FANTASTIC COLOUR CHANGING CHEMICAL "PLASMA" FOUNTAIN EXPERIMENT, you can do at home with some help from a few cute kids.
Here is one of many favourite chemistry experiments that my brother Adam and I, John devised and demonstrated to people when they visited our Kew lab in the late 70's to the early 80's.
Sort of the forerunner and inspiration to latter plasma lamps, we created but this one is achieved chemically.
This is my original write up of an earlier form of this experiment in 1979, when I was 11 that evolved a bit over time.
Never forget the scientific method!
Now I have some fun showing my kids.
First we start with red cabbage juice.
Here is the procedure for making red cabbage juice. Please have an adult help you with EVERY step.
1. Chop up a head of red cabbage and put it in a saucepan.
2. Pour boiling water over the cabbage, or boil the mixture.
3. After approx. 10 minutes, pour the mixture through a filter or strainer into another container. Pour it into a large measuring cup.
4. Throw away the used cabbage.
5. If you do not use the entire amount of cabbage juice and you would like to save it
for later, put it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. If you would like to keep it
for even longer, you can pour the liquid into ice cube trays and freeze it.
Once you make your cabbage juice, you are ready to test the pH of different substances.
Here are some suggestions:
• vinegar
• cloudy ammonia
• washing soda dissolved in water
• lemon juice
• baking soda dissolved in water
• milk
• sugar dissolved in water
• methylated spirits, etc
You can also make very useful indicator paper to test for acids and bases.
1. Soak paper towel (also called kitchen roll), blotting paper, filter paper, coffee filter or any absorbent textile made from paper instead of cloth, in this liquid. Allow it to dry. Cut the dry coloured paper into test strips.
2. Use a dropper or toothpick to apply a little liquid to a test strip. The colour range for acids and bases will depend on the particular plant. If you like, you can construct a chart of ph and colours using liquids with a known pH so that you can then test unknown liquids.
Now for the fun "Plasma Fountain Experiment."
I used very dangerous Hydrochloric acid, but you can use commonly available Vinegar or lemon juice.
Use a pipette roughly in the centre of the flask, held within a snugly fit cork or rubber bung.VERY VERY IMPORTANT :-The Flask must be made of Pyrex or Kimax brand name glassware, which is a thermal shock resistant borosilicate glass, which allows the flask to be cooled with a sponge soaked in iced water.
We start by heating the flask, make sure you are wearing your safety goggles, the air and small amount of acid inside the flask will get hot. This will cause the molecules of air and liquid inside the flask to move around faster. Since the flask is open, the air inside the flask will bigger and some of it will move outside the flask seen as vapour. Then we place a cool sponge onto it and cool it. As the air inside the flask cooled, the molecules moved about less. They banged into the sides of the flask less and the air pressure inside the flask decreased. The air pressure outside was now stronger than the pressure in the flask and so it sucked up the red cabbage juice indicator fluid, creating a beautiful fountain that changed colour as it entered the acidic environment.
Now I reverse the procedure and use the cabbage mixed with Acid that is a red colour to change back to blue well for a moment anyway.
Have fun be safe and get an adult to help you!Warning:- The video shows a number of dangerous practices involving hazardous substances whose dangers or risks that may or may not be readily apparent. I do not endorse the methods shown. Nor will I be liable for any consequential, incidental, special, indirect, punitive or exemplary damages, to persons or property. Safety is your responsibility!
Directed, Produced, Edited, Written & Narrated by John Roman Iwaszko
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Did you use that red liquid for a halloween costume?
Cuz I sure would.
Best fake blood I have seen in ages! :D
doggynolikey 10 months ago 11