GOTG INFINITY STONE Purple Smoke Chemistry ChemCurious 2018-09-08 | Starlord generated great amount of purple smoke when he touched, with his sweaty hands, the violet Infinity Stone in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1. Similarly, clouds of purple iodine vapour are produced during the reaction between aluminum and iodine catalysed by water. For immediate results, it is important to grind the iodine in advance. Carefully mix the iodine with the aluminum powder and place the mixture in a small mound. Put one or two drops of water onto the top of the mound. If you are disposing of a mixture which has not yet reacted, pour this into an excess of 1.0 M sodium hydroxide (NaOH) in a fume hood and leave until it all dissolves before resuming to normal disposal. More information can be found here http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00000715/reaction-between-aluminium-and-iodine?cmpid=CMP00006598
PREDATOR Green Fluorescent Blood ChemCurious 2020-08-28 | When Arnold Schwarzenegger fights his iconic extraterrestrial foe in the Predator, it bleeds green florescent blood. The effect can be reproduced in the lab by separating the chemicals inside a commercial glow stick. Applying the transparent peroxide solution on the skin and the dye on the knife, and then pretending to cut yourself, will generate the bright signature liquid.
KILLIAN vs IRON MAN Fire by pressing powders ChemCurious 2020-08-21 | In the blockbuster movie Iron Man 3, the villain by the name of Killian simply presses on Iron Man’s chest and heats it up very fast. In real-life, a fire between two solids can also be started by only pressing powders together. The reaction of potassium permanganate and sucrose (also known as table sugar) in a 1:1 ratio per volume, results in a highly exothermic redox (reduction-oxidation) reaction. The potassium permanganate acts as an oxidizer and the sucrose acts as the carbohydrate fuel source. This reaction can also be catalyzed by water, similar to our video on the GOTG INFINITY STONE Purple Smoke Chemistry youtube.com/watch?v=HTS-hSGC1P8
SHAZAM turning off cell phone ChemCurious 2020-08-14 | Neodymium magnets (actually alloys of neodymium, Nd2Fe14B) are the strongest permanent magnets known. A few grams can lift a thousand times its own mass. This magnetic power can be used to, like the DC comic book Character SHAZAM, turn off cell phones and computers. It doesn't work with all types of smart phones. CAUTION: Doing it too close to a computer or for a prolonged time with permanently damage your device.
IRON FIST Glowing Punch ChemCurious 2020-08-07 | When Danny Rand channels his chi, he can summon the powerful iron fist. Reproducing the yellow glowing effect of the punch can be easily obtained by separating the chemicals inside a commercial glowstick. Applying the transparent peroxide solution on top of the fist and the dye inside the palm of the other hand, once they meet, will generate the bright signature liquid. Breaking a board is something else, now.
Non Flammable HUMAN TORCH Comic Page ChemCurious 2020-08-03 | If you roll a human torch comic book page and light it on fire, it will flame on. On the other hand, if you roll the comic book sheet of paper around a long metal pipe and try to light it on fire, it will not burn. Only soot will form on the paper, it will not catch on fire. The heat (energy) is transferred to the metal pipe (which has a low specific heat capacity) and is redistributed. Therefore, the paper never gets enough energy to burn. Make sure the edges of your paper are not free (put adhesive tape) or else the edges might catch on fire. For a non-flammable comic book bag, please have a look at our other Comic Book Science Literally Chem Curious video HUMAN TORCH Fireproof Comic Book Sleeve youtu.be/2Oovud05-js
Breaking Wood with a CAPTAIN AMERICA Comic Book ChemCurious 2020-07-24 | A Captain America comic book is very strong and can be used to smash a piece of pine wood. By rolling the sheets of paper very tightly, you can use it to apply much more force in comparison to its loose-leaf state. For another application of a strong single comic page, look at youtu.be/KkR691tw1eA
One Page HULK Strong Paper Bridge ChemCurious 2020-07-19 | A single Hulk comic book page is very strong and can be used to build a paper bridge able to support quite a lot of mass. By folding the sheet of paper in a specific manner, the force applied on the paper are redistributed to support super hero figurines. Challenge your friends to construct a paper bridge without using any adhesives or additional device, then show them your model.
