THE CHEMIST'S CORNER ARTICLE #2: HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS
BY ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX/MPG
THIS ARTICLE DEALS WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO SOME INTERESTING
EXPERIMENTS WITH COMMON HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS. SOME MAY OR MAY NOT WORK
DEPENDING ON THE CONCENTRATION OF CERTAIN CHEMICALS IN DIFFERENT AREAS
AND BRANDS. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE PERSON DOING THESE EXPERIMENTS HAVE
SOME KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMISTRY, ESPECIALLY FOR THE MORE DANGEROUS
EXPERIMENTS. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURY OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY
PEOPLE USING THIS INFORMATION. IT IS PROVIDED FOR USE BY PEOPLE
KNOWLEDGABLE IN CHEMISTRY WHO ARE INTERESTED IN SUCH EXPERIMENTS AND CAN
SAFELY HANDLE SUCH EXPERIMENTS.
I. A LIST OF HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS AND THEIR COMPOSITION
VINEGAR............. 3-5% ACETIC ACID
BAKING SODA......... SODIUM BICARBONATE
DRAIN CLEANERS...... SODIUM HYDROXIDE
SANI-FLUSH.......... 75% SODIUM BISULFATE
AMMONIA WATER....... AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE
CITRUS FRUIT........ CITRIC ACID
TABLE SALT.......... SODIUM CHLORIDE
SUGAR............... SUCROSE
MILK OF MAGNESIA.... MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE
TINCTURE OF IODINE.. 47% ALCOHOL, 4% IODINE
RUBBING ALCOHOL..... 70 OR 99% (DEPENDS ON BRAND) ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL
(DO NOT DRINK!)
ETC...
EXP #1: YE OLD FIZZ EXPERIMENT
MIX VINEGAR WITH BAKING SODA. IT PRODUCES SODIUM ACETATE AND CARBONIC
ACID. CARBONIC ACID QUICKLY DECOMPOSES INTO CARBON DIOXIDE AND WATER,
RESULTING IN THE "FIZZ". THIS SIMPLE REACTION CAN BE CONTAINED IN A
SMALL BOTTLE OR SOMETHING, AND WHEN ENOUGH PRESSURE BUILDS UP IT WILL
BREAK OPEN.
I SINCERELY DOUBT THAT IT WILL BLOW "ALL FOUR WALLS OFF THE HOUSE" AS
SOME LOSER WROTE IN HIS SAFEHOUSE ARTICLE. THE SAME BASIC THING CAN BE
DONE WITH DRY ICE & WATER, BAKING POWDER & WATER, CITRIC ACID & BAKING
SODA, AND MANY OTHER COMBINATIONS.
EXP #2: A FRUITY BATTERY
IF YOU'RE EVER IN NEED OF A LITTLE POWER, GET YOUR HANDS ON THESE:
A CITRUS FRUIT (LEMON, ORANGE, ETC)
A SMALL ZINC STRIP
A SMALL COPPER STRIP
JUST STICK THE ZINC STRIP IN ONE END OF A LEMON AND A COPPER STRIP IN
THE OTHER. YOU NOW HAVE A 1.5 VOLT BATTERY! JUST ATTACH THE WIRES TO THE
COPPER & ZINC STRIPS...
EXP #3: GENERATING CHLORINE GAS
THIS IS SLIGHTLY MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE OTHER TWO EXPERIMENTS, SO
YOU SHOULD KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING BEFORE YOU TRY THIS...
EVER WONDER WHY AMMONIA BOTTLES ALWAYS SAY 'DO NOT MIX WITH CHLORINE
BLEACH', AND VISA-VERSA? THAT'S BECAUSE IF YOU MIX AMMONIA WATER WITH
AJAX OR SOMETHING LIKE IT, IT WILL GIVE OFF CHLORINE GAS. TO CAPTURE
IT, GET A LARGE BOTTLE AND PUT AJAX IN THE BOTTOM. THEN POUR SOME
AMMONIA DOWN INTO THE BOTTLE. SINCE THE CHLORINE IS HEAVIER THAN AIR, IT
WILL STAY DOWN IN THERE UNLESS YOU USE LARGE AMOUNTS OF EITHER AJAX OR
AMMONIA (DON'T!). FOR SOMETHING FUN TO DO WITH CHLORINE STAY TUNED....
EXP #4: CHLORINE + TURPENTINE
TAKE A SMALL CLOTH OR RAG AND SOAK IT IN TURPENTINE. QUICKLY DROP IT
INTO THE BOTTLE OF CHLORINE. IT SHOULD GIVE OFF A LOT OF BLACK SMOKE
AND PROBABLY START BURNING...
EXP #5: GENERATING HYDROGEN GAS
TO GENERATE HYDROGEN, ALL YOU NEED IS AN ACID AND A METAL THAT WILL
REACT WITH THAT ACID. TRY VINEGAR (ACETIC ACID) WITH ZINC, ALUMINUM,
MAGNESIUM, ETC. YOU CAN COLLECT HYDROGEN IN SOMETHING IF YOU NOTE THAT
IT IS LIGHTER THAN AIR.... LIGHT A SMALL AMOUNT AND IT BURNS WITH A
SMALL *POP*.
ANOTHER WAY OF CREATING HYDROGEN IS BY THE ELECTROLYSIS OF WATER.
