#5: Rocks & Minerals

Even though I stopped collecting them a few years ago, I continue to be fascinated by the many rocks and minerals that I own. I started acquiring rocks on a small scale when I was ten or eleven until I eventually became a serious rock hound. Sadly, due to the area that I lived in, all I ended up doing was paying lots of money to order them online or buy them at stores. I eventually halted my spending spree and moved on to other nerdy things.

Recently, I have taken a new interest in my mineral collection, this time, from a chemistry perspective. I find it neat that most rocks are really just large, dense samples of simple compounds. For example, in the picture below, the big yellow rock on the bottom left is composed entirely of the element sulfur. In fact, on a few occasions I have actually chipped off a piece in order to smash it up and use it in an experiment. While grinding stones in a mortar and pestle may not seem like the most efficient way to find substances, it is, when you think about it, how most materials are obtained in the real world. The truth is, rocks and minerals are really just chemicals in their raw, sometimes pretty, but usually ugly form.

Through the years I accumulated quite a few remarkable specimens.

I placed my smaller rocks in tackle boxes.

It's clear to see that minerals come in a variety of shapes and colors.

#4: Uranium Glass

Last week I visited my grandparents in Frederick Maryland where my grandma owns a large collection of very old glassware. As I was looking through the many pieces she owned, I found something that sparked my interest. I read a book recently about the many ways that dangerous chemicals have been used throughout the past hundred years. The book talked specifically about the use of toxic and radioactive substances in dyes for glassware. With this in mind, I noticed one piece that I thought might be example of this.

It was a small dirty-green pitcher made in Czechoslovakia sometime before the 1950s. According to my book and wikipedia, there is a high likelihood that it was dyed using uranium ore (uranium oxide). This so-called "uranium glass" was very popular during the 20th century and was said to contain large amounts of radioactive uranium. Due to the fact that I don't own a Geiger counter, all I can do is speculate. While the possibility seems wild, the use of uranium as a glass dye was not uncommon and really wasn't dangerous as radiation levels were low.

Green glassware from Czechoslovakia possibly containing radioactive uranium.

To read more about uranium glass...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_glass

#3: Synthesizing Ferrofluid

I successfully created a liquid, otherwise known as a ferrofluid, that responds to magnetic fields. Through a couple shopping trips and an online order, I was able to find hydrochloric acid (HCl), steel wool, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ammonia (NH3), oleic acid (C18H34O2), and kerosene. I started by dissolving the steel wool in a beaker of hydrochloric acid until the solution turned a beautiful lime green color. I poured this newly-created solution of what is called ferrous chloride (FeCl2), into two flasks, one of which I corked and the other I left open and added a few drops of hydrogen peroxide. By doing this I introduced oxygen directly to the second flask forming what is known as ferric chloride (FeCl3).

Next, I combined both flasks of ferrous and ferric chloride and added them to a larger flask containing ammonia. After letting the mixture react for a little while, I placed it on my alcohol burner and began heating it. Once it became relatively hot, I added a small amount of oleic acid that would act as a surfactant. I continued to heat the solution for about two hours until most of the excess ammonia and hydrochloric acid had boiled off as a gas. 

After letting it cool down for a while, I poured the jet-black solution into a beaker and added some kerosene. It took a couple hours, but eventually my ferrofluid, which had dissolved in the kerosene thanks to my surfactant, separated from the leftover water. By decanting this oily layer, I had my magnetic liquid.

Here is my ferrofluid suspended in sugar water; it isn't top notch, but it's still pretty neat.

If you want to learn more about ferrofluid...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrofluid

#2: Hydrogen Combustion

(September 2013) I reacted lye (sodium hydroxide (NaOH) with aluminum foil in a flask full of water to produce flammable hydrogen gas. I then placed a large balloon over the head of the flask to collect the gas. After tying the balloon and setting it in the middle of our patio, I lit the end of a long bamboo pole and extended it toward the balloon. The balloon instantly exploded into a bright fireball and created a loud boom as the hydrogen bonded with the surrounding oxygen to make dihydrogen monoxide (H2O).

It was quite the explosion.

#1: Diamagnetic Levitation

(September 2013) I built a real levitation device that relies on the complex diamagnetic properties of bismuth metal. I ordered a bismuth ingot online and, thanks to its melting point of 521 degrees Fahrenheit, I was able to melt it down on our stovetop. It took me a couple tries, but eventually I casted the molten metal into the pieces I wanted.

After sanding and polishing them, I positioned one over the other using Legos. I then built a wood structure to hold up an adjustable bolt to which I attached a lifter magnet. After adjusting this to the right height, I was able freely levitate a small neodymium magnet that I placed in-between the pieces of bismuth.

From the right angle it looks super awesome.

The full setup is pretty simple.

If you want to read more about diamagnetism...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamagnetism

If you would like to order some bismuth for yourself...
http://www.rotometals.com/Bismuth-s/4.htm