The smell of sparklers mixed with the sound of “oohs” from a Faraday Hall audience as a tiny volcano shot flames toward the ceiling of one classroom.

As the last glowing embers from the volcano faded, the lights in the room revealed a large pile of gray ash, to which the audience responded with more “oohs.”

The volcano demonstrated the process that converts carcinogens into helpful nutrients for diabetics to more than 100 people attending the Evening of Chemistry Demonstrations Wednesday night in Faraday Hall.

“The whole show was explosive and really fun,” said Leeann Wenskunas, a cook from Grant Towers. “I might have to bring more [people] with me next time.”

The chemistry department has done the show each semester for five years. This show was themed “health and wellness.”

In one experiment, demonstrators dropped bits of french fries and fried chicken into a chemical-filled, heated tube, making the room smell of barbecue.

The caloric-intake experiment – or the “Atkins diet experiment,” as chemistry club adviser Dave VBallantine called it – showed the process that determines the amount of energy in foods.

A piece of candy corn in the same experiment was dropped to the bottom of the tube and it burst into flames. Clear goo spewed from the tube and onto the table.

“The caloric intake experiment was my favorite,” said biochemistry graduate student Jim Cary. “I think that it takes things that are taken for granted and makes them more fascinating. It is educational entertainment.”

Another experiment used a brick of dry ice with metallic shavings on top. The shavings were set on fire and another brick of dry ice was placed on top. It then emanated a blinding light.

Demonstrators lit a bucket of soap and glycerine on fire.

Soapy suds were thrown into the air and touched with a flaming candlewick attached to a stick, creating bursts of flames.

After the show, demonstrators made a nitrous ice cream treat for attendees.

For one, the demonstration was more than flames, goo and ice cream.

“The best part for me is getting grad students and undergrad students together,” Ballantine said. “It is more than just chemistry, it is a dramatic performance. We are promoting it as ‘chemistry is fun.’”