Magic Chemistries

Magic Chemistries

As I said before my purpose with this blog is not only share information that you cannot understand or you do not like it or bores you. I want to catch your attention with chemistry; science is not boring at all. Everyone in a moment dreams to have super powers or abilities to do magic. Now, I have to tell you: that dream IS POSSIBLE WITH CHEMISTRY!!

Chemists use reactions to produce different compounds. The majority of magic chemistries are related to mix the correct things to have the most surprising products. There is a many types of chemical reactions that chemists do but the most used to magic chemistries are: oxidation-reduction, combustion, synthesis, decomposition, substitution or single replacement or metathesis. Doing these reactions correctly we can produce: invisible inks, substances that change mysteriously of color, water that muddies blowing air, an egg fry without oil and heat, lemonade that turns into wine, white sugar becomes in black coal. It looks like magic, but it is the product of chemistry and its reactions. And that is why I call it magic chemistries.

You can use chemistry in your favor to surprise other persons during a magic show or to have fun with your family or friends or use it in science projects to catch the attention of your public.

Below are the scientific or chemical concepts behind two chemical tricks that you can do carefully and with the consent of your parents:

   1)    Set money on fire and watch it burn out without damaging the bill.

A combustion reaction occurs between alcohol and oxygen, producing heat and light (energy) and carbon dioxide and water.

C₂H₅OH + 4 O₂ -> 2 CO₂ + 3 H₂O + energy

When the bill is soaked an alcohol-water solution, the alcohol has a high vapor pressure and is mainly on the outside of the material (a bill is more like fabric than paper, which is nice, if you've ever accidentally washed one). When the bill is lit, the alcohol is what actually burns. The temperature at which the alcohol burns is not high enough to evaporate the water, which has a high specific heat, so the bill remains wet and isn't able to catch fire on its own. After the alcohol has burned, the flame goes out, leaving a slightly damp dollar bill.

Materials: dollar bill, tongs, a lighter, salt, solution of 50% alcohol and 50% water (you can mix 95% alcohol with water in a 1:1 ratio, if desired)

Procedure:

   1.     Prepare the alcohol and water solution. You can mix 50 ml of water with 50 ml of 95-100% alcohol.

   2.     Add a pinch salt or other colorant to the alcohol/water solution, to help produce a visible flame.

   3.     Soak a dollar bill in the alcohol/water solution so that it is thoroughly wet.

   4.     Use tongs to pick up the bill. Allow any excess liquid to drain. Move the damp bill away from the alcohol-water solution.

   5.     Light the bill on fire and allow it to burn until the flame goes out.

   2)    Smoking fingers.

Phosphorus is a chemical element that can take several forms, called allotropes. The type of phosphorus in the striker of match boxes is red phosphorus. When you burn the striker, the phosphorus is vaporized and condenses into a solid onto the cool metal surface. This is white phosphorus. The element has not changed identify just the structural arrangement of the atoms. Rubbing your fingers together produces enough heat from friction to vaporize the phosphorus into what appears to be smoke.

White phosphorus readily reacts with oxygen in air to form a flammable compound. Because of this, one of the earliest uses of the purified element was to make matches. The early phosphorus-based matches were dangerous, containing enough phosphorus to poison a person. Modern matches are called "safety" matches because they don't use highly toxic chemicals. The smoking fingers trick used to be a popular school science demonstration. It is not performed much anymore because of concerns about the risk from the phosphorus, but if you do the trick infrequently, the dose of phosphorus is small. You can lessen the exposure by wearing thin, disposable gloves and taking care not to breathe the vapor.

Materials: matchbox of safety matches, cold water faucet or chilled pan, scissors, lighter

Procedure:

    1.     Cut out the striker portion of a matchbox from a box of safety matches. Trim off any paper around the striker.

    2.     Fold the striker in half, striker-sides facing each other.

    3.     Set the folded striker on top of the running cold water faucet or a refrigerated metal pan.

    4.     Use a lighter to set fire to the striker. Ignite both ends. Then run the lighter along the length of the folded striker. It won't burn to ash, which is fine.

    5.     Discard the burned striker.

6.     You will see a brown residue that has been deposited along the top of the faucet or metal pan. Run your fingertip along the residue to pick it up.

Never is too late to make happy other persons, let’s make happy them with chemistry. I invite you to read more of magic chemistries in the references and see the videos below.

See you later chemist-wizards,

-Stephanie

References:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/demonstrationsexperiments/ss/burnmoney.htm
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/smokingfingers.htm