ANT MAN and the WASP Shrinking Plastic ChemCurious 2020-07-07 | As seen in the movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp are able to change their size while keeping their same beautiful appearance. Using a recyclable polystyrene solid plastic container (PS6), draw and cut out your favourite character such as the Scott Lang's silhouette. Put it in the oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit (or 175 Celsius), and it will shrink in seconds.
INCREDIBLE FROZONE Instant Snow ChemCurious 2020-06-30 | Recreating in the lab the instant snow made by Frozone (Lucius Best) from the movie The Incredibles. Using the super absorbent sodium polyacrylate polymer with water, a physical reaction traps the H2O inside the long sponge-like molecules. The instant snow swells while keeping its white solid appearance. Until too much water is added...
CAPTAIN MARVEL Blue Flaming Hand ChemCurious 2020-06-27 | The powerful blue flaming gloves of the super hero Captain Marvel is reproduced in the lab using hand sanitizer and flameproof red gloves. The main active ingredient is ethyl alcohol (ethanol), which is colourless, so it doesn't show on the glove. It burns with a smokeless blue flame not always visible in normal light. Be careful not to directly set fire to your hand as seen in multiple videos, those are usually played in slow motion.
INDIANA JONES Self-Igniting Heart ChemCurious 2020-06-16 | In the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), a human heart self-ignites in the hand of Mola Ram. Using pool chlorine (Calcium Hypochlorite) mixed with brake fluid (Glycol ethers and polyalkylene glycols) inside a pig heart, the spontaneous combustion is recreated in the laboratory. Make sure to work safely. For complete chemistry on this reaction, consult the reference in the link below. google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=20&ved=2ahUKEwidvZv4yZPiAhVQnFkKHTILDzQQFjATegQIAhAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencemadness.org%2Ftalk%2Ffiles.php%3Fpid%3D390597%26aid%3D37261&usg=AOvVaw2jm5st0ifbgWtStWqayUwL
WALKING DEAD Electrostatic Zombie Rising ChemCurious 2018-10-13 | Using paper zombies cut out from the pages of the Walking Dead, we taped the bottom of the image to a flat surface. Using a balloon and static electricity, we made the zombie raise from the ground, dying and awakening at our will.
VENOM SYMBIOTE DIY Magnetic Slime eating Spider-Man ChemCurious 2018-10-03 | Eddie Brock linked with a symbiote to become the super-villain / anti-hero Venom. Playing with magnetic slime and a strong neodymium magnet might replicate some features of the symbiote. To slime, made from white glue and a borax solution, was added Iron oxide (Fe3O4, also called magnetite) to make it attracted to magnets. A ball of slime swallows a spider-man. Long filament of slime attach themselves from above on Topher Grace. It is common that you will get impatient, and want to add more borax. If you do, it will give you nice slime, but it won't stretch very far without breaking.
TERMINATOR Blood Cutting Arm ChemCurious 2018-09-29 | The blood red color comes from thiocyanatoiron ions. The skin was rubbed with a paper towel soaked with a solution of thiocyanate ions, and the knife was covered with a solution of iron(III) ions, which has a light yellowish color. When the solutions are combine, these ions react together to form blood red [Fe(SCN)]2+ ions, reproducing the effects seen in movies such as Terminator, Predator, Braveheart and many more.
NAMOR Defying Water Gravity ChemCurious 2018-09-21 | Like Namor the sub-mariner, you can defy gravity with a simple glass of water. For the water to fall out of the glass, the volume of air trapped inside the glass must expand or more air has to come in. If you prevent more air from coming in, the volume of gas inside stays the same, so the water cannot fall. This experiment won't work if the glass is full.
