http://chemistry.about.com/ Get the latest headlines from the About.com http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hh http://www.about.com/ 118 20 en-us 2013-05-25T08:50:28Z Sat, 25 May 2013 08:50:28 +0000 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/25/happy-geek-pride-day.htm Happy Memorial Day Weekend too! May 25th was selected as the date for Geek Pride Day or Nerd Pride day because May 25th was when the first <i>Star Wars</i> movie ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/25/happy-geek-pride-day.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/25/happy-geek-pride-day.htm Sat, 25 May 2013 11:39:04 +0000 2013-05-25T11:39:04Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/25/what-is-cream-of-tartar.htm <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/chemistry/1/0/9/W/1/cream-of-tartar-potassium-bitartrate.png" width="200" height="88" align="right" hspace="5" border="0" alt="potassium bitartrate or cream of tartar (Ju)">Cream ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/25/what-is-cream-of-tartar.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/25/what-is-cream-of-tartar.htm Sat, 25 May 2013 08:50:28 +0000 2013-05-25T08:50:28Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/this-day-in-science-history-may-25-kennedy-aims-for-the-moon.htm On May 25, 1961, President Kennedy announced to congress the goal for the United States to land a man on the moon and bring him safely back by the end ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/this-day-in-science-history-may-25-kennedy-aims-for-the-moon.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/this-day-in-science-history-may-25-kennedy-aims-for-the-moon.htm Fri, 24 May 2013 22:05:45 +0000 2013-05-24T22:05:45Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/patriotic-colored-liquid-layers-red-white-blue-density-column.htm <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/chemistry/1/0/e/g/1/1red-white-blue-fire.jpg" hspace="5" border="0" align="right" alt="Red, White and Blue Liquid Layers (Anne Helmenstine)" width="250" height="250">There's just something cool about layering colored liquids! This particular density column shows off the red, white and blue colors, plus (of course) you can light it on fire. I've ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/patriotic-colored-liquid-layers-red-white-blue-density-column.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/patriotic-colored-liquid-layers-red-white-blue-density-column.htm Fri, 24 May 2013 12:53:49 +0000 2013-05-24T12:53:49Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/how-to-make-colored-sparklers.htm <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/chemistry/1/7/B/W/1/sparkler.jpg"width="150" height="180" alt="Red sparklers contain strontium salts. (Anne Helmenstine)" hspace=5" border="0" align="right">Sparklers are small handheld fireworks that give off fiery sparks rather than explode. Sparklers consist of a thin metal or wooden stick coated with a simple pyrotechnic mixture. Colored sparklers really are as easy to make as regular sparklers. The difference lies in the oxidizer that is used. You're basically replicating a <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/od/analyticalchemistry/a/flametest.htm">flame test</a>, except in reverse since you know the colors to expect from various metal ions. Potassium nitrate or saltpeter will impart a violet color. Barium nitrate burns green. Strontium nitrate burns red. Aside from ordering from a chemical supply store, you can find strontium nitrate in emergency flares and potassium nitrate at some garden supply stores (or you can <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/od/makechemicalsyourself/a/make-potassium-nitrate.htm">make it yourself</a>). You can mix in other metal salts from the flame test or <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/a/aa052703a.htm">colored fire</a> list, but only go for one color. If you try to mix colors, you'll likely wind up with a basic golden sparkler. There are several recipes for colored sparklers. Here are some examples. Ingredients are listed in terms of parts by weight, so you can use milligrams or grams or ounces... whatever works for you. <h3>Red Sparklers</h3><ul><li>5 parts strontium nitrate<li>1 part shellac</ul>Dip iron wires or wooden sticks in the mixture and allow it to dry completely before use. Be sure to leave enough room on the stick so that you can hold the sparkler safely.<h3>Green Sparklers</h3><ul><li>300 parts potassium chlorate <li>60 parts barium nitrate <li>60 parts aluminum fines, flitter, or granules <li>2 parts charcoal <li>10% dextrin in water solution </ul>Dip the wires or sticks in a mixture made from the dry ingredients with just enough dextrin solution to make a thick slurry. Dry the sparklers before use.<h3>Purple Sparklers</h3><ul><li>14 parts potassium nitrate<li>3 parts powdered sulfur<li>3 parts powdered charcoal<li>2 parts aluminum flitter (for sparks)<li>10% dextrin in water</ul>Dip the sticks in a mixture made from the dry ingredients with enough dextrin solution to make a slurry. <p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ht/sparkler.htm">How to Make a Sparkler</a> &#124; <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/od/fireworkspyrotechnics/a/sparklers.htm">How Sparklers Work</a> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/24/how-to-make-colored-sparklers.htm Fri, 24 May 2013 08:01:13 +0000 2013-05-24T08:01:13Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/this-day-in-science-history-may-24-kola-superdeep-bore.htm On May 24, 1970, drilling began at the Kola Superdeep Bore. This project was an attempt to drill as deep as technologically possible. Several branching holes were drilled with the ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/this-day-in-science-history-may-24-kola-superdeep-bore.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/this-day-in-science-history-may-24-kola-superdeep-bore.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 22:05:24 +0000 2013-05-23T22:05:24Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/homemade-napalm.htm Napalm is the name given to any jellied form of gasoline or other flammable petroleum. It is used for circumstances where the liquid is too hard to apply or else ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/homemade-napalm.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/homemade-napalm.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 15:03:28 +0000 2013-05-23T15:03:28Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/glow-in-the-dark-mountain-dew-2.htm <IMG SRC="http://z.about.com/d/chemistry/1/0/V/b/mtdewglow.jpg" align="right" hspace="5" Border="0" width="130" height="217">Do you remember when <a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2007/10/16/glow-in-the-dark-mountain-dew.htm">I tried the instructions</a> for making Glow in the Dark Mountain Dew? The instructions given in the video were shown to be fake <i>but</i> that doesn't ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/glow-in-the-dark-mountain-dew-2.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/23/glow-in-the-dark-mountain-dew-2.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 08:44:44 +0000 2013-05-23T08:44:44Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/22/this-day-in-science-history-may-23-john-bardeen.htm May 23^rd is American physicist John Bardeen's birthday. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on two different occasions. The first prize was in 1956 for being part of ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/22/this-day-in-science-history-may-23-john-bardeen.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/22/this-day-in-science-history-may-23-john-bardeen.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 22:30:47 +0000 2013-05-22T22:30:47Z http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/22/can-you-remove-super-glue-from-clothes-and-skin.htm <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/chemistry/1/0/p/p/1/glued-skin.jpg" hspace="5" border="0" align="right" alt="Super Glue sticks to just about everything. (Henrik Sorensen)" width="150" height="189">I think my problem, this particular one anyway, started in grade school. In art class, we'd use a toothpick to mix a bit of paint into clear-drying school glue and ...<p><a href="http://clk.about.com/?zi=1/1hc&#038;zu=http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/22/can-you-remove-super-glue-from-clothes-and-skin.htm">Read Full Post</a></p> http://chemistry.about.com/b/2013/05/22/can-you-remove-super-glue-from-clothes-and-skin.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 14:19:13 +0000 2013-05-22T14:19:13Z