4 ways to make fire without matches or lighters using chemistry. Warning: These experiments are for educational purposes only and are not meant to be repeated. First, a small ... NurdRage Presents: 4 ways to make fire without matches or lighters using chemistry. Warning: These experiments are for educational purposes only and are not meant to be repeated. First, a small mount of potassium permanganate is mixed with glycerin. The reaction might be too slow to do anything so we added a few drops of water to get things going. Second, a mixture of ammonium nitrate and zinc is place ontop of a paper towel. The finer the ingredients are the better this will work. To activate it a few drops of hydrochloric acid are added. (We are well aware that addition of chloride from salt or ammonium chloride will produce a water-activated mixture. But we specifically choose not to demonstrate this for safety reasons, as that particular composition can spontaneously ignite during handling causi...