Cool Science HandWarmers

Sometimes during these cold winter months you need a little help to stay warm. This is especially true if you are spending long periods of time standing or sitting outside, without moving around much to help you stay warm. Fortunately, about 90 years ago, a Japanese inventor named Niichi Matoba found a solution by inventing the first portable hand warmer. Since Matoba's time there have been many different types of hand warmers that have come on the market, all of which involve chemistry. The two different types of hand warmers shown in the video are the most common ones you will find in stores today. The first type of hand warmer is a single-use, disposable version that typically releases heat for 1 to 10 hours. Inside the package there is a combination of ingredients (cellulose, iron, water, activated carbon, vermiculite and salt). When these ingredients are mixed together and exposed to air, it begins a chemical reaction called oxidation. The iron loses electrons to oxygen m