Could anyone suggest some basic chemistry experiments that I could research and then perform? I have searched for some but I was flooded by nonsense
information that wasn't even related to my search. It's quite sad.
Thanks in advance.BromicAcid - 13-6-2004 at 19:15
Two threads already existing on this subject. Personally what I do and what I've always done is just read though the literature till I found an
experiment or compound that catches my fancy. In your case it would be smart to start to look for something relatively nonhazardous. After selecting
a target your best bet is going to be looking something up in a book on how to produce it although the Internet can help. I wish those books from the
60's full of fun experiments for the amateur were still readily available.
Probably what you want to start off with are easily isolateable products. Things that are insoluble and precipitate.
In the beginning you will probably just make things because the reagents are readily available but in the future you should aim for multiple step
synthesis with in-between compounds that are isolateable.Quantum - 13-6-2004 at 20:08
Hmm didn't find my post from long ago, I guess? This is not a chemical reaction per say but its still very cool. Take some sulfur(get it as
dusting sulfur for plants or at the drug store) and heat it till it melts and has a low viscosity. Don't heat it too long or it changes form into
huge polymers! Then pour it out into a jar of cold water. It should change into a strange plastic form of sulfur that will revert back to the normal
form after time.Cyrus - 13-6-2004 at 20:40
All good ideas, but it really depends on what you've got available in the way of reagents and equipment.
You could always do electrolysis of water to get H2 and O2, and then ignite the mixture, it will make a good loud pop.
Unless you have a no jars, water, or batteries.
This was one of my first real reactions if I remember correctly. Drop a battery in water, and collect the bubbles in an upside down jar. This one is
really fun, and pretty foolproof.
If you get balloonfuls of gas, you can put some metal powders in the balloons and make colored explosions.
I think making boric triethylester is a good first reaction, but EVEN I could get it to work the first time.
And you get a nice fruity smelling distillate that burns with "impressive" bright green flames. But you need a distillation setup, boric
acid or borax, an alchohol, and a strong acid. (see my incorrectly named post in organic chemistry called boric triethylether)
Or 2Mg + O2 -> 2MgO (burn some magnesium ribbon)
Or make the plastic sulfur, and when you get bored with it, burn some of it. 1/8S8 + O2 -> SO2
But simple precipitation from solution reactions are probably the best for a beginner.
As in 2NaHCO3 + CuSO4 -> CuCO3 + CO2 +H2O + Na2SO4 (the copper carbonate is a nice light green precipitate)
Or recrystalization- make yourself some pure NaCl/CuSO4/ any other salt you can find.
And then there is the old baking soda and vinegar. I strongly recommend that one.
I'm kidding.
[Edited on 14-6-2004 by Cyrus]Mendeleev - 13-6-2004 at 22:13
Well this depends on what you mean by "basic". Basic can either mean safe, easy, legal, any of the two, or all three.
Making acetone peroxide is easy but it isn't particularly safe. The same goes for chlorine gas generation. Although if you have a gas mask on
hand crack open some new D-cell batteries, take out the outer goop(MnO2) and mix it with HCl, and presto, chlorine gas.
Something easy to try is to mix a strong acid with a strong base and get a salt. For example mix HCl with NaOH and you get... Table salt . This reaction gets very hot and might possibly spray so always wear goggles and
gloves when handling strong acids an bases, they have saved my eyes countless times.
Buy some vinegar and mix it with ethanol and you will get ethyl acetate, as the rule is: carboxylic acid + alcohol ---> ester + water. The ester
can be distilled off. If you mix the ester with ammonia you will get the amide. Boil off the water produced to get the pure amide. This is a
really simple way to make formamide and acetamide.
More fun with acid, get a strong acid, preferably something cheap and very easy to obtain such as HCl and dump some aluminum foil into it this will
generate hydrogen gas. Do this in a wine bottle and put a balloon over the neck so that you fill it up with hydrogen, tie it off, and light it.
Boom. If you really want to scare the neighbors, dope up your hydrogen balloon with some oxygen available at Home Depot for welding, but I would
recommend some ear plugs for this.
An experiment you can actually taste is mixing some strawberry or cherry syrup with water and throwing a chunk of dry ice in there, to get a
carbonated beverage, and while its carbonating you will get a cool fog effect. CO2 + H2O ---> H2CO3 .
[Edited on 14-6-2004 by Mendeleev]Saerynide - 13-6-2004 at 23:38
Quote:
Originally posted by Mendeleev
An experiment you can actually taste is mixing some strawberry or cherry syrup with water and throwing a chunk of dry ice in there, to get a
carbonated beverage, and while its carbonating you will get a cool fog effect. CO2 + H2O ---> H2CO3 .
MAKE SURE you add the flavouring. Failling to do so WILL result in a VERY NASTY tasting drink!
I've tried thunderfvck - 13-6-2004 at 23:41
Sorry to be picky, but isn't H2CO3 carbonic acid? AKA not what produces the fog effect? Isn't the fog primarily due to CO2? Myabe I just
misinterpretted what you had said...
Methyl salicylate!
aka, wintergreen oil!
Throw some aspirin in some methanol, add a few drops of concentrated H2SO4 or HCl and boil. Come back later to impress all your lady friends with your
cool smelling flask! Perhaps it can be exchanged for some lovin' darkflame89 - 14-6-2004 at 02:40
Hmm, i thought that the fog effect was due to the water droplets that somehow condensed? Anyway, carbonic acid is not really stable, is gives carbon
dioxide and water back again..Mendeleev - 14-6-2004 at 10:25
The fog is from the CO2 boiling off more rapidly in water than in air, that comment was independent from the carbonic acid one.Cyrus - 14-6-2004 at 12:08
Quote:
Originally posted by Mendeleev
Buy some vinegar and mix it with ethanol and you will get ethyl acetate, as the rule is: carboxylic acid + alcohol ---> ester + water. The ester
can be distilled off.
I thought you needed a strong acid catalyst to do this reaction. As in sulfuric acid.
And if you have the equipment to do this reaction, why not make boric triethylester? Does ethyl acetate smell like fruit AND burn with a bright green
flame? I didn't think so. Ha!
For making oil of wintergreen, will ethanol work too?thunderfvck - 14-6-2004 at 14:02
No, then you'd get ethyl salicylate.
I think most ester reactions involving a carboxylic acid and alcohol don't HAVE to be acid catalysed, but the reaction is very slow. How slow, I
don't know. A little concentrated sulfuric acid does the trick! I'm sure muriatic acid would work well also, although I haven't tried
this personally.The_Davster - 14-6-2004 at 14:14
I have made ethyl salicylate once. It is not as minty as methyl salicylate but still smels good.
It might even work as thunderfvck says to
Quote:
impress all your lady friends with your cool smelling flask! Perhaps it can be exchanged for some lovin'
but in place of the methyl ester.
[Edited on 14-6-2004 by rogue chemist]Geomancer - 15-6-2004 at 11:26
Quote:
Originally posted by rogue chemist
I have made ethyl salicylate once. It is not as minty as methyl salicylate but still smels good.
It might even work as thunderfvck says to
Quote:
impress all your lady friends with your cool smelling flask! Perhaps it can be exchanged for some lovin'
but in place of the methyl ester.
[Edited on 14-6-2004 by rogue chemist]
Then again, you could just leave out the salicylate thing, and use the ethyl alchohol alone to win over your lady (or gentleman, though results
may be less impressive) friends.
It's quite sad.
Thanks in advance.
. This reaction gets very hot and might possibly spray so always wear goggles and
gloves when handling strong acids an bases, they have saved my eyes countless times. 