Gun Cotton (nitrocellulose) - Periodic Table of Videos

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  • Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
  • We celebrate our second anniversary with a video about cotton - and gun cotton.
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Комментарии • 298

  • @clearz3600
    @clearz3600 10 лет назад +173

    The most amazing thing about this video wasn't the nitrocellulose but the fact that Niell broke character and cracked a smile TWICE.

  • @Nighthawkinlight
    @Nighthawkinlight 14 лет назад +93

    Nitrocellulose is still used today to make ping pong balls, nail polish, guitar picks, and many other useful objects. It is quite the universal material.

  • @Belboz99
    @Belboz99 9 лет назад +74

    "'safety film" was developed after a number of devastating fires resulting from movie films made with nitro-cellulose.
    Actually, the first consumer product ever made with plastic was film made with Bakelite by Kodak.
    I'd like to see some periodic videos that mention the interesting history of chemistry with photography.... think Silver Halide Crystals (B&W Film grains), or the chemistry that's involved in photo-sensitive materials, or their development, or even how to stabilize the image.
    Bakelite, Nitro-Cellulose, Silver Nitrate, all kinds of chemistry has deep roots in Photography.

  • @dahZeee
    @dahZeee 9 лет назад +101

    That tie is sweet.

  • @kainebishop3970
    @kainebishop3970 9 лет назад +164

    I like his face at the end when asked if billiard balls are still made from nitro cellulose. That look intelligent people get when asked a particularly stupid question.

  • @ck5056
    @ck5056 14 лет назад +3

    Gun cotton was also used as a warhead such as that of the Brennan torpedo in around 1880s, about 100kg of gun cotton was used.

  • @punishedexistence
    @punishedexistence 10 лет назад +96

    Neil always has this non-plussed look on his face like he's got much more important things to do, haha!

  • @WolfDOuka
    @WolfDOuka 14 лет назад +3

    HAPPY 2ND ANNIVERSARY! I LOVE YOU ALL! You teach me science and Chemistry in an interesting and highly visual way, and you even let others outside your school where you teach at, even out of the country, ask questions! This way of Chemistry is much more fun than watching an old video or reading what would happen in a textbook at school. Hopefully with the rise of e-books...that one day, your videos will be in these e-books for school! Kudos!

  • @1337KickerAss
    @1337KickerAss 10 лет назад +39

    Where do I get Chemistry ties like the professor?!
    They seem cool!

  • @fha94
    @fha94 13 лет назад +5

    I live in GA, and I've learned more from videos like these than I have this whole year. I'm currently being taught by a creationist. I can't wait for college.

  • @leokimvideo
    @leokimvideo 14 лет назад +9

    stunning, and as I have said before a great channel

  • @patm1313
    @patm1313 12 лет назад +10

    NEIL SMILES :D
    2:20
    ...but he smiled when he was asked to light something on fire. Hmmm....

  • @BIGJ1J
    @BIGJ1J 12 лет назад +21

    "It would be unfair for the elephant if i were to throw this away" - The prof is hilarious!

  • @Nighthawkinlight
    @Nighthawkinlight 14 лет назад +2

    @Davidshark1 It is quite close, though NG takes quite a bit more care to make safely.

  • @Vlwow
    @Vlwow 14 лет назад +2

    Happy 2nd aniversary :DD Love the videos. :) Cheers from Singapore.

  • @paulwheat1623
    @paulwheat1623 14 лет назад

    Happy Anniversary!!!, and many thanks for making all of these great videos!!!

  • @islandblind
    @islandblind 12 лет назад

    Nitrocellulose dissolved in methanol, toluene and a ketone like acetone or MEK makes a wonderful finish for wood furniture, commonly referred to as lacquer. Of course, plasticizers and other additives are included to make the finish more durable. The nitrocellulose lacquer is durable, fast-drying and a lot of fun to spray, though difficult to brush. Special brushing lacquers are available which are slower drying.

  • @vampirica89
    @vampirica89 14 лет назад +2

    Happy anniversary, professor! :) And what a sweet tie you've got. ;)
    I am so glad that someone cares about the life of poor elephants, since they are my favourite animal and I'm studying biology as well.

  • @VivecAlmsivi
    @VivecAlmsivi 14 лет назад

    Happy aniversary, please continue making such videos for a long time. I absolutely love watching these even though most of my chemistry days are drifting behind me.

