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Chemical reactions are part of our daily life. Cooking in the kitchen, driving a car, these reactions are common. This list features some of the most surprising and unusual reactions that most of us have never seen.

10. Sodium and water in chlorine gas

Sodium is a highly flammable element, and adding water to it can cause an explosion. In this video we see how a drop of water is added to sodium in a flask containing chlorine gas. The distinctive yellow color of the emitted light is associated with the "work" of sodium, and is often used in the creation of street lighting systems. If we combine sodium and chlorine, we get sodium chloride, that is, ordinary table salt.

9. Reaction of magnesium and dry ice

Magnesium is flammable and burns very brightly. In this experiment, you see magnesium ignite in a shell of dry ice—frozen carbon dioxide. Magnesium can burn in carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Due to the bright light it was used as a flash in the early days of photography, it is still used in marine rockets and fireworks today.

8. Reaction of Berthollet salt and sweets

Potassium chlorate is a compound of potassium, chlorine and oxygen. It is often used as a disinfectant and in fireworks and explosives. When potassium chlorate is heated to its melting point, any object that comes into contact with it at this point will cause the chlorate to decompose, resulting in an explosion. The gas released after the decay is oxygen. Because of this, it is often used in aircraft, space stations and submarines as a source of oxygen. The fire at the Mir station was also associated with this substance.

7. Meissner effect

When a superconductor is cooled below its transition temperature, it becomes diamagnetic: that is, an object is repelled by a magnetic field rather than attracted to it. This discovery by Meissner led to the emergence of the concept of “vehicle friction,” that is, an object “floats” on rails rather than being “tied” to them by its wheels.

6. Oversaturation with sodium acetate

Sodium acetate in water becomes supersaturated when heated or cooled. When it comes into contact with another object, it re-crystallizes. This reaction also produces heat, so it has no practical use in thermal pads. Sodium acetate is also used as a preservative and gives the chips their unique flavor. In the food industry it is known as E262 or sodium diacetate.

5. Superabsorbent polymers

Also known as hydrogel, they are capable of absorbing very large amounts of liquid relative to their own weight. For this reason, they are used in the diaper industry, as well as in other applications where protection from water and other liquids is required, such as the construction of underground cables.

4. Floating sulfur hexafluoride

Sulfur hexafluoride is a colorless, non-toxic and non-flammable gas that has no odor. Since it is 5 times denser than air, it can be poured into containers, and light objects immersed in it will float as if in water. Another funny, absolutely harmless feature of using this gas: it sharply lowers the voice, that is, the effect is exactly the opposite compared to the effect of helium. The effect can be seen here:

3. Superfluid helium

When helium cools to -271 degrees Celsius, it reaches the lambda point. At this stage (in liquid form) it is known as helium II and is superfluid. When it passes through the finest capillaries, it is impossible to measure its viscosity. In addition, it will "crawl" upward in search of a warm area, seemingly freed from the effects of gravity. Incredible!

2. Thermite and liquid nitrogen

Thermite is an aluminum powder and metal oxide that produces an aluminothermic reaction known as the thermite reaction. It is not explosive, but can result in very high temperature flashes. Some types of detonators “begin” with a thermite reaction, and combustion occurs at a temperature of several thousand degrees. In the presented clip we see attempts to “cool” the thermite reaction using liquid nitrogen.

1. Briggs–Rauscher reaction

This reaction is known as an oscillating chemical reaction. According to information from Wikipedia: “a freshly prepared colorless solution slowly acquires an amber color, then sharply becomes dark blue, then slowly becomes colorless again; the process is repeated in a circle several times, eventually stopping at a dark blue color, and the liquid itself smells strongly of iodine ". The reason is that during the first reaction certain substances are produced, which in turn provoke a second reaction, and the process is repeated until exhaustion.

Chemical reactions are part of everyday life. A person encounters their products literally at every step, but hardly thinks about it. We have collected the 10 most spectacular chemical reactions that will entertain adults and perhaps encourage children to study chemistry.

