Photo Credit: Semesta Sains via Twitter
You know you’ve crossed into mad science when your explosions are pink.
One of the many reasons that people are drawn to science is that you can blow things up. It’s no big secret; it’s cool to think about what happens when different chemicals interact with each other. Kids are always in awe of what can be produced in a chemistry lab. And, recently, in an overseas video, kids were able to see quite an amazing chemical reaction.
The instructor and a few of the students filled a bin up with a red liquid. They then added three cups of powder and the results were stunning: a cotton candy-like cloud exploded up towards the ceiling.
The experiment could have been very dangerous if the kids and the instructor did not jump out of the way quick enough. This experiment is typically known as elephant’s toothpaste, and is used as an demonstration of catalysts. The concoction is comprised of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, potassium iodide, and food coloring.
The experiment usually doesn’t have that large of a reaction. Hydrogen peroxide, over time, breaks into water and oxygen gas. This reaction is sped up when exposed to light, hence why hydrogen peroxide comes in brown bottles.
The intent of the experiment is to show how a catalyst can be added to speed up the process. In this case, potassium iodide was the catalyst. The reaction is usually pretty oozy and doesn’t explode as the video showed. So, what happened?
It is likely that the instructor used a strong dosage of hydrogen peroxide. Typically, the experiment would call for 3% hydrogen peroxide. It is likely that the instructor was using more than 30% for the experiment. The potassium iodide was in a powder form that was not mixed with water (which it should have been).
The instructor was very lucky that nobody was hurt in this experiment, as there could have been severe chemical burns to the skin. Even though the experiment looked awesome, it should not ever be tried again with that much power.
