Chemistry Based Practical Jokes

Before I start this ranty post, I want to state up front that I make a habit of making chemistry fun. I’ve let off controlled explosions in demonstrations, used naked flames in demonstrations and have sent rockets so high in the sky, air clearance was obtained. I love doing this. It’s fun and demonstrates a lot of abstract ideas beautifully.

I also love it when chemistry gets a mention in mainstream media. No wait, I mostly like it when mainstream media covers chemistry. There are times when all I can do is yell obscenities at my computer monitor when I see articles titled, “How to Use Basic Chemistry to Scare the Hell Out of Your Neighbour” like I did over at Gizmodo. The only reason why I’m linking to it even though it irks me to do so is because it has high visibility and you have probably read it anyway. It is also what I’m about to rip into.

Halloween is around the corner. I live in Australia and in my neighbourhood with the absence of American expats, it’s mostly a non-event. However this doesn’t preclude me from filling with rage as I read some of the Halloween pranks that Eric Limer has suggested to Gizmodo readers. Rage because it’s ridiculously stupid purposefully harmful moronic pranks that make it that much more difficult to conduct a fun chemistry demonstration in schools in the name of education.

Let’s start with the suggestion of a sprayable stink bomb. A mixture of match heads soaked in household ammonia. Limer admits that ammonia is potent all by itself. No kidding. It’s so potent that I use gloves in a well ventilated space when using it around the home. I’m not even in a lab with extraction hood going when I take those precautions. Quite frankly, I don’t want to have red and runny eyes while wishing for clear air to breathe. It is absolutely nasty stuff and not something you want to get anywhere near your eyes.

There’s no logical explanation why anyone with any sense of responsibility would suggest soaking match heads in ammonia to create a smelly solution to load into a water gun to spray on other people. Every single time I have been involved in a water gun fight, water has gotten in my eyes and all over me. Think of all the areas with sensitive skin, eyes, nasal passages, ears, mouth. Awful huh? Now extend that to the nether regions. Yeah. I had to go there.

Try explaining those chemical burns in the emergency department to the attending doctors and nurses repeatedly because everyone will ask why you’re there. Maybe even one day, your story will become one of those emergency department stories told as a moral teaching to stave off acts of stupidity.

The prank that had me checking that I hadn’t slipped into an alternate reality accidentally where dangerous pranks are acceptable was Limer’s suggestion was to use methylene blue to change the colour of other people’s urine to blue. Just slip a tablespoon of the stuff into a 2L bottle of cola drink. I don’t even use a tablespoon of the stuff in titrations. I have only ever used drops.

Methylene blue has a wide range of applications. It’s an excellent fungicide in aquariums as well as treating fish infected with ich. It also has a wide range of medical uses and because of this, methylene blue has a list of medications that should not be used in conjunction with. Limer does point out,

“For the vast majority of people a tiny dose of methylene blue is harmless”.

True but how are you going to know whether someone else is on any of these medications:

• meperidine (Demerol);
• diet pills, stimulants, cold or allergy medicines, ADHD medication;
• migraine or cluster headache medication such as almotriptan (Axert), frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex, Treximet), or zolmitriptan (Zomig);
• medication to treat Parkinson’s disease or restless leg syndrome, such as carbidopa or levodopa (Lodosyn, Parcopa, Sinemet), pramipexole (Mirapex), or ropinirole (Requip);
• an “SSRI” antidepressant such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, Symbyax), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft);
• an “SNRI” antidepressant such as venlafaxine (Effexor), desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), or duloxetine (Cymbalta);
• a “tricyclic” antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Vanatrip, Limbitrol), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), or trimipramine (Surmontil); or
• other medications used to treat depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric conditions, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban, Aplenzin), buspirone (BuSpar), maprotiline (Ludiomil), mirtazapine (Remeron), nefazodone, trazodone (Desyrel, Oleptro), or vilazodone (Viibryd).

or have either of these conditions:

• kidney disease; or
• glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.

Also, pregnant women should also avoid drinking methylene blue. It isn’t known whether methylene blue will harm an unborn baby. And nor is it known whether methylene blue passes through into breast milk.

Do you ask? (I would part with money to watch you ask all of the women of reproductive age whether they are pregnant.) Do you label your methylene blue laced 2L cola appropriately during the party? If there is alcohol at the party, how do you ensure guests or even yourself don’t mix up the bottle with innocent bottles? All these questions for one prank because if you don’t ask, you could well end up with a guest needing a hospital stay.