1. Sodium and water in chlorine gas

Sodium is a highly flammable element and simply adding water can cause an explosion. The video shows a drop of water being added to a small piece of sodium in a flask filled with chlorine gas. The yellow color of the emitted light is due to the work of sodium, which is often used in street lighting systems. The experiment also generates a large amount of heat. And if you combine sodium and chlorine, you get sodium chloride - ordinary table salt.

2. Reaction of magnesium and dry ice

Magnesium ignites very easily and burns very brightly. In this experiment, magnesium can be seen igniting in a shell of dry ice - frozen carbon dioxide. Magnesium can burn in carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Because of the intense light produced by the combustion process, magnesium was used in photographic flashes and is still used in marine flares and fireworks.

3. Reaction of potassium chlorate and candy

Potassium chlorate is a compound containing potassium, chlorine and oxygen. It is often used as a disinfectant and in fireworks and explosives. When potassium chlorate is heated to its melting point, any element added to it will cause rapid decomposition in the form of an explosion (as seen in the video). During this breakdown, oxygen is released. Because of this, potassium chlorate is often used in aircraft, space stations, and submarines as an oxygen source.

4. Meissner effect

When a superconductor is cooled to a temperature below a critical level, it becomes diamagnetic: i.e. it is repelled by the magnetic field rather than attracted to it. This discovery by Meissner led to the concept of maglev trains, where the train "floats" above the tracks rather than "using wheels to ride."

5. Oversaturation with sodium acetate

Sodium acetate becomes supersaturated when heated or cooled. When it comes into contact with another object, it crystallizes again. This reaction also produces high temperatures, so it has practical applications in the creation of thermal pads. Sodium acetate is also used as a preservative, which gives the chips their unique taste. We are talking about the food additive E262 or sodium diacetate.

6. Superabsorbent polymers

Superabsorbent polymers (also known as hydrogels) are capable of absorbing very large volumes of liquid relative to their own weight. For this reason, they are used in the diaper industry, as well as in other applications that require protection from water or liquids, such as underground cable installations.

7. Floating sulfur hexafluoride

Sulfur hexafluoride is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic and non-flammable gas. Since it is 5 times denser than air, this gas can be poured into open containers, and light objects will float on it, just like on ordinary water. Another fun use for this harmless gas is that when inhaled, it sharply lowers the voice - the exact opposite of helium.

8. Superfluid helium

When helium is cooled to minus 271 degrees Celsius, it turns into superfluid helium-II. Since it passes through even ultra-fine capillaries, its viscosity cannot be measured. In addition, helium-II will crawl up the walls of the container in search of a warmer place, which seems to contradict the force of gravity.

9. Thermite and liquid nitrogen

Thermite is a powdered mixture of aluminum with oxides of various metals, which produce the so-called thermite reaction. It is not an explosive, but it can create short flashes at very high temperatures. Combustion during the thermite reaction occurs at temperatures of several thousand degrees. In the video you can watch an attempt to “quench” the thermite reaction with liquid nitrogen (minus 200 degrees).

10. Briggs-Rauscher reaction

The Briggs-Rauscher reaction is known as an oscillating chemical reaction. A freshly prepared colorless solution slowly turns an amber color, then suddenly suddenly turns dark blue. After this, it slowly becomes colorless and the process is repeated about ten times. This is because the first reaction creates certain chemicals, which then cause a second reaction and the process repeats.

Recently, in order to popularize chemistry, a project was launched, the developers of which wanted to open the complex world of chemical reactions and structures to the general public.

Probably everyone at school studied important facts in chemistry. However, not everyone knows that chemistry surrounds us everywhere. It is impossible to imagine the life of a modern person without the use of chemical elements that are of great benefit to humanity. In addition, interesting facts about chemistry in human life will help you learn more about this amazing and useful science. Everyone should learn about chemical elements and their invaluable benefits to humans. Next, we will take a closer look at interesting facts about chemistry and how it is useful for human life.

1. To ensure the standard flight of a modern aircraft, about 80 tons of oxygen are needed. The same amount of oxygen is produced by 40 thousand hectares of forest during photosynthesis.

2. About twenty grams of salt are contained in one liter of sea water.

3. The length of 100 million hydrogen atoms in one chain is one centimeter.

4. About 7 mg of gold can be extracted from one ton of the waters of the World Ocean.

5. About 75% of water is contained in the human body.

6. The mass of our planet has increased by one billion tons over the past five centuries.

7. The thinnest matter that a person can see includes the walls of a soap bubble.

8. 0.001 seconds - speed of bursting of a soap bubble.