  • @stroke_of_luck
    @stroke_of_luck 10 лет назад +2

    It might be useful here to examine nitrs films and safety films. Old films used to burn impressivly, which is why older films vanished.

  • @afhdfh
    @afhdfh 14 лет назад

    Congratulations on your second year, guys! You're doing a fantastic job!!!

  • @ma356289
    @ma356289 14 лет назад

    i didnt know that sugar,starch and cotton made of the same thing thank you so much professor for all the valuable information you give us

  • @mspamerskine
    @mspamerskine 12 лет назад

    Hi Neil. I am writing a story about the sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania. In my research the purchase of 'gun cotton' from America, was subsequently, unfortunately, part of Lusitania's cargo when she was torpedod by a German Submarine in 1915. Thanks for showing me what the 'gun cotton' was for.

  • @Kendrana
    @Kendrana 14 лет назад

    Congratulations on the second anniversary! Hope you'll continue for atleast another two years!

  • @SomeNerdWhoRocks
    @SomeNerdWhoRocks 11 лет назад

    Actually, nitrocellulose billiard balls did sometimes explode upon impact.
    a wonderful quote from Wikipedia regarding the matter:
    "An owner of a billiard saloon in Colorado wrote to Hyatt about the explosive tendencies, saying that he did not mind very much personally but for the fact that every man in his saloon immediately pulled a gun at the sound."

  • @aleramone23
    @aleramone23 11 лет назад +16

    Neil usually heals his wounds with gun cotton.

  • @MattisProbably
    @MattisProbably 12 лет назад

    We made nitrocellulose in 12th grade, it was a TON of fun! We made quite a lot of it. It was pretty good gun cotton as well, it burned way more rapidly than the stuff in the video and it didn't leave a trace when it completely burned off.

  • @VTOLAircraftMad
    @VTOLAircraftMad 12 лет назад +1

    the match-on-a-stick is a surprisingly common tool in science

  • @crinoid1919
    @crinoid1919 14 лет назад

    CONGRATS ON YOUR SECOND YEAR! Love your videos.

  • @BoggWeasel
    @BoggWeasel 4 года назад +1

    Finally I got an answer to a question I never asked for many years but meant to, "why was gun cotton used in cannons? " Thank you.

  • @ChucksSEADnDEAD
    @ChucksSEADnDEAD 11 лет назад

    You could also see that it left a lot of residue. Commercial NC doesn't leave a lot of it.

  • @sensoryflex97
    @sensoryflex97 14 лет назад

    Happy Bday periodicvideos! Keep up with the great work!

  • @OverlandOne
    @OverlandOne 14 лет назад +4

    Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge. I have learned so much from watching these videos.
    Thanks,
    Bill

  • @mush01
    @mush01 14 лет назад

    The thing about an explosive like dynamite versus a steady-burning propellant like gun cotton was explained in your very own Colonel B. D. Shaw's lecture on explosives, a copy of which is (legally, I hope) available on Google Video. If people have a spare hour and a half, I heartily recommend seeking it out :)

  • @spotlightman1234
    @spotlightman1234 14 лет назад

    :36 i love how neil is like "ya i'm too cool to look at the camera" he's just awesome

  • @ImaginalDisc
    @ImaginalDisc 13 лет назад

    Neal is always so professional, mute, and competent. Watching him nick back in civvies is hilarious.

  • @agent475816
    @agent475816 10 лет назад +12

    Actually sucrose is Glucose and Fructose joined by a peptide bond between. Not glucose and glucose.

  • @ImaginalDisc
    @ImaginalDisc 13 лет назад

    Neal is always so professional, mute, and competent. Watching him kick back in civvies is hilarious.

  • @BaconHer0
    @BaconHer0 14 лет назад

    Happy Birthday then, Periodic Videos! Congratulations!

  • @sliver321123
    @sliver321123 14 лет назад

    Looking good professor!
    This is one of the few things I can always count on enjoying.

  • @omegahunter9
    @omegahunter9 14 лет назад

    Happy Birthday periodicvideos! Happy anniversary :D

  • @jovanm90
    @jovanm90 14 лет назад +6

    oh, come on, we all want an interview with Neil! :D
    Greetings from Montenegro! (bet you dont know where that is :P)

  • @bluebychoice
    @bluebychoice 14 лет назад

    Great video! Happy anniversary.