Then there is the suggestion to make a homemade dry ice powered PVC cannon. Do I need to point out that law enforcement agencies do not take kindly to homemade cannons? And even with the suggestion to aim skyward for safety, just how many people will keep to that operating advice?

If that’s not enough, you can finish the night with a bang by lighting a balloon filled with hydrogen gas for any remaining guests and neighbours to marvel at. Lighting up a hydrogen gas filled balloon is fun. I have done it but then I wasn’t on a mission to annoy everyone in my neighbourhood thinking no one would think to call the police over a loud bang and ensuing ball of fire.

Limer walks through how to make and collect hydrogen gas. No big deal but when you have to write,

“If you don’t know what hydrochloric acid is, or where to get it, then don’t try this in the first place.”

perhaps you shouldn’t write about this stuff in the first place. Regardless whether people know about it or not, they will now in all likelihood seek it out and probably not bother to read the MSDS before using it. I am even less thrilled with the suggestion of how to light a hydrogen filled balloon.

“Using a long fireplace match (and still wearing your gloves and glasses), ignite the balloon by poking it. You should experience a surprisingly brisant and startling explosion.”

Umm….no. Just no. A long fireplace match is NOT something I would use to light up a hydrogen filled balloon. What I’ve used in the past is a long pole where a match is attached to the end to light the balloon. That startling explosion Limer mentions is not one you want to be within arm’s length of.

And finally, how does one dispose of the acid?

“To dispose of the acid, keep your rubber gloves on, and pour the contents of the bottle into a toilet bowl or sink. Flush everything down the drain with water.”

Down the toilet? Really? No. A world of no. When handling acid, you want to know exactly where that acid is at all times to prevent injuries, namely burns. I mentioned sensitive areas earlier and it’s the same situation here. Your sensitive groin area is very much exposed on a toilet seat. Thanks to Murphy’s Law, any remnant of acid on the seat will be found most painfully.

It would be best to neutralise the acid first before disposal but if you don’t know how to do this, you really shouldn’t be handling acid in the first place.

And after all that, the only suggestion that Limer made that I don’t have a problem with is adding baking soda to a nearly empty bottle of ketchup sauce resulting in a spray of ketchup everywhere. It is rather lame. Then again, pranks are lame.

Would it not be better to use basic chemistry to spice up Halloween where no one was at risk of getting hurt or is that not the in thing these days?

If you do want to do chemistry at home without ending up in an emergency department or having the local law enforcement visit, it is possible. Check out Try This at Home.

[UPDATE]: Royal Society of Chemistry has just issued a press release condemning the methylene blue prank.

Related articles

• Making People Hate Chemistry on Halloween (cenblog.org)
• These Halloween pranks from Gizmodo could seriously damage your health | Dr Mark Lorch (guardian.co.uk)
• When practical jokes and chemistry don’t mix (chemistry-blog.com)

A Toast to Chemistry

Image via Wikipedia

It’s the end of the year. It’s a time to reflect and celebrate and it’s also a time for Champagne. More Champagne corks are popped during the festive season than at any other time of the year.

Champagne isn’t all about the bubbles. It is a type of sparkling wine but only sparkling wine made from the grapes from the region of Champagne in France can be called Champagne. Everyone else has to call it something else.

The bubbles in Champagne and their equivalents are bubbles of carbon dioxide being released. In each glass of Champagned consumed there are over 600 chemical compounds that join with the carbon dioxide creating the aroma and flavour of the drink.

Legend has it that French Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon invented sparkling wine in the cellars of Abbey of Hautvillers. He didn’t. He did advance the development of the production of Champagne such as the muselet, you know the bit of wire over the cork to hold it in place to prevent the fermentation pressure from pushing the cork out. The explosive quality of Champagne resulted in the wine to be called le vin du diable, (the Devil’s wine). Bottles would explode causing bottles around them to explode, an event that does not lend itself to making a profit. Dom Pérignon was originally given the responsibility of removing the bubbles because of the number of bottles bursting in the cellar.

So who invented sparkling wine? It wasn’t just one person and it was a series of developments from different people, (including Dom Pérignon),  that led to Champagne. The oldest recorded sparkling wine is Blanquette de Limoux that was created by Benedictine monks at the Abbey of Saint Hilaire near Carcossone in 1531. Then in 1662, six years before Dom Pérignon entered the Abbey of Hautvillers’ cellar, an English scientist and physician, Christopher Merret presented a paper titled, Some Observations Concerning the Ordering of Wines to The Royal Society. He detailed the addition of sugar and molasses to wine to make it sparkling. This method in modern times is called the Methode Champenoise, a method to induce the second fermentation in wines without worrying about bottles exploding.