9. At a temperature of 5000 degrees Celsius, iron turns into a gaseous state.

10. The sun produces more energy in one minute than our planet needs for a whole year.

11. Granite is considered the best conductor of sound compared to air.

12. The largest number of chemical elements was discovered by Carl Shelley, a leading Canadian researcher.

13. The largest platinum nugget weighs more than 7 kilograms.

15. Joseph Black discovered carbon dioxide in 1754.

16. Under the influence of soy sauce, a chemical reaction occurs that makes the killed squid “dance” on the plate.

17. The organic compound skatole is responsible for the characteristic odor of feces.

18. Pyotr Stolypin took the chemistry exam from Dmitry Mendeleev.

19. The transition of a substance from a solid to a gaseous state in chemistry is called sublimation.

20. In addition to mercury, francium and gallium pass into liquid matter at room temperature.

21. Water containing methane can freeze at temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius.

22. Hydrogen is the lightest gas.

23. Hydrogen is also the most abundant substance in the world.

24. Lithium is considered one of the lightest metals.

25. In his youth, Charles Darwin was famous for his chemical discoveries.

26. In a dream, Mendeleev discovered a system of chemical elements.

27. A large number of chemical elements have been named after countries.

28. Onions contain a substance called sulfur, which causes tears in humans.

29. In Indonesia, people extract sulfur from a volcano, which brings them great profit.

30. In addition, sulfur is also added to cosmetics that are designed to cleanse problem skin.

31. Earwax protects a person from harmful bacteria and microorganisms.

32. French researcher B. Courtois discovered iodine in 1811.

33. More than 100 thousand chemical reactions occur every minute in the human brain.

34. Silver is known for its bactericidal properties, therefore it can purify water from viruses and microorganisms.

35. The name “sodium” was first used by Berzelius.

36. Iron can be easily turned into gas if it is heated to 5 thousand degrees Celsius.

37. Half the mass of the Sun is hydrogen.

38. About 10 billion tons of gold are contained in the waters of the World Ocean.

39. Once upon a time, only seven metals were known.

40. Ernest Rutherford was the first to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

41. Dihydrogen monoxide is part of acid rain and is dangerous for all living organisms.

42. At first, platinum was cheaper than silver due to its refractoriness.

43. Geosmin is a substance that is produced on the surface of the earth after rain, causing a characteristic odor.

44. Chemical elements such as ytterbium, yttrium, erbium and terbium were named after the Swedish village of Ytterby.

45. Alexander Fleming first discovered antibiotics.

46. Birds help determine the location of a gas leak due to the presence of the smell of raw meat, which is added artificially.