  • @grahamkeithtodd
    @grahamkeithtodd 14 лет назад

    thank you for 2 years of interesting and informative video's
    keep up the good work
    (even if you inspire just 1 kid to get into science you have done some good!)

  • @Olliemon
    @Olliemon 14 лет назад

    I love the professor "I think it would be cruel to the elephant to throw it away" Fan-tastic!

  • @ThrowingItAway
    @ThrowingItAway 14 лет назад

    Fender guitar picks are made out of celluloid which is the Ivory like material talked about in the video. I made the mistake of lighting one on fire in chemistry class, not realizing it would produce such an energetic reaction.

  • @FerSFumero
    @FerSFumero 14 лет назад

    I love this channel! who could actually dislike it? who's that lone 1 person??

  • @Crohbar
    @Crohbar 14 лет назад

    My favourite videos are the videos where you make things blow up.
    My other favourite videos are the ones with Neil in them.

  • @G0ldenGoose
    @G0ldenGoose 14 лет назад

    Look how many icons he has on his desktop. He needs to tidy that up! get some folders!
    Loved the vid!

  • @EzyoMusic
    @EzyoMusic 14 лет назад

    Guitar picks are/were made of nitrocellulose too.
    Great video.

  • @skyeranger
    @skyeranger 14 лет назад +1

    Happy 2nd Birthday from Germany ^^

  • @Bomber125
    @Bomber125 14 лет назад

    Happy 2nd Anniversary!

  • @Barnekkid
    @Barnekkid 14 лет назад

    Happy Anniversary!!

  • @omegacds
    @omegacds 14 лет назад

    Happy birthday! Another excellent video. Keep it up.

  • @hockeyboy1094
    @hockeyboy1094 14 лет назад

    Congratulation on your second anniversary!!!(Niel is awesome!)

  • @1RadicalOne
    @1RadicalOne 13 лет назад

    One correction I should make: Joining two glucose molecules makes a maltose, not a sucrose. To make a sucrose, you need a glucose and a fructose (hence glucose-fructose on all those ingredient lists).

  • @Agent_Dangles
    @Agent_Dangles 11 лет назад

    I'm glad they finally let Neil have some fun

  • @McZootington
    @McZootington 13 лет назад +1

    Neil: the master of the one-second smile

  • @sbalogh53
    @sbalogh53 11 лет назад +1

    I made guncotton when I was a kid and sprinkled it into my father's ashtray. When he tried to put his cigarette out the guncotton flashed and a big puff of ash went everywhere. Luckily he did not suspect me and could not figure out what happened. I was an evil child.

  • @carlsontechnology
    @carlsontechnology 14 лет назад

    Neil just alway looks so cool and "I don't give a crap about this stupid video series". For the record, I think your video series ROCKS!!!!!!!!

  • @soberek
    @soberek 13 лет назад

    I often picture Neil as the Terminator. Short grin, huge gun, metal endoskeleton, 'Hasta la vista, baby'...

  • @sonnycrysss
    @sonnycrysss 14 лет назад

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

  • @wowggscrub
    @wowggscrub 14 лет назад

    can you explain hydroperoxyl molecule (HO2) and how it reacts with ozone ?

  • @Vanamutt
    @Vanamutt 14 лет назад

    @quexalcoatl I use Jim Dunlop celluloid x-h picks, i got one that was M, which sounded inferior to x-h's so i put it next to a lighter.

  • @vkirky
    @vkirky 14 лет назад

    The open day was wonderful! wish i had seen you guys!!

  • @CHESEPOWER
    @CHESEPOWER 14 лет назад

    happy 2nd aniversary!

  • @bdnugget
    @bdnugget 14 лет назад

    @buzzausa
    You are right, two glucose units would be maltose

  • @marcuspinson
    @marcuspinson 13 лет назад

    i was told that if you mix nine parts nitroglycerin with one part nitrocellulose and mixed the whole thing with about a third of its volume of sodium bicarbonate (without it fizzing) it stabilizes it and makes it capable of long term storage without deterioration and risk of spontanious detonation (i dont belive it but wanted your perspective)

  • @Sep3lio
    @Sep3lio 14 лет назад

    Interesting as always! I think we should be allowed to see the professor's full tie collection sometime!

