This reaction can reach temperatures as high as 2000 degrees Celsius, higher than the melting point of iron, which is 1535 degrees Celsius.

History and Application

Thermite was discovered in 1893 by the German Hans Goldschmidt. It is sometimes called the "Goldschmidt reaction". It was first applied to railroad tracks in Germany, six years later.

History has an cool video: http://www.history.com/videos/extreme-trains-thermite-welding#extreme-trains-thermite-welding

Thermite was also frequently used for disabling artillery; since it is not explosive, it is particularly handy when a operation must be performed in silence. Both the German and Allied soldiers used thermite in incendiary bombs during WWII air raids to start fires in cities. 

Thanks for reading!