Torching a test tube of potassium chlorate until it liquifies and adding a bit of sugar makes a fire with smoke that smells like freshly baked graham crackers.

Drop a cube of pure sodium into a beaker of water, and the sodium turns into hydrogen gas and explodes.

Create special effects by combining dry ice and water. Shake up the concoction to make the dense, smoky, low rolling fog often used in scary movies.

Such demonstrations were part of Sunday’s dedication of the Cullen Center for Excellence in Science at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute. The science center features two stories of classrooms, laboratories and equipment, including wireless computer networks, digital microscopes and SMART boards.

After the dedication, the center hosted an open house, with students testing out some of the equipment.

“This is where the magic happens. We just took quantum leaps forward in science at this school,” senior Jon Hurley said of the chemistry lab and classroom.

Sean Majer, a junior, added pressure to dry ice, which is the solid form of carbon dioxide, and it burned into a liquid — hydrochloric acid. Dropping a piece of magnesium into it created a gas.

“It’s rocket fuel,” Majer said.

When Alex Haefner, a recent graduate, created the explosion with a cube of pure sodium, he did it behind the new double-sided hood, which allows spectators to view the experiment up close and behind glass. Before the new apparatus was installed, it would have been too dangerous to watch such an explosion.

“We never had a double-sided hood to demonstrate an experiment,” Haefner said. “Kids would have to stand up against the wall in the corner. It’s much more powerful to see it close-up. It’s very visual.”

The experiments were conducted in the chemistry room of the center. Like the earth science and biology rooms, the classrooms and the labs are one and the same, so students can learn and apply at the same time. Traditionally, the two are separate, and students divide time between the two, said chemistry teacher Matt Hellerer.

“We used to be in the lab two out of seven periods. Now seven out of seven periods we’re here in the lab,” Hellerer said. “I know a lot of science teachers, but I don’t know one who’s always in lab. You can reach so many more kids.”

Anna the tarantula, some leopard geckos and the fire-bellied toads have a new home in the earth science and environmental science portion of the center. Teacher Anthony Shilen called the new center a great learning experience.

“I can lecture and transition to lab without skipping a beat,” he said.

The brand-new SMART boards in each classroom within the center will come in handy, biology teacher Matthew Dow said. His classroom lab got new microscopes, including four digital ones.

“I can use my microscope to show a slide, put it on the SMART board and show [students] how to do it,” he said.

The school also dedicated the third floor as the new residence for the Brothers of Christian Schools on Sunday. It features a private entrance, central chapel, contemporary kitchen, outdoor patio, dining area, all-purpose room and seven bedroom suites.