STAR WARS Clone Wars: Jedi Younglings Copper Sulfate Crystal Cave ChemCurious 2018-09-16 | When Ahsoka escorts a group of younglings to Ilum, where they seek out the Kaiburr crystals needed to build their own lightsabers in the animated series STAR WARS Clone Wars, the aspiring Jedis enter a blue crystal cave. This video depicts how to make a blue crystal cave using copper (II) sulfate powder (CuSO4). Simply saturate boiling water with your CuSO4 salt. Pour the solution (without solids inside) into a concave container, and let it cool for a few days. You can get household copper (II) sulfate by purchasing Root Kill™ or other pool treatments and algicides. Read the ingredient list to make certain.This experiment is popular using an eggshell to create a geode. For the original paper on Eggshell geode (1978), have a look at tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00368121.1978.10118625?journalCode=vsca20English artist Roger Hiorns, over the summer of 2008, crystallized the inside of an entire apartment using the same technique. For more info on The big project, have a look at artangel.org.uk/project/seizure
GIJoe Surface Tension Boat ChemCurious 2018-08-31 | Using G.I.Joe paper boats cut out from the pages of the comic book, we pierced a small hole and cut an even smaller thin line to the side, in which we added a drop of soap. The soap breaks the surface tension of the water, which propels the boat forward. Once the surface tension has been broken from the action of the soap, you'll need to change the water to repeat the experiment. Yo Joe!
HUMAN TORCH Fireproof Comic Book Sleeve ChemCurious 2018-08-27 | A comic book bag burns (or melts) under a flame. But there is a way to preserve it, just like the Human Torch can preserve his costume. If you fill the bag with water, and try burning it, it will never melt because the water absorbs the heat, instead of the plastic, so the plastic never burns. The temperature of the water increases, but not enough to melt the bag. The black sooth on the bag is due to impurities in the butane from the lighter that is burning.
DETECTIVE COMICS Revelation of Fingerprints Part 1 ChemCurious 2018-08-18 | To play detective like Batman, rub your finger on your nose or forehead, and press it carefully but firmly on a white comic book cover. If the comic is too big to fit in the jar, cut it to size. But if you don't cut it, you can actually reuse it afterwards, since this is a non-destructive visualisation technique. Simply drop the comic book into the jar of iodine and close the lid. In less than a minute, you will start to see a faint tan fingerprint appear. Wait a few more minutes, and the tan will develop into a nice dark brown that clearly shows the ridges of your fingerprint.
MINIONS Purple Yellow Acid Base Titration ChemCurious 2018-08-13 | Using Bromophenol blue acid-base indicator to change colors from Violet (Basic) to Yellow (Acidic) to mimic the transformation effect of minions and evil purple minions in Despicable Me 2 (2013). Serum created by El Macho and antidote by Dr. Nefario.
GHOST RIDER Fire Breathing ChemCurious 2018-08-04 | Ghost Rider eats bullets and spits out fire in Spirit of Vengeance. Fire breathing usually uses flammable liquids, like fuel, but a similar effect can be obtained using a safe household item: cheap non-toxic corn starch.
Apocalypse Now DIY NAPALM ChemCurious 2018-07-28 | Napalm is made from dissolved Styrofoam (polystyrene) in gasoline, set on fire. Napalm, as depicted in Apocalypse Now, with its famous quote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning" burns for a long period of time, with high heat, and sticks to whatever it was set on.
DOCTOR STRANGE Portals with Burning Steel Wool ChemCurious 2018-07-21 | Creating the portal effect from Doctor Strange with household material. Burning steel wool in a whisk at the end of a spinning rope will creates awesome flares. Special thanks to Hard Science for the inspiration. Check out their hot video youtube.com/watch?v=B6MX5uyXrb4
SPIDER-MAN Villain: GREEN GOBLIN Pumpkin Bomb ChemCurious 2017-12-28 | In the spirit of one of Spider-Man's villain, the Green-Goblin, pumpkin bombs are created in the laboratory. Using calcium carbide and water to generate acetylene gas, pumpkins are blown up using a sparkler as a fuse for the combustion of acetylene gas with oxygen.
MAGNETO Master of Magnetism Bending Water ChemCurious 2017-10-27 | Water, although neutral, is a polar molecule. One side has a positive pole and one side has a negative pole. When rubbing the plastic comic book bag on your hair or sweater, you are creating static electricity. The bag steals electrons from your hair or sweater, and becomes momentarily negatively charged. When a very strong magnet or a charged balloon or comic book bag is moved around a thin water stream, the water will bend... under the magnetic properties of Magneto.
