rocket powered skateboard

You may have seen an earlier post with a video showing the methanol bomb.

This is what happens when you strap it to a skateboard.

dioxin poisoning

The two photos here were taken only a couple of months apart in 2004.

The man is Victor Yushchenko, a candidate in the Ukranian general election of 2004. The campaign was very bitter and often violent, and Yushchenko became seriously ill in early September 2004. He was flown to a specialist clinic in Vienna and treated for a series of acute internal medical problems, claiming to have been poisoned by government agents.

The real cause of his problem was only discovered after a Dutch toxicologist recognized the symptoms of chloracne (characterised by the pockmarked and bloated nature of his face) while viewing television news coverage of his condition. On December 11, Austrian doctors confirmed that Yushchenko had been poisoned with TCDD dioxin, and had the second highest dioxin level ever recorded in a human.

Dioxins are produced in small concentrations when organic material is burned in the presence of chlorine, whether the chlorine is present as chloride ions or as organochlorine compounds, so they are widely produced in many industrial contexts, but the main problem with them is bioaccumulation in the food chain. The sort of doses found in Yushchenko would have been highly toxic and most likely carcinogenic. Dioxin is widely regarded as the world's most deadly man made chemical (just ahead of sarin) based on LD₅₀ figures(lethal dose 50% - the amount of the chemical needed to account for the death of 50% of a tested population).

Despite this major setback to his health, his popularity did not wane, and on January 23, 2005 Yushchenko was inaugurated as the President of Ukraine.

However his bad luck didn't end there. He was struck by a lightening bolt later that year whilst climbing the Ukraine's highest mountain, but again he survived.

flame tests

What happens when you take compounds of strontium, copper and calcium, dissolve them in ethanol and then spray the resulting solutions onto a bunsen flame? Well you get some distinctively coloured flames (crimson red, green and orange), then if you're not careful, you set fire to the desk.

Different metals and metal compounds often give uniquely coloured flames when burned, based on each element's characteristic emission spectrum. For this reason they are commonly used in fireworks to get a variety of different colours during displays.

ammonium dichromate volcano

Ammonium dichromate, (NH₄)₂Cr₂O₇, is often known as Vesuvian Fire, for reasons you can see from the video below. It has been used in pyrotechnics and in the early days of photography. The volcano demonstration involves igniting a pile of the salt, which initiates the following conversion:

(NH₄)₂Cr₂O₇(s) → Cr₂O₃(s) + N₂(g) + 4H₂O(g)

This demonstration finds only limited use because the chromium(III) oxide ash produced by this reaction is toxic, possibly carcinogenic. This is also the reason I get the technicians to clean it up.

liquid oxygen

Strangely, liquid oxygen (LOX) is pale blue in colour and is paramagnetic.

Paramagnetic materials are attracted to magnetic fields (like the poles of a magnet) but unlike ferromagnets they do not retain any magnetization in the absence of an externally applied magnetic field (so don't expect liquid oxygen to attract a piece of steel).

diffusion

Ghostly apparitions, or simply blue ink diffusing into water. Ooohh, ghosts. Scary.

Mpemba effect

Contrary to rational common sense and most of the laws of thermodynamics, hot water will freeze more quickly than cold water.

It's called the Mpemba effect.

For an explanation, have a look here.

why water freezes faster after heating

salt and pepper

This image of a whole peppercorn with a grain of sea salt offers a close-up glimpse of the structure of simple everyday products that we use on our food. Mind you, that's it for me and pepper. No more of that veiny rascal on my cheese sandwiches.

methanol bomb

Methanol is a volatile liquid which will easily vaporise when shaken in a large water cooler, since the relatively weak hydrogen bonds holding the methanol molecules together are fairly easily overcome at room temperature. Being an alcohol, it's also very flammable.

water balloons

Once the balloon has been pierced, the hydrogen bonding between H₂O molecules holds the water together for long enough to retain the balloon shape, before gravity steps in.



If you like this, have a look at some NASA astronauts mucking about in zero gravity conditions with water balloons

NASA water balloons

ban DHMO

The following extract is from "Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide" by the Coalition to Ban DHMO © 1988. Nothing has yet been done solve this worldwide problem. Ask your Chemistry teacher to let you sign the petition if you are still worried after reading this, or visit DHMO.org to find out the truth about Dihydrogen Monoxide. Please take the time to visit the site now, or in the near future. You'll be glad you did.

BAN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE - THE INVISIBLE KILLER

Dihydrogen monoxide is colourless, odourless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year.

What are the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide?

Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen Monoxide Facts

Dihydrogen monoxide:
-is also known as hydric acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
-contributes to the Greenhouse Effect.
-may cause severe burns.
-contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
-accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
-may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
-has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination is reaching epidemic proportions

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. In the midwest alone DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage.

Dihydrogen Monoxide Uses

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
-as an industrial solvent and coolant.
-in nuclear power plants.
-in the production of styrofoam.
-as a fire retardant.
-in many forms of cruel animal research.
-in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
-as an additive in certain junk-foods and other food products.

Stop the horror - Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its importance to the economic health of this nation. In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.

It's not too late

Act NOW to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this dangerous chemical. What you don't know CAN hurt you and others throughout the world.