Chemistry

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Chemistry is a fascinating science, full of unusual trivia! Here are some fun and interesting chemistry facts for you.

The only elements that are liquid at room temperature are bromine and mercury. However, you can melt gallium by holding a lump in the warmth of your hand.
Unlike many substances, water expands as it freezes. An ice cube takes up about 9% more volume than the water used to make it.
If you pour a handful of salt into a full glass of water, the water level will actually go down rather than overflowing the glass.

Similarly, if you mix half a liter of alcohol and half a liter of water, the total volume of the liquid will be less than one liter.
There is about 1/2 lb or 250 g of salt (NaCl) in the average adult human body.
A pure element can take many forms. For example, diamond and graphite both are forms of pure carbon.
Many radioactive elements actually do glow in the dark.
The chemical name for water (H₂O) is dihydrogen monoxide.
The only letter that doesn't appear on the periodic table is J.
Lightning strikes produce O₃, which is ozone, and strengthen the ozone layer of the atmosphere.
The only two non-silvery metals are gold and copper.
Although oxygen gas is colorless, the liquid and solid forms of oxygen are blue.
The human body contains enough carbon to provide 'lead' (which is really graphite) for about 9,000 pencils.
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, while oxygen is the most abundant element in the earth's atmosphere, crust, and oceans (about 49.5%).

The rarest naturally-occurring element in the earth's crust may be astatine. The entire crust appears to contain about 28 g of the element.
Hydrofluoric acid is so corrosive that it will dissolve glass. Although it is corrosive, hydrofluoric acid is considered to be a 'weak acid'.
One bucket full of water contains more atoms than there are buckets of water in the Atlantic ocean.

Approximately 20% of the oxygen in the atmosphere was produced by the Amazon rainforest.
Helium balloons float because helium is lighter than air.
Bee stings are acidic while wasp stings are alkaline.
Hot peppers get their heat from a molecule called capsaicin. While the molecule acts as an irritant to mammals, including humans, birds lack the receptor responsible for the effect and are immune to the burning sensation from exposure.
It's possible to die from drinking too much water.
Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide, CO₂.
Liquid air has a bluish tint, similar to water.
You can't freeze helium simply bCHEM
oling it to absolute zero. It will freeze if you apply extremely intense pressure.
By the time you feel thirsty, you've already lost about 1% of your body's water.
Mars is red because its surface contains a lot of iron oxide or rust.
Sometimes hot water freezes more quickly than cold water! A high school student documented the effect, which bears his name (the Mpemba effect).

FUN CHEM FACTS:

1.Chemistry is the study of matter and energy and the interactions between them. It is a physical science that is closely related to physics, which often shares the same definition.
2.Chemistry traces its roots back to the ancient study of alchemy. Chemistry and alchemy are separate now, though alchemy still is practiced today.
3.All matter is made up of the chemical elements, which are distinguished from each other by the numbers of protons they possess.

4.The chemical elements are organized in order of increasing atomic number into the periodic table. The first element in the periodic table is hydrogen.
5.Each element in the periodic table has a one or two-letter symbol. The only letter in the English alphabet not used on the periodic table is J. The letter q only appears in the symbol for the placeholder name for element 114, ununquadium, which has the symbol Uuq. When element 114 is officially discovered, it will be given a new name.
6.At room temperature, there are only two liquid elements. These are bromineand mercury.
7.The IUPAC name for water, H₂O, is dihydrogen monoxide.
8.Most elements are metals and most metals are silver-colored or gray. The only non-silver metals are gold and copper.
9.The discoverer of an element may give it a name. There are elements named for people (Mendelevium, Einsteinium), places (Californium, Americium) and other things.

10.Although you may consider gold to be rare, there is enough gold in the Earth's crust to cover the land surface of the planet knee-deep.

CHEM FACTS:

Chemistry is king when it comes to making science cool! Here are 10 completely awesome chemistry experiments you can try.

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Copper and Nitric Acid

When you place a piece of copper in nitric acid, the Cu²⁺ ions and nitrate ions coordinate to color the solution green and then brownish-green. If you dilute the solution, water displaces nitrate ions around the copper and the solution changes to blue.

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Hydrogen Peroxide with Potassium Iodide

Affectionately known as Elephant Toothpaste, the chemical reaction between the peroxide and potassium iodide shoots out a column of foam. If you add food coloring, you can customize the "toothpaste" for holiday-colored themes.

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Any Alkali Metal in Water

Any of the alkali metals will react vigorously in water. How vigorously? Sodium burns bright yellow. Potassium burns violet. Lithium burns red. Cesium basically explodes. Experiment moving down the alkali metals group of the periodic table.

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Thermite Reaction

The thermite reaction essentially shows what would happen if iron rusted instantly, rather than over time. In other words, it's making metal burn. If the conditions are right, just about any metal will burn. However, the reaction usually is performed by reacting iron oxide with aluminum:

Fe₂O₃ + 2Al → 2Fe + Al₂O₃ + heat and light

If you want a truly stunning display, try placing the mixture inside a block of dry ice and then lighting the mixture.

Step-By-Step Thermite Reaction Instructions
Too Tame? Try Making Etch-a-Sketch Thermite

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Coloring Fire

The rainbow of colored fire was made using common household chemicals to color the flames.

When ions are heated in a flame, electrons become excited, then drop to a lower energy state, emitting photons. The energy of the photons is characteristic of the chemical and corresponds to specific flame colors. It's the basis for the flame test in analytical chemistry, plus it's fun to experiment with different chemicals to see what colors they produce in a fire.

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Make Polymer Bouncy Balls

Polymer balls may be translucent or opaque.

Who doesn't enjoy playing with bouncy balls? The chemical reaction used to make the balls makes a terrific experiment because you can alter the properties of the balls by changing the ratio of the ingredients.

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Make a Lichtenberg Figure

This Lichtenberg figure was formed inside a

A Lichtenberg figure or "electrical tree" is a record of the path taken by electrons during an electrostatic discharge. It's basically frozen lightning. There are several ways you can make an electrical tree. All of them are cool!

Make Lichtenberg Figures Using Talc or Toner

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Experiment with "Hot Ice"

This is a crystal of sodium acetate trihydrate or hot ice.

Hot Ice is a name given to sodium acetate, a chemical you can make by reacting vinegar and baking soda. A solution of sodium acetate can be supercooled, so that it will crystallize on command. Heat is evolved when the crystals form, so although it resembles water ice, it's hot. Cool, right? More »

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Barking Dog Experiment

The Barking Dog is the name given to a chemiluminescent reaction between exothermic reaction between nitrous oxide or nitrogen monoxide and carbon disulfide. The reaction proceeds down a tube, emitting blue light and a characteristic "woof" sound.

Another version of the demonstration involves coating the inside of a clear jug with alcohol and igniting the vapor. The flame front proceeds down the the bottle, which also barks.