| Ketchup Diver | |
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An ordinary soft drink bottle is
filled with water and an ordinary packet of ketchup, which floats in the
bottle. When the bottle is squeezed, the ketchup pack sinks, because
the air in the packet is compressed to a density greater than that of the
water. When the pressure is released, the air expands, and causes
the packet to float. (Of course, this is easier when you use a magic wand!) |
| Egg Density | |
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In the first cylinder, an egg sinks in pure water, because the egg is more dense than water. In the second cylinder, an egg floats in a more dense solution of salt water. In the third cylinder, pure water has been carefully layered on salt water, and the eggs "levitates," sinking through the pure water, but floating on the salt water. |
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In the last cylinder, the egg is placed in a solution of hydrochloric acid; the egg sinks at first, but then floats as the calcium carbonate in the eggshell reacts with the hydrochloric acid, producing bubbles of carbon dioxide gas which stick to the eggshell. |
| Apple Juice and Grape Juice | |
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In this demonstration, "apple juice" is poured into different beakers, and either changes to "grape juice", or remains as "apple juice." |
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The "apple juice" is really a solution of tannic acid. The color change to "grape juice" is caused by having a small amount of iron(III) chloride in the bottom of the beaker, which forms a purple complex with the tannic acid. |
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The color change from "grape" back to "apple" is accomplished by having a small amount of sulfuric acid in the bottom of a beaker, which causes the iron(III)-tannic acid complex to break down, resulting in the original "apple juice" color. |
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| Hydrogen and Oxygen Balloons | |
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A match is touched to a balloon filled with hydrogen gas, which explodes (think Hindenburg, except on a smaller scale). |
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Video Clip: MOV, 2.56 MB |
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This balloon is filled with
oxygen gas, which is more dense than air, and does not float. This
balloon just pops instead of exploding, demonstrating that oxygen by
itself is not flammable.
Video Clip: MOV, 2.45 MB |
| Guncotton | |
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A small amount of cotton,
previously soaked in a mixture of nitric acid and sulfuric acid and then
rinsed and dried, is ignited, producing a short-lived but impressive
fireball. (Click here for
more details.)
Video Clip: MOV, 2.63 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 2.87 MB |
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| Non-Burning Dollar | |
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A dollar bill is soaked in a 50:50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water. When set on fire, the alcohol burns off, but the water prevents the dollar bill from catching on fire. (Usually having "money to burn" means something else entirely!) |
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Video Clip: MOV, 2.00 MB |
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| Luminol — Chemiluminescence | |
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A solution containing luminol is mixed with a solution of hydrogen peroxide in a glass funnel with a length of clear tubing attached. A chemical reaction occurs which produces light. (Click here for more details.) |
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Video Clip: MOV, 5.35 MB |
| Liquid Nitrogen | |
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One demonstration that is always popular involves liquid nitrogen. A bunch of balloons are immersed in liquid nitrogen, which causes the air in the balloons to contract. When the balloons are removed from the liquid nitrogen, the air inside the balloons warms back up and expands, causing the balloons to re-inflate (and usually pop). |
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Video Clip: MOV, 36.5 MB |
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Organic material, in this case a
flower, becomes brittle when cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures. Video Clip: MOV, 26.8 MB |
| Polymers — Nylon | |
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A solution of sebacoyl chloride dissolved in hexane is carefully layered on a solution of 1,6-diaminohexane dissolved in water. At the interface between the two liquids, a film of nylon forms, which can be fished out as a continuous nylon rope. |
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| Ethanol Popgun | |
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A small amount of ethanol is placed in a plastic bottle with two nails driven through either end. The bottle is then shaken, stoppered, and touched with a Tesla coil, which sends an electric spark through the nails, causing the ethanol to ignite, and blow the stopper off the bottle. |
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Video Clip: MOV, 1.48 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 1.57 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 2.27 MB |
| Jet Engine | |
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A small amount of an alcohol is placed in a large plastic bottle, which is then shaken vigorously to get some of the liquid to vaporize. The remaining liquid is then poured out. A lit match is then placed in the bottle, and the alcohol vapor burns vigorously, producing a roar like a jet engine. |
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Video Clip: MOV, 1.35 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 3.14 MB |
| Grain Elevator Explosion | |
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A yellow powder called lycopodium powder (a pollen from a species of pine) does not burn when a lit match is dropped into it. When the same dust is blown past a candle flame, now all of the particles are surrounded by oxygen, and the powder burns vigorously. This is an illustration of what happens in a grain elevator explosion. (Click here for more details.) |
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Video Clip: MOV, 2.00 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 4.39 MB |
| Hydrogen-Oxygen Balloons | |
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The balloons in the following video clips contain mixtures of approximately two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen. When lit, the hydrogen and oxygen react, producing water and a deafening explosion. This explosions are more vigorous than those of the pure hydrogen balloons, because the fuel is already well-mixed with the oxidizer. The pictures on the left are just stills from the video clips. |
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Video Clip: MOV, 4.65 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 1.31 MB |
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Video Clip: MOV, 4.75 MB |
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