SWAMP THING Paper Flower Blooming ChemCurious 2017-10-11 | Cut a page of a comic book, such as Swamp Thing, in the shape of a flower. Fold it inward. Drop it in a water and it will open. You may reuse your paper flowers by drying them. When you try them out again, they usually bloom faster.
Electricity Conducting Comic Book ChemCurious 2017-09-25 | Pure water (only H2O) does not conduct electricity. A comic book does not conduct electricity. Boiling pieces of comic books in non-conducting de-ionized water for a minute will produce a solution that conducts electricity. It is verified by a light bulb shining. Thank you Mr. Mxyzptlk.
CHUCKYS REBIRTH: BLOOD DROP IN HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ChemCurious 2017-09-01 | Reproducing in the lab the opening scene of Child's Play 3, where a liquid starts bubbling after the addition of blood. A few drops of blood are being added to a high-concentration solution of hydrogen peroxide (30%). Hydrogen peroxide's foaming action is due to its reaction with the catalase enzyme found in blood. The catalase transforms Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into liquid water (H2O) and gaseous oxygen (O2), which is responsible for the foaming. Music provided by Bensound.com
SPIDER-MAN SYMBIOTE: FERROFLUID VENOM ChemCurious 2017-07-03 | Creating a home-made venom symbiote, I mean ferrofluid, using household items such as toner, motor oil and oleic acid. Add it to a saturated sugar solution in a rectangular flask to make a ferrofluid display. Be careful, it is messy and requires lots of trials and errors. Music provided by Bensound.com
GAME OF THRONES WILD FIRE WITH COPPER SULFATE ChemCurious 2017-06-26 | Recreating Wild Fire's green flames from Game of Thrones (GoT) by catapulting flaming Copper sulfate in methanol onto paper and aluminum boats. Music provided by Bensound.com
COLOR CHANGING NAILS: FIFTH ELEMENT TOTAL RECALL STYLE ChemCurious 2017-06-09 | Color changing nails in the style of the Fifth Element and Total Recall. The thermochromic nail gel changes color based on variations of temperature. In this example, it is light blue when hot and red when cold.www.comicbookchemistry.com
ICEMAN Crystallizing Touch ChemCurious 2017-06-04 | Crystallizing a saturated sodium acetate solution like Iceman from the X-Men, using your finger to start nucleation.
GIZMO GIVING BIRTH TO BALLOON GREMLINS ChemCurious 2017-05-31 | Inflated balloons are shrivelled in liquid nitrogen (Nitrogen boiling point −195.8 °C or −320.4 °F). Once put back at room temperature, the balloons inflate again like new Gizmo being born. According to Charles' Law, a gas expands as the temperature increases. In other words, a decrease in temperature will lead to a decrease in volume. This is what happens here. The balloons contain a gas. Since these balloons are chilled, their volume decreased, to almost look as if they were deflated. Since the room temperature is much higher than the temperature of the liquid nitrogen, the gas in the balloon heats up quickly and expands. This gives the visual effect of the balloon inflating themselves, or Gizmos being born. If you don't feed them after midnight, they shouldn't turn into Gremlins. Music provided by Bensound.com
FANTASTIC 4 Fire Tower ChemCurious 2017-05-27 | Recreating the FIRE TOWER generated by the Human Torch and the Invisible Woman to neutralize Doctor Doom at the end of the Fantastic Four movie (2005), using a DJ Hero turn table and strontium chloride to make a red flame.Music provided by Bensound.com
IRON MAN Plasma ChemCurious 2017-05-26 | Reproducing Iron Man's plasma in the lab by the irradiation of a flaming match under a beaker in a microwave. The color of the plasma floating at the top of the upside down pyrex container will change with time, becoming bluer as it gains more energy.Music provided by Bensound.com
SUPERMAN Strong Paper Tower ChemCurious 2017-05-23 | A single page of a Superman comic book (or other title) can be used to support much heavier material. Simply roll a page into a tube (and tape it). Make sure the surface of the cylinder is flat and unbroken. The first book you add must be a rigid cover book. Pile away! How many books can you pileup using this paper column?