47. Charles Goodyear first invented rubber.

48. It is easier to get ice from hot water.

49. Finland has the cleanest water in the world.

50. Helium is considered the lightest among the noble gases.

51. Emeralds contain beryllium.

52. Boron is used to color fire green.

53. Nitrogen can cause clouding of consciousness.

54. Neon can glow red if current is passed through it.

55. The ocean contains large amounts of sodium.

56. Computer chips use silicon.

57. Phosphorus is used to make matches.

58. Chlorine can cause allergic reactions in the respiratory system.

59. Argon is used in light bulbs.

60. Potassium can burn with a violet fire.

61. Dairy products contain large amounts of calcium.

62. Scandium is used to make baseball bats, which improves their impact resistance.

63. Titanium is used to create jewelry.

64. Vanadium is used to make steel stronger.

65. Rare cars were often decorated with chrome.

66. Manganese can lead to intoxication of the body.

67. Cobalt is used to make magnets.

68. Nickel is used to produce green glass.

69. Copper conducts current perfectly.

70. To increase the service life of steel, zinc is added to it.

71. Spoons containing gallium can melt in hot water.

72. Germanium is used in mobile phones.

73. A toxic substance includes arsenic, from which poison for rats is made.

74. Bromine can melt at room temperature.

75. Strontium is used to produce red fireworks.

76. Molybdenum is used to produce powerful tools.

77. Technetium is used in x-rays.

78. Ruthenium is used in jewelry production.

79. Rhodium has an incredibly beautiful natural shine.

80. Some pigment paints use cadmium.

81. Indium can produce a sharp sound when bent.

82. Uranium is used to produce nuclear weapons.

83. Americium is used in smoke detectors.

84. Edward Benedictus accidentally invented impact-resistant glass, which is now widely used in various industries.

85. Radon is considered the rarest element of the atmosphere.

86. Tungsten has the highest boiling point.

87. Mercury has the lowest melting point.

88. Argon was discovered by the English physicist Relay in 1894.

89. Canaries sense the presence of methane in the air, so they are used to search for gas leaks.

90. Small amounts of methanol can cause blindness.

91. Cesium is one of the most active metals.

92. Fluorine reacts actively with almost all substances.

93. About thirty chemical elements are part of the human body.

94. In everyday life, a person often encounters the hydrolysis of salts, for example, while washing clothes.

95. Due to the oxidation reaction, colored pictures appear on the walls of gorges and quarries.

96. It is impossible to wash stains from protein products in hot water.

97. Dry ice is a solid form of carbon dioxide.

98. The earth’s crust contains the largest number of chemical elements.

99. With the help of carbon dioxide, you can obtain a large number of other substances.

100. Aluminum is one of the lightest metals.

10 facts from the life of chemists

1. The life of the chemist Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin is connected not only with chemistry, but also with music.

2.Edouard Benedictus - a chemist from France who made the discovery by accident.

3. Semyon Volfkovich was engaged in experiments related to phosphorus. When he worked with him, his clothes were also saturated with phosphorus, and therefore, when he returned home late at night, the professor emitted a bluish glow.

4.Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics by accident.

5. The famous chemist Dmitry Mendeleev was the 17th child in the family.

6. Carbon dioxide was discovered by the English scientist Joseph Priestley.

7. Dmitry Mendeleev’s paternal grandfather was a priest.

8. The famous chemist Svante Arrhenius became overweight from an early age.

9.R. Wood, who is considered an American chemist, originally worked as a laboratory assistant.

10. Sodium and water in chlorine gas

Sodium is a very flammable element. In this video we see how a drop of water is added to sodium in a flask containing chlorine gas. Yellow color is the work of sodium. If we combine sodium and chlorine, we get sodium chloride, that is, ordinary table salt.

9. Reaction of magnesium and dry ice

8. Reaction of Berthollet salt and sweets

Potassium chlorate is a compound of potassium, chlorine and oxygen. When potassium chlorate is heated to its melting point, any object that comes into contact with it at this point will cause the chlorate to decompose, resulting in an explosion. The gas released after the decay is oxygen. Because of this, it is often used in aircraft, space stations and submarines as a source of oxygen. The fire at the Mir station was also associated with this substance.

7. Meissner effect

When a superconductor is cooled below its transition temperature, it becomes diamagnetic: that is, an object is repelled by a magnetic field rather than attracted to it.

6. Oversaturation with sodium acetate

Yes, yes, this is the legendary sodium acetate. I think everyone has heard about “liquid ice” more than once. Well, there’s nothing more to add)

5. Superabsorbent polymers

4. Floating sulfur hexafluoride

3. Superfluid helium

2. Thermite and liquid nitrogen

No, this video will not involve watering termites with liquid nitrogen.

1. Briggs-Rauscher reaction

More interesting:

If you think that chemistry is a very boring science, then I advise you to look further at 7 very interesting and unusual chemical reactions that will definitely surprise you. Perhaps the gifs in the continuation of the post will be able to convince you, and you will stop thinking that chemistry is boring;) Let's look further.

Hypnotizing Bromic Acid

According to science, the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction is an “oscillatory chemical reaction” in which “transition group metal ions catalyze the oxidation of various, usually organic, reducing agents with bromic acid in an acidic aqueous medium,” which allows “the formation of complex spatio-temporal structures to be observed with the naked eye.” structures." This is the scientific explanation for the hypnotic phenomenon that occurs when you throw a little bromine into an acidic solution.