Here’s video from the American Chemical Society on Champagne including advice on how to pour the beverage to maximise the amount of bubbles in your glass.

Happy New Year!

Related articles

• Toasting the chemistry of champagne: New Year’s Eve video from the American Chemical Society (eurekalert.org)

Another Reason to Wear Safety Glasses

Safety Glasses, Source: Wikipedia

Something that is overlooked in the importance of wearing safety glasses in lab is that they provide UV protection to the eyes. A report in Harvard Crimson from two weeks ago is a timely reminder:

“On Tuesday afternoon, Adeyemi, [a student] whose eyesight has now recovered fully, had walked into Science Center 117 for her last three-hour LPSA lab of the semester.

The roughly 60 students in the lab would be completing the second half of a two-week lab that used polymerase chain reaction analysis to identify genetically modified foods.

Among their tasks for the day would be an electrophoresis procedure in which they would inject a sample of DNA into gel and then run an electric current across the gel. That process would separate DNA strands of different length. And when viewed under a blue light transilluminator, the strands’ differing lengths would become apparent.”

Some of the students didn’t wear safety glasses resulting in irritations to their eyes and blurry vision.  Several students were sent to the hospital and luckily no one is expected to suffer permanent damage. Just because there might not be a beaker of chemicals on the bench, it doesn’t mean that you can be complacent about PPE. It is also why lab safety inductions/manuals/regulations always stress that safety glasses need to be worn. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean that it won’t hurt you.

Accidental UV exposure isn’t limited to the lab. Last night it was reported in the news that a broken floodlight cover exposed people at a basketball game in Katanning to UV light. People started presenting themselves to the town’s hospital from 8:30AM with stinging eyes, ulcerations to the eyes and even skin burn. At one stage the finger was pointed at a possible chemical or gas leak but has since been ruled out.

Chemistry Gift Ideas

There are endless lists of recommended presents for all sorts of people, fathers, mothers, children, grandparents and even the family cat or dog. When it comes to chemists, we get grouped with Christmas gifts for science geeks or worse still, educational toys are sneaked into the recommendations. Some chemists teach so these toys may just be a reminder of work and possibly the last thing someone wants to think about when on holiday or pretending to be on holiday.

So what do you get? If you know the chemist in your life personally, what could work is to get them a gift that relates to who they are and something they do other than chemistry. Chemists do have interests outside of chemistry but if you’re really determined to buy a chemistry related gift here is a little help.

Drinking Mugs Made From Heavy Duty Lab Flasks

Science Steins

These mugs began as a side project of a UC Berkley physicist. They are made from dewar flasks. Dewar flasks are specially designed flasks that are really well insulated, more so than the thermos in your kitchen. Cold things stay cold and hot things stay hot.

The maker states: “This is, for all intents and purposes, the very best thermos you’re ever going to find. It is quite common to fill these with liquid nitrogen, let it sit on the lab bench, and when you come back three days later there will still be liquid nitrogen in it.”

These would be good for the person that never manages to finish a cup of coffee or tea within the hour. The mugs’ asking price starts at $US250, (not exactly cheap), and are available here. I don’t have one of these but every working day I come one mug of cold coffee closer to buying one of these. In the mean time, I’ll stick to using a good thermal travel mug.

Molecular Jewellery
Raven Hanna, a molecular biophysicist turned artist at Made With Molecules creates jewellery from molecules that are found coursing throughout the body. Each packaged piece comes with an information card on the molecule inspired piece. The range of molecules has expanded over the years, and yes there are pieces that cater for the caffeine addict or barista in your life.

Non-Chemistry Periodic Table
I did not ever think that I would ever be recommending a non-chemistry Periodic Table as a gift suggestion for a chemist but here I am about to do it. There is a database on what is available and a diverse range of topics are covered. Sports, food, drink and even swearing. Some are quite cleverly done and worthy of being printed out and laminated as a gift. A combination of chemistry and the chemist’s other love is always appreciated.

Beaker Mugs

Beaker Mug, Source: Thinkgeek

Yes indeed. Mugs made from what looks to be laboratory beakers. These are also much less expensive than the previously mentioned Science Steins.

