Chemical Magic, Tips and Tricks, do-at-home Chemistry Experiments

Dancing naphthalene balls

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 06:29:00 +0000

In an earlier post, I talked about dancing sodium (here is the link). It involved high temperatures and could be called a little risky venture. In this post, we will see how we can make naphthalene balls dance in a glass.

Items needed: A glass or cylinder, oxalic acid, naphthalene balls, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).

How to do it: In a glass of water(about 300 ml), mix about 30 grams of oxalic acid and stir to dissolve. Keep a little room in the glass. Put few naphthalene balls in the glass.

Now, prepare another solution of baking soda. Add a little of this solution to the glass which has the naphthalene balls.

Immediately you can see the solution bubbling and very soon the naphthalene balls will go up and down in a constant motion till the effervescence(bubbling) lasts.

What happens: Acid + soda produces carbon dioxide, whose bubbles get adhered to the surface of the naphthalene balls, and take them up when buoyant enough.

Extra tip: Same can be performed with soda water, but one has less control, which does take some of the fun away!

Caution: Oxalic acid is very toxic. Try not to handle with bare hands. Wash everything thoroughly when done.

Dancing sodium

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:32:00 +0000

I want to begin with words of caution here, because this is a bit(?) dangerous. Sodium metal itself burns bare skin, gets burnt itself(although slowly) when in contact with air, kept under kerosene oil for this reason and handled with knives, tongs or suitable tools. And the amount of heat/fire that is generated here is not child's play. So be careful.

Cut a piece of the metal with knives or some tool under the kerosene sodium is kept. Cut a piece which is in noway bigger than 1cmx1cmx1cm. Next, find a metallic bucket(cannot be plastic or anything else that burns) and fill with water. Keep it in an open place, out of the house of course. Now take the piece of sodium with the tong and place it in the bucket of water. Distance yourself quickly(sometimes small explosions may follow) and enjoy the metal burning, hissing and dancing on water.

It happens because sodium, which is highly reactive, reacts with water to form sodium hydroxide - an alkali, and generates a lot of heat.

Solid state colour transformation

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:49:00 +0000

Take some potassium iodide and mercuric nitrate(or chloride) [all are white powders] and mix well. 1/5th of a teaspoon of each will be enough. Now, place the powder mixture on one side of a white paper. Fold the other side over the powder and rub the solid through the paper with your fingers.

The powder that has been rubbed well changes its colour from white to red, as mercuric iodide is formed.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire"

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:46:00 +0000

For long it has been said that where there's smoke, there's fire. That all was before the age of chemistry. Now its not a hard job to produce some nice thick white smoke without any fire at all.

You only need concentrated ammonia and concentrated hydrochloric acid solution. Dilutes will also work. If you do not have access to a laboratory or chemicals, you can get the hydrochloric acid in the open market as muriatic acid(cleaning agent) and ammonia in blue print shops.

Soak two pieces of cotton wool in each solution and keep them beside each other and experience the holy smoke.

What actuallly happens is hydrogen chloride gas evolved from hydrochloric acid and ammonia evaporated from ammonia solution comes in contact each other in mid-air and forms fine particles of ammonium chloride, which constitutes the smoke.

Glittering golden crystals at your disposal

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:03:00 +0000

Things you'll require:
1. Lead nitrate
2. Potassium iodide
3. Test tubes and a heat source

How to do it:
Take little amount(1/100th of a teaspoon-full, you get the idea) of lead nitrate and potassium iodide into two test tubes and add little water to it(1/10th of test tube). Now pour one solution into another one. You will instantly notice separation of some yellow solid. Now gradually heat and shake the mixture using a heat source(gas burner, spirit lamp etc). The yellow solid dissolves. Now stop heating and let it cool down. Observe. You'll see tiny golden glittering particles forming in the solution. Cool with tap water for an instant effect!

Why? Lead nitrate and potassium iodide reacts to form lead iodide, which is soluble in water at higher temperatures but recrystallizes on cooling.

Caution: Lead nitrate as well as lead iodide is toxic. So handle carefully.

How to clean old oil paintings

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Do you have an old oil painting lying in your backyard which you suspect looked good many years ago? If you observe those old oil paintings, you'll find many black spots - they are the black lead sulphide, which is the result of the reaction between airborne hydrogen sulphide and the paints.

You can easily remove those black marks and get a modestly fair painting from your old one.

Things you'll require:

1. Cotton wool
2. Hydrogen peroxide solution (Can be found at medical stores)

How to do it:
Soak the cotton wool in the hydrogen peroxide solution and rub it gently all over the paint. The discolored and black spots will go away.

Why? Lead sulphide is oxidized by hydrogen peroxide to colorless lead sulphate, which removes the spots.

This is just a very basic method and should only be used for educational or fun purposes, never for recovering serious paintings.

Previous post: Homemade carbide lamp (acetylene lamp)

Homemade carbide lamp (acetylene lamp) with household instruments

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 18:04:00 +0000

Acetylene lamps, called carbide lamps are the primary sources of light in many rural shops. Though they use a different type of setting(that is like a very crude form of Kipp's apparatus), but ours is still good and when you get experienced, you can even generate enough acetylene to survive a little power cut.