THIS INVOLVES SEPERATING WATER (H2O) INTO HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN BY AN
ELECTRIC CURRENT. TO DO THIS, YOU NEED A 6-12 VOLT BATTERY, TWO TEST
TUBES, A LARGE BOWL, TWO CARBON ELECTRODES (TAKE THEM OUT OF AN
UNWORKING 6-12 VOLT BATTERY), AND TABLE SALT. DISSOLVE THE SALT IN A
LARGE BOWL FULL OF WATER. SUBMERGE THE TWO TEST TUBES IN THE WATER AND
PUT THE ELECTRODES INSIDE THEM, WITH THE MOUTH OF THE TUBE AIMING DOWN.
CONNECT THE BATTERY TO SOME WIRE GOING DOWN TO THE ELECTRODES. THIS WILL
WORK FOR A WHILE, BUT CHLORINE WILL BE GENERATED ALONG WITH THE OXYGEN
WHICH WILL UNDOUBTEDLY CORRODE YOUR COPPER WIRES LEADING TO THE CARBON
ELECTRODES... (THE TABLE SALT IS BROKEN UP INTO CHLORINE AND SODIUM
IONS, THE CHLORINE COMES OFF AS A GAS WITH OXYGEN WHILE SODIUM REACTS
WITH THE WATER TO FORM SODIUM HYDROXIDE....). THEREFORE, IF YOU CAN GET
YOUR HANDS ON SOME SULFURIC ACID, USE IT INSTEAD. IT WILL NOT AFFECT THE
REACTION OTHER THAN MAKING THE WATER CONDUCT ELECTRICITY.
EXP #6: HYRDOGEN + CHLORINE
TAKE THE TEST TUBE OF HYDROGEN AND COVER THE MOUTH WITH YOUR THUMB.
KEEP IT INVERTED, AND BRING IT NEAR THE BOTTLE OF CHLORINE (NOT ONE THAT
HAS REACTED WITH TURPENTINE). SAY "GOODBYE TEST TUBE", AND DROP IT INTO
THE BOTTLE. THE HYDROGEN AND CHLORINE SHOULD REACT AND POSSIBLY EXPLODE
(DEPENDING ON PURITY AND AMOUNT OF EACH GAS). AN INTERESTING THING ABOUT
THIS IS THEY WILL NOT REACT IF IT IS DARK AND NO HEAT OR OTHER ENERGY IS
AROUND. WHEN A LIGHT IS TURNED ON, ENOUGH ENERGY IS PRESENT TO CAUSE
THEM TO REACT...
EXP #7: PREPARATION OF OXYGEN
GET SOME HYDROGEN PEROXIDE (FROM A DRUG STORE) AND MANGANESE DIOXIDE
(FROM A BATTERY- IT'S A BLACK POWDER). MIX THE TWO IN A BOTTLE, AND THEY
GIVE OFF OXYGEN. IF THE BOTTLE IS STOPPERED, PRESSURE WILL BUILD UP AND
SHOOT IT OFF. TRY LIGHTING A WOOD SPLINT AND STICKING IT (WHEN ONLY
GLOWING) INTO THE BOTTLE. THE OXYGEN WILL MAKE IT BURST INTO FLAME.
EXPERIMENT WITH IT. THE OXYGEN WILL ALLOW THINGS TO BURN BETTER...
EXP #8: ALCOHOL
BUY SOME RUBBING ALCOHOL IN A DRUG STORE. USUALLY THIS IS EITHER 70%
OR 99% ALCOHOL AND BURNS JUST GREAT. YOU CAN SOAK A TOWEL IN WATER AND
THEN IN ACOHOL, LIGHT THE TOWEL, AND WHEN IT FINISHES BURNING THE
ALCOHOL, THE FLAME SHOULD GO OUT AND LEAVE THE TOWEL UNHARMED. NICE FOR
"PARTY TRICKS", ETC.
EXP #9: IODINE?
TINCTURE OF IODINE CONTAINS MAINLY ALCOHOL AND A LITTLE IODINE. TO
SEPERATE THEM, PUT THE TINCTURE OF IODINE IN A METAL LID TO A BOTTLE AND
HEAT IT OVER A CANDLE. HAVE A STAND HOLDING ANOTHER METAL LID DIRECTLY
OVER THE TINCTURE (ABOUT 4-6 INCHES ABOVE IT) WITH ICE ON TOP OF IT. THE
ALCOHOL SHOULD EVAPORATE, AND THE IODINE SHOULD SUBLIME, BUT SHOULD
REFORM IODINE CRYSTALS ON THE COLD METAL LID DIRECTLY ABOVE. IF THIS
WORKS (I HAVEN'T TRIED), YOU CAN USE THE IODINE ALONG WITH HOUSEHOLD
AMMONIA TO FORM NITROGEN TRIIODIDE (DISCUSSED IN ARTICLE #1).
EXP #10: GRAIN-ELEVATOR EXPLOSION!
WANT TO TRY YOUR OWN 'GRAIN-ELEVATOR EXPLOSION'? GET A CANDLE AND
SOME FLOUR... LIGHT THE CANDLE AND PUT SOME FLOUR IN YOUR HAND. TRY
VARIOUS WAYS OF GETTING THE FLOUR TO LEAVE YOUR HAND AND BECOME DUST
RIGHT OVER THE CANDLE FLAME. THE ENORMOUS SURFACE AREA ALLOWS ALL THE
TINY DUST PARTICLES TO BURN, WHICH THEY DO AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME,
COMBINING TO FORM A FIREBALL EFFECT. IN GRAIN ELEVATORS, MUCH THE SAME
THING HAPPENS. IF YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON SOME LYCOPODIUM POWDER, DO.
THIS WILL WORK MUCH BETTER, CREATING HUGE FIREBALLS THAT ARE UNEXPECTED.
THAT'S ENOUGH FOR NOW...
MORE TO COME IN LATER CHEMIST'S CORNER ARTICLES...
...ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX/MPG!
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