From personal experience, they do attract the attention of the nearest OHS officer. It’s a HUGE no no to ingest anything from lab glassware. Though if it’s a specially designed mug that has not gotten anywhere near the lab bench it’s okay.

You can get these from a range of places including Thinkgeek, Advance Healthcare Shop, (who also sell Erlenmeyer flask mugs if you feel that beaker mugs are so 2005), and over at Home Science Tools, there is a 600mL beaker mug on offer.

Periodic Table Magnets

Periodic Table Magnets, Source: Thinkgeek

I have seen a few Periodic Table magnets. All of them don’t allow you to move the individual elements around except for this one. It is available at Thinkgeek.

What I love about it most is that for every time I have disrupted the order and moved things around, someone else has come along to put every element back in its rightful place and provided me with more magnets.

Books

There are some gorgeous books out there that are about chemistry. I’m not talking textbooks but ones that are narratives. They tell of the stories and histories of the chemistry and chemists. Some I like include:

• Radioactive by Lauren Redniss – Beautifully presented book on the love story between Marie and Pierre Curie as well as thoughtful discussion on radioactivity. The cover glows in the dark.
• Oxygen: the molecule that made the world by Nick Lane – Explains why if oxygen had a facebook account its relationship status with life on Earth would be “It’s complicated”. Wonderfully written and at times like a detective novel.
• Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of Elements by Hugh Aldersey-Williams – The elements are taken out from the Periodic Table and examined not just for their properties but their cultural significance. It also covers the author’s personal quest to collect samples of the elements from various sources including his own urine.
• The Periodic Table by Primo Levi – Levi was a chemist and a writer. His work is exquisite. This book is a journey of his life and his profession as a chemist. It is a lesson in patience and precision, two things that chemists ought to have.

I have to stress that this is not my wishlist for presents this Christmas for the benefit of friends and family who may read this. I am as always, difficult to buy for. Good luck to those needing to join in the last minute frenzy of Christmas shopping.

You might be good at Science but you’re lousy at English

Even after the years an English teacher who saw fit to dole out that criticism to me, I cannot shake it from my memory. It came after I expressed my frustration at not being able to work out the symbolism of a Shakespeare play. I didn’t burst into tears and nor did I reply back. I met the unfriendly gaze from my English teacher and glared. A silent challenge daring them to send me to the principal’s office. I didn’t get sent out of class. I had to endure 30 minutes of sniggering from other students and that was resulted in me fighting back tears despite assurances from my friends that the teacher was being unfair.

Take a look at me now. I’m not just blogging. I am also a writer for Science Network WA and Australasian Science. I also blog over at Nature Scitable.

This year has been an incredible journey. I have to thank people for believing in me more than I believed in myself for pushing me gently into the world of professional science writing and getting my work published. I want to first acknowledge Marisa Wikramanayake who started to badger me in early 2010 to start writing. Every time I saw her the topic of me writing came up.

I spent early 2011 at the Australian Science Media Centre as a student intern for a month where I saw firsthand what the media cycle was like. Whatever you think it is, multiply that by 100 and you might be close. There were some intense moments where I juggled transcribing statements from scientists, keeping up with live news crosses and getting journalists in touch with scientists all to get a science related news out there. It was a buzz to see news stories which I had a hand in helping being broadcast or being published in print and online.

This year I started blogging on chemistry and putting the links out there on Twitter and the next thing I knew, Michael Gosney, Manager of Multimedia and IT at Scitech, pushed me towards writing for Science Network WA and gave me a number to call. I held off calling the number for a week. I made the call after my boyfriend pointed out that I do write well and my blog posts on chemistry get attention from non-chemists and said that I should take the opportunity.

The best discovery this year is that I’ve come in contact with other chemists who also write articles. I read their work regularly and not just study the chemistry news but also writing styles and better ways of explaining concepts. I have also found that there is a vast number of sources of chemistry news out there. I have finally stopped letting what an English teacher said years preventing me from becoming a writer.

I do not think I would be able to write about science without my science training. I definitely would not be able to at times explode in frustration at poorly written articles on chemistry and then right the wrongs. I never thought that I would find a job that I would enjoy without wearing a lab coat where I am able to call upon my chemistry skills.

That English teacher was wrong about me. I am good at science and I am good at English. I also understand Shakespeare now and even like it. So there.

Related articles

• My hero: Primo Levi by Siddhartha Mukherjee (guardian.co.uk)