Enjoy and don't burn anything!

Items you need:

1. A used jotter type refill

2. A small(4-7 inch long) glass bottle

3. A cork/rubber cap that fits into the mouth of the bottle

4. Calcium Carbide(Commercially known as carbide), available at lime(quick lime) shops at local markets or chemist shops.

5. Clean water

6. Matches

Procedure:
First of all, punch a hole in the middle of the cork/rubber cap. Take the refill and remove its tip with tongs or something alike. Remove the back plastic of it, too. Now blow from the back to get the remaining ink out of it. Wash it well and insert into the hole of the bottle cap.

Now pour a little (1-2 inches) water into the bottle, drop 2-3 tiny pieces of carbide. You will immediately see a gas forming with bubbles and the water getting turbid.

Now put on the cap and hold a lighted matchstick/lighter on the end of the refill. The acetylene will glow with a very luminous flame. The flame is so bright that it is sometimes difficult to stare at it.

HAZARD: Air and acetylene mixes to form a very explosive mixture, so give some time between adding carbide and lighting fire to let all the air go out of the bottle, or it may explode. 15-30 seconds will be enough.

Next post: How to clean old oil paintings
Previous post: How to clean your silver articles

How to clean your silver articles

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:37:00 +0000

What you'll require:
1. Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda powder)
2. Sodium chloride (common salt)
3. Aluminium pan

What to do:
Place the silver articles to be cleaned in an aluminium pan in such a manner that each article touches the pan. Cover these with hot solution containing one tea-spoonful of Sodium bicarbonate (the baking soda) and another of Sodium chloride(salt, NaCl) per 250 ml. of water. After a few minutes, remove the articles, rinse and polish with a soft cloth.

What happens:
Touching the aluminium and surrounded by the electrolyte the silver article forms one plate(electrode) of an electric cell. By action of this cell, the tarnish of Silver sulphide is dissolved, the sulphur is separated and the silver is redeposited.

Next post: Homemade carbide lamp (acetylene lamp)
Previous post: Make Your Own Matches - Common and Colored

Make Your Own Matches - Common and Colored

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:30:00 +0000

There are two types of matches in the market.
i. Safety matches
ii. Strike-anywhere matches

We will discuss about making safety matches by easily available chemicals and some other things.

Here we go:

Firstly, the whole process is divided into two steps:
i. Making the combustible part, i.e. the match-sticks.
ii. Striking surface, which starts combustion when there is friction between the match-head and the surface.

I. Match Sticks:

What you will require:
Potassium chlorate: 112 gm
Antimony sulphide: 25 gm
Sulphur: 25 gm
Sand: 20 gm
Glue: 20 gm

What to do:
Make a paste of the above materials. Take some soft wood and cut splinters of suitable size out of it. Soak these splinters in a dilute solution of alum and dry. This process avoids smouldering of the sticks after being extinguished. Dip the tips of the dried sticks in above paste and let them dry.
(If you want to protect the sticks from moisture, give them another dip in wax.)

II. Striking Surface:

What you will require:
Red phosphorus: 6 gm
Powdered glass: 10 gm
Glue: 15 gm

What to do:
Make a fine paste of the materials and apply them with the help of a small brush on one side of a box or some card-board piece. And at last, let them dry.

Colored matches:
To produce different colors in the flame, you can add little amount of salt to the paste made for match sticks.
Copper or Barium salt: Green Flame
Strontium salt: Crimson Red Flame

Now you are done with making your own matchsticks, time to show off!

Next post: How to clean your silver articles
Previous post: 2 Useful chemicals

2 Useful chemicals

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 05:46:00 +0000

I. Hair curling liquid:
Water =70 ml
Spirit of wine =30 ml
Borax =2gm
Perfume =sufficient quantity

Dissolve the borax into water and then mix the solution with spirit of wine. Add perfume in the last.

II. Metal Polish:
Water =675 ml
Triethanolamine=2 gm
Oleic acid =4 gm
Naphtha =360 ml
Clay or chalk =32 gm
Strong ammonia=6 ml

Dissolve the trienthanoamine in water and then add white stirring in the chalk. In separate container mix naphtha and oleic acid to uniform solution and add the first mixture to it. Stir and when a smooth emulsion is formed, add ammonia and store in bottles.

This tip may also seem interesting to you.

Next post: Make Your Own Matches - Common and Colored
Previous post: Can you burn the sugar cube?

Can you burn the sugar cube?

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 13:06:00 +0000

Ever tried burning a sugar cube?

If not, try NOW!

I know you will not succeed. Actually a sugar cube never burns at normal condition.

To burn the sugar cube, you require a little cigarette ashes. Rub the ashes to a corner of the cube and burn the corner.

Now it will burn with a flame!

Why this happens?
Cigarette ashes work as the catalyst to start the reaction.

Next post: Make Your Own Matches - Common and Colored

Introduction

noreply@blogger.com (goodearth) — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:34:00 +0000

Since I was in standard 5, chemical magics seemed to be very fascinating to me. I am still mad about them. Here I am planing to enlist the good magics, tricks and tips i have performed/known. All of you know, none of them is actually MAGIC, all have scientific reasons behind them like all magics do, I will also state them all as far as possible.