AN EVENING OF CHEMICAL MAGIC
The Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) hosted the fourth annual "chemistry magic show" on April 9, 2009.  Many families came to watch and were delighted!  This year we incorporated some oldies but goodies as well as new bubble demonstrations, and we made ice cream with liquid nitrogen for tasting, much to everyone's delight.  All photos courtesy of Scott Hardage and Tim Garner and used with permission.

 


SAACS Vice President Brendan Monks demonstrates just how shock-sensitive Nitrogen Triiodide is.  The purple cloud is escaping iodine gas.







SAACS Vice President Sarah Fried prepares to explode a balloon full of hydrogen.

SAACS Co-sponsor Jennifer Bachman makes a super bubble the size of Breland Brumby's head!






Sophomore Bre Brumby produces a spherical bubble from a cubic wand.




The Hydrogen Rocket, explained by Forrest Edens, homeschool student, takes off!





Freshman Deanna Wolford makes a tunnel of flames in a brand new demonstration!



SAACS President Margaret Ann Gray ignites guncotton.  Guncotton is cotton in which the normal celluose has been replaced with nitrocellulose.



Jennifer Bachman does the "Many Waters" oscillating clock reaction, in which the solution changes colors from red to yellow to green to blue to purple.  Jennifer would like to acknowledge Dr. Charles Peyser in the psychology department for valuable advice which dramatically enhanced the viewability of the reaction.




Deanna ignites a rather large methane bubble!




The Luminol Spiral is a crowd favorite.



Junior Mike Corliss throws a flash-frozen racquetball at the floor of Blackman Auditorium.  It shattered right on cue.


Ice cream is served to hungry onlookers.





The evening concluded with a spectacular Thermite reaction, which tipped over in the courtyard.  SAACS were glad we decided to do that reaction OUTSIDE this year!!