Hello Chemistry World

Howdy, folks! 

If you are a fan of Nile Red or TKOR or other YouTubers that do crazy science experiments, this site may be for you. Unlike those "shows," I'm going to take more time to explain what I am doing in detailed writing, and explain the science and math behind it. I have no plan to sell instructions or ask for donations. I am learning as I go, using random (and often conflicting) web content, curiosity, and a dubious common sense as my guide. Like most things, I know just enough to be dangerous.

If you are new to chemistry, or home schooling someone, you might be able to follow right along with me. If you are expert, please comment if I make any mistakes or you would like to add anything. I've started my first few experiments and had some spectacular failures along the way, but even those are sometimes beautiful and ultimately understood. Here is one such mistake. How wonderful is this brave new world of fumeroles (vents in a crust), hot acid beneath, and gorgeous crystals growing on the sides of the beaker from the fumes?

Now, imagine that I stored this precious keepsake away overnight and it all turned a radioactive green color, which I subsequently bottled (making the hideous colors of the UT Dallas Comets in the process). I thought it was tetrahydrate of ferrous chloride. Some of it is indeed that, but mostly not as it turns out. Still, a lovely/hideous shade of green and collectible UTD souvenir! Contact me for pricing to show your school spirit.

     

This mistake turned out to lead to several learnings by me, all backed up with actual chemistry where the equations balance, the electron configurations are correct, the reactions are understood, and the refined copper is actually copper. Not everything on the internet was correct or explained fully. Hopefully anyone who tries my experiments will learn from what I did right and what I did wrong.

I am a mineral collector. I prefer field collecting at mines (good social distancing), but have bought my share of much lovelier specimens. Along the way, I will tend to relate to various minerals in terms of crystallization, molecular bonding, etc. Some of the same substances we use in chemistry are also found naturally as minerals. Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) for example makes up the minerals calcite and aragonite. It is also a common chemical in the lab. And finally, you probably eat the stuff when you take a Tums for acid indigestion.

Thank you for joining me on the brave (and expensive) journey of discovery. I promise shortly to blog on the following for starters:

• Remove copper plating from new pennies, leaving perfect zinc penny cores behind
• Remove the zinc core from new pennies, leaving hollow shells of copper
• Make beautiful Bismuth crystals
• Remove and refine copper from its primary ore, a popular green mineral named malachite
• Create a propane powered furnace for melting higher-temperature metals
• View cosmic rays (and radiation from a mineral) in a cloud chamber

Thanks for reading,

Paul

P.S. I'll try to write such that you don't *have* to understand the science and math to perform the experiments. That part is required for me (eventually) but optional for you. Again, feel free to leave any comments including questions.