Playful

Yesterdays blog got me thinking about some of the other experiments we carried out at uni, normally when anyone who might have known better was safely away from the lab. Messing about with Flourine was fun and could produce some spectacular results. Then we went through a stage of setting up little tests that we knew would have delayed reactions. That way we could hide them on a shelf and calmly walk away, waiting for the explosion, smoke or fire alarm, or Mr Weddell the chemistry master to race from the lab coughing and threatening to castrate everyone in his next lecture. My personal favourite involved mixing equal amounts of iodine powder and aluminium powder in a small can and just leaving it on the bench while we all went out for lunch. I think the results can still be seen on YouTube. They can certainly still be seen on the workbench in the lab.

RC 2-3-10