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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!siemens!gypsy!rosen
From: rosen@gypsy.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sci
Subject: Lemon Peel Phenomenon
Message-ID: <53000001@gypsy.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 24-Mar-86 11:19:00 EST
Article-I.D.: gypsy.53000001
Posted: Mon Mar 24 11:19:00 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Mar-86 02:41:48 EST
Lines: 34
Nf-ID: #N:gypsy:53000001:000:1399
Nf-From: gypsy!rosen    Mar 24 11:19:00 1986



A friend of mine showed me a little trick while we were out at a resaurant
and I was wondering if someone who reads this group could provide an
explaination.  It was quite interesting.

My friend took a slice of lemon (a wedge) and cut away the pulp or meat of
the lemon leaving only the rind.  He then lit a match and proceded to
squeeze the rind at the match.  To my surprise, the match flame flared up as
if the rind squeezing was giving off some type of flammable gas.  He did
this about three or four times with each time causing the flame to flair up
a noticeable amount.  That was all the rind was good for and then nothing
furthered happended.   It was quite surprising since you don't think of a
lemon as being flamable in any way, shape or form.  My friend also told me
that this works the same way with oranges and I might guess other citrus
fruits as well.  It is important to note that this had nothing to do with
the juice of the lemon and was caused only by the peel itself (or so it
seemed).

Someone care to take guess as to what is going on here?  I'm going to be
puzzled until I get a more scientific explaination.  Thanks.

----------------
| Steve Rosen
| Siemens Research and Technology Laboratories
| Princeton, NJ

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