The acid turns the bromine into a chemical called bromide (which takes on a completely different color), and the bromide quickly turns back into bromine because the science elves living inside it are stubborn assholes. The reaction repeats over and over again, allowing you to endlessly watch the movement of incredible wave-like structures.

Transparent chemicals instantly turn black

Question: What happens if you mix sodium sulfite, citric acid and sodium iodide?
The correct answer is below:

When you mix the above ingredients in certain proportions, the end result is a capricious liquid that starts out clear in color and then suddenly turns black. This experiment is called the Iodine Clock. Simply put, this reaction occurs when specific components combine in such a way that their concentration gradually changes. If it reaches a certain threshold, the liquid turns black.
But that is not all. By changing the proportion of ingredients, you have the opportunity to get the opposite reaction:

In addition, using various substances and formulas (for example, the Briggs-Rauscher reaction, as an option), you can create a schizophrenic mixture that will constantly change its color from yellow to blue.

Creating plasma in the microwave

Do you want to do something fun with your friend, but you don't have access to a bunch of obscure chemicals or the basic knowledge needed to mix them safely? Don't despair! All you need for this experiment are grapes, a knife, a glass and a microwave. So, take a grape and cut it in half. Divide one of the pieces into two parts again with a knife so that these quarters remain connected by the peel. Place them in the microwave and cover with an upside down glass, turn on the oven. Then step back and watch as the aliens steal the cut berry.

In fact, what is happening before your eyes is one of the ways to create a very small amount of plasma. Since school, you know that there are three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Plasma is essentially the fourth type and is an ionized gas obtained by superheating ordinary gas. Grape juice turns out to be rich in ions, and therefore is one of the best and most affordable means for conducting simple scientific experiments.

However, be careful when trying to create a plasma in the microwave, as the ozone that forms inside the glass can be toxic in large quantities!

Lighting an extinguished candle through a trail of smoke

You can try this trick at home without the risk of exploding your living room or your entire house. Light a candle. Blow it out and immediately bring the fire to the smoke trail. Congratulations: you did it, now you are a true master of fire.

It turns out that there is some kind of love between fire and candle wax. And this feeling is much stronger than you think. It doesn’t matter what state the wax is in - liquid, solid, gaseous - the fire will still find it, overtake it and burn it to hell.

Crystals that glow when crushed

Here is a chemical called europium tetrakis, which exhibits the effect of triboluminescence. However, it is better to see once than to read a hundred times.

This effect occurs when crystalline bodies are destroyed due to the conversion of kinetic energy directly into light.

If you want to see all this with your own eyes, but you don’t have europium tetrakis on hand, it doesn’t matter: even the most ordinary sugar will do. Just sit in a dark room, put a few sugar cubes in a blender and enjoy the beauty of fireworks.

Back in the 18th century, when many people thought that scientific phenomena were caused by ghosts or witches or ghosts of witches, scientists used this effect to make fun of “mere mortals” by chewing sugar in the dark and laughing at those who fled from them like fire .

Hellish monster emerging from a volcano

Mercury(II) thiocyanate is a seemingly innocent white powder, but once you set it on fire, it immediately turns into a mythical monster, ready to devour you and the whole world.

The second reaction, pictured below, is caused by the combustion of ammonium dichromate, resulting in the formation of a miniature volcano.

Well, what happens if you mix the two above-mentioned chemicals and set them on fire? See for yourself.

However, do not try these experiments at home, as both mercury(II) thiocyanate and ammonium dichromate are highly toxic and can cause serious harm to your health if burned. Take care of yourself!

Laminar flow

If you mix coffee with milk, you will end up with a liquid that you are unlikely to ever be able to separate into its constituent components again. And this applies to all substances that are in a liquid state, right? Right. But there is such a thing as laminar flow. To see this magic in action, just place a few drops of multi-colored dyes in a transparent container with corn syrup and mix everything carefully...

... and then mix again at the same pace, but now in the opposite direction.

Laminar flow can occur under any conditions and using different types of liquids, but in this case, this unusual phenomenon is due to the viscous properties of corn syrup, which, when mixed with dyes, forms multi-colored layers. So, if you just as carefully and slowly perform the action in the opposite direction, everything will return to its original place. It's like traveling back in time!