Top 9 Weird Science Experiments.
Chemistry is a fascinating science, but it’s often taught poorly in today’s boring schools. Here’s how chemistry should be taught: by mad scientists! Here’s Neatorama’s list of the Top 9 Science-Worthy Chemistry Experiments:
The Briggs-Rauscher reaction is a well known example of oscillating chemical reactions, also known as chemical clocks because the periodicity can be used to tell time. What’s going on in the beaker is actually quite a complex set of chemical reactions. Here’s how to do it:
Gummy Bear and Molten Potassium Chlorate
Who’da thunk that Gummy Bear can be so … violent? Here’s what happen if you drop a Gummy Bear (which is mostly sugar), to a tube of molten potassium chlorate:
Elephant Toothpaste
Yes, even elephants need to maintain good dental hygiene, but what kind of toothpaste do they use? Here’s a favorite chemistry demo called Elephant Toothpaste (no, elephants don’t actually use this as a toothpaste, silly – it’s only called that because it looks like the kind and quantity of toothpaste an elephant would use).
Grape Plasma
What happens if you put a grape and nuke it in a microwave? You get something very cool … and dangerous at the same time, because it *will* ruin your microwave, release poisonous gases, and you *can* burn down your house – so don’t do it, Watch:
What just happened? Here’s the explanation, according to The Plasma Universe:
It is relatively easy to generate a plasmoid using a microwave and a medium that will initiate the formation of a plasmoid, this can be caused by the carbon microparticles in the smoke from a naked flame or match, which ignites and moves about as plasmoids, and some biological cells are known to produce plasma under microwave conditions, such as grapes (electrons try to move through highly resistive grape-skin, and plasmoids may form) This is due to the fact that microwaves, being high frequency electromagnetic radiation in the GHz range, are capable of exciting electrodeless gas discharges in air, similar to the process used in Sulfur lamps.
Burning Salts
Quick: what color is fire? Orangey red? Obviously you haven’t seen alcohol, barium chloride, boron, strontium, calcium, lithium, sodium, copper, and potassium salts set aflame …
Magnesium in Dry Ice
You’ve probably heard that fire needs oxygen to burn (indeed, the principle behind CO2 fire extinguisher is to use the heavier carbon dioxide to displace the oxygen needed by the flame).
But does a fire really need oxygen? Not burning magnesium! It’ll burn even when encased in dry ice (solid CO2). Note: magnesium shavings are used – not powder, which will explode if you try to set it on fire.
Ferrofluid
Ferrofluid, a colloidal mixture of nanoscale magnetic particles in a solvent, reacts to magnetic field in an awesomely bizarre way. Sachiko Kodama uses ferrofluid to create dynamic sculptures called Morpho Towers:
Mercury Beating Heart
A drop of mercury in a solution of potassium chromate and sulfuric acid, set so it’s almost touching an iron nail, will start to beat like a heart.
The World of Chemistry
John Farrier posted this back in May, 2009 but it’s too good not to post again here. Behold, the World of Chemistry, a video from the Europe Research Commission using a dance party to explain basic chemical reactions.
Source: http://www.neatorama.com/2009/11/04/top-10-mad-science-worthy-chemistry-experiments/
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