SUICIDE SQUAD Breaking Rules and Rulers ChemCurious 2017-05-22 | Using pages of the Suicide Squad comic, we created a poster size sheet. The surface covered by the poster faces the resistance of the air above it. When the inserted ruler attempts to lift the poster, the force exerted by the air is too strong, and the ruler breaks. Make sure you use a rigid ruler, or else it will simply bend (instead of breaking) on impact.
Using a Comic Book to get an Invisible Hand ChemCurious 2017-05-21 | To become partly invisible like Sue Storm (the Invisible Woman from in the Fantastic Four), roll a comic book in a tube and put it over your left eye. Put your open hand on the right side of the tube, in front of your right eye. Move your hand back and forth. While keeping both eyes open, you will see a hole through your hand. If you are having trouble, direct both eyes in the direction of your moving hand. The eye that looks through the tube doesn't see your hand, and your brain averages out what you see. If you're a one-eye pirate this experiment won't work...
INVISIBLE WOMAN Soap force field ChemCurious 2017-05-20 | Making soapy transparent spheres around figurines like Sue Storm from the Fantastic Four is safe and easy. Using liquid corn starch and/or glycerol (same thing as glycerine) in a watery soap bubble mixture allows the formation of bigger and stronger bubbles. The chemistry of soap bubbles:• A bubble is made of three very thin layers of soap, water and soap. • A bubble pops when the water that is trapped between the layers of soap evaporates. • The glycerol or corn starch mixes with the soap to make it thicker.• The thicker layer of soap prevents the quick evaporation of water. • The stronger layer also allows the formation of bigger bubbles.
INVISIBLE WOMAN Refractive Index Invisibility ChemCurious 2017-05-19 | Sue Storm, better known as the Invisible Woman, probably has the power to give her body the same refractive index has her surrounding, hence letting light propagate through her without disruption, creating the invisibility effect. This effect can be reproduced in the lab by filling a pyrex beaker with glycerol (glycerine) since both material have the same refractive index. The fountain of youth illusion is obtained by using two similar objects. One is hiding in the glycerol while the other needs to be broken and inserted in the glycerol.
SPONGE BOB Death by Melting ChemCurious 2017-05-18 | As seen in the episode "Pre-Hibernation Week" from season 2, episode 13, Sponge Bob can melt under water. By pouring concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) over a WET sponge generates a sufficient amount of heat to melt the sponge in a few seconds. Caution: Wear gloves when performing this experiment.
RORSCHACH MASK THERMOCHROMIC PAINT DIY ChemCurious 2016-06-10 | This video is about THERMOCHROMIC PAINT and its real life applications in the making of a rorschach mask.
REVERSE FLASH ChemCurious 2016-06-10 | In this video, we use the light bending properties of certain materials to actually reverse a Flash comic book!
HUMAN TORCH Comic Book Flaming On and Off. ChemCurious 2016-06-10 | In this video, we explore the the fire powers of the human torch by using an actual Human Torch comic book that we flamed on and off, using a 50/50 water/ethanol solution. Be careful when performing this experiment.
DRY LIKE AQUAMAN ChemCurious 2016-06-10 | In this video, we use hydrophobic material to replicate Aquaman's uncanny ability to never be wet, using an actual Aquaman comic book...
SHRINKING LIKE ANT-MAN ChemCurious 2016-06-04 | Chem Curious, Pop Culture Edition, explores effects similar to those seen in blockbuster movies and explains them with science. In this video, we explore the shrinking powers of Ant-Man!
RANDALL BOGG Invisibility On Demand ChemCurious 2015-06-05 | In this video, we explore the invisibility powers of Randall Bogg from Monsters Inc., using Photochemistry. When the violet solution is under strong visible light (overhead projector), it changes to transparent.
GROOT Branching ChemCurious 2015-06-02 | In this video, we will reproduce the Groot Branching Effect as seen in Guardians of the Galaxy.
COLOSSUS Silvery Skin Coating ChemCurious 2015-06-02 | In this video, we will be exploring a possible explanation for Colossus' metallic skin coating, using Copper and a Silver nitrate solution.
