Present Day
Present DayA burst of fire puffed out of a test tube bubbling over a Bunsen burner. It roiled towards the ceiling in a mini-mushroom cloud before it evaporated. The stunned class let out a combined “Whoa…”
Peter Clark stepped back and turned off his torch. “And that"s why we wear our goggles. So, can anyone tell me what the three products of combustion are?”
His classroom of high school students shifted in their seats, some looking at their phones, all avoiding eye contact with him. He picked up the heavy organic chemistry book from his desk, held it between his fingers, and dropped it.
The thud echoed like a cannon, and all heads shot up.
“The correct answer is fuel, oxygen, and heat.” He moved to the whiteboard at the front of the room and began drawing with a red marker
