The Delights of Chemistry

Dan Ormsby writes: "No news on this site, just great photos of chemical phenomena along with instructions on how to perform them yourself. Don't try this at home!"

Comments

If we aren't supposed to try this at home

[basscomm]

Why do we get instructions on how to do it?

Don't try them at home?

[VultureMN]

Christ, what kind of childhood would I have had with THAT kind of advice?

Hmmm...

[protein folder]

how long before we see Ascii art trolls of the "Golden Rain" rxn?

insert your own lewd reference here.

Out of curiosity...

[Dutchmaan]

Just how many of these experiments are copyrighted? i don't wanna pay the powers that be for the privilege of a cheap and easy chemical burn.

Meet Mr. Wizard

[ahknight]

[BOOM]
"We're going to need a new Timmy!"

[Guess the source?]

Re:Best chemistry demonstation I've seen

[GreyDuck]

The "silly chemistry trick" I remember best is an example of blowing the lid off of a paint can:

Take standard paint can. Make small hole in center of lid, make another small hole in the side at the very bottom of the can. Use hose to pump the can full of that wonderful gas that all high-school chem labs are equipped with.

Tell students that this is a nifty kind of implement by which one can read at night, and demonstrate by lighting the gas escaping via the uppermost hole.

Set "camp night-light" aside, begin regularly scheduled lecture. Chuckle when the lid flies off of the paint can with a loud BANG and by some miracle lands in the trash receptacle by the classroom door.

I don't remember a whole lot else from my high school chemistry classes (well, lots of discussions about moles... go figure) but that incident will remain vivid in my memory for many years to come.

(Oh, and I'm assuming that I don't have to explain to you bright folks what made the BANG. Nope, didn't think so. Good.)

--
I am Grey. I stand between the water and the bread crumbs.

And, one experiment NOT on the site.

[jinx90277]

Reading over the experiments listed on the site reminded me of one experiment we did in honors high school chemistry which was NOT included. Our "teacher" was actually someone from the art department who was pressed into service as a chemistry instructor because he had a few chemistry classes in college. He walked in one day with a freaky, glazed look in his eye and announced to the class that we were going to be doing an experiment to start the day. He went into the back room, came back with a pair of tongs and bottle of kerosene containing a chunk of potassium metal, and gestured for us to join him outside. We gathered around a large rain puddle from the previous day's storm, and he asked what class was in the room next door -- English, as it turned out. Without any additional explanation, he reached into the bottle, grabbed the chunk of potassium with the tongs, flung it into the puddle, and stepped back. After a few seconds, the metal predictably exploded with a VERY loud bang, causing 35 English students to scream in unison and then rush to the window. The chemistry teacher stood there with a goofy grin on his face, and then shook his head and muttered to himself, "Yup...it's exothermic all right." (For those who read the article, he also did the thermite experiment during the year, but put about three times the recommended amount of magnesium in each student's setup. There were metal chunks in the ceiling tile for years afterwards...)