  • @sonnycrysss
    @sonnycrysss 14 лет назад

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

  • @LillithePink
    @LillithePink 14 лет назад

    a really interesting video, as always. Thanks for sharing your celebrations with us. Looking forward to the 3rd Anniversary! I don't think leather is as flamable though...

  • @Kaiju3301
    @Kaiju3301 12 лет назад

    Love this channel. Thanks guys!

  • @thepatrioticaudiophile
    @thepatrioticaudiophile 14 лет назад

    happy anniversary

  • @DeoMachina
    @DeoMachina 14 лет назад

    Woah! That was a big blast.
    Also 0:43 NEIL! He likes being filmed doesn't he

  • @GetMeThere1
    @GetMeThere1 14 лет назад

    Excellent vid. WIkipedia has a nice article on nitrocellulose.

  • @YdeckW
    @YdeckW 14 лет назад +1

    2:22 xD
    Make a video about Neil, he deserves it!

  • @1qsc2wdv
    @1qsc2wdv 14 лет назад

    Happy birthday!

  • @ScottTheCoffeeGeek
    @ScottTheCoffeeGeek 12 лет назад

    Billiard balls were also made out of milk (Casein) in the past.

  • @wideangle44
    @wideangle44 14 лет назад

    @chemicallover78 old cinema films were made from nitrate not gun cotton which is why they would spontaneously combust

  • @Thorn2200
    @Thorn2200 12 лет назад

    Why didn't you mention that nitrocellulose was used for decades as the base for photographic film?

  • @liquidefeline
    @liquidefeline 14 лет назад

    Happy nitro-Birthday!

  • @nickfunk597
    @nickfunk597 8 лет назад

    Love your videos i get lost watching them wish i could some day travel and meet you guys

  • @SekretZdzicha
    @SekretZdzicha 11 лет назад

    The nitrocellulose at the beginning had a low content of nitrogen[like 10%], so it deflagrated rather slowly. The commercial gun cotton delagrate in the matter of miliseconds.

  • @EQuivalentTube2
    @EQuivalentTube2 11 лет назад

    2:22 Chills down the spine everybody.

  • @richardlin2359
    @richardlin2359 9 лет назад +22

    Oh my God. There's comic sans in the background.

  • @HighlanderNorth1
    @HighlanderNorth1 7 лет назад +1

    I'm a little confused when it comes to nitrocellulose. Over the past several years, when trying to learn about basic chemistry and watching videos about WW1 and WW2, I keep hearing about nitrocellulose. But I've heard it described as both a low explosive and a high explosive. Obviously, as the professor pointed out here, you wouldn't want to use a fast detonating explosive as propellant in a cannon or a gun! It would probably cause the barrel to rupture before the shell even managed to make it out of the end of the barrel. Also, although it clearly burns very fast in this video, it is obviously burning(deflagrating) and not detonating. So, I'm assuming that nitrocellulose is not a high explosive(unless there is another form of it that can be considered high explosive, that I'm not aware of).

  • @dylanlawless1
    @dylanlawless1 14 лет назад

    You know when Professor starts with "have a look at my tie" it's going to be interesting.

  • @Cickarn
    @Cickarn 14 лет назад

    Woohoo! Happy birthday!

  • @social3ngin33rin
    @social3ngin33rin 8 лет назад

    Please show us a demonstration where you make this :)

  • @CHAS1422
    @CHAS1422 14 лет назад

    Did they melt the nitro-cellulose and pour it into moulds to make the billiard balls?

  • @GamerJayR
    @GamerJayR 11 лет назад

    I'm not a chemist, but I think they're something to do with the bond types, e.g single or double bonds

  • @AguzSuiCaedere
    @AguzSuiCaedere 14 лет назад

    *hugs video* Happy anniversary :D

  • @naominekomimi
    @naominekomimi 11 лет назад

    What do the different connections of glucose mean?
    Like with the dotted lines, solid lines and squiggly line? :O

  • @andreithe3893
    @andreithe3893 12 лет назад

    i have done it myself its really not that difficult and leaves almost no residue behind

  • @makeitafrappe
    @makeitafrappe 14 лет назад

    Yay! Thanks for this vid. When did the professor get a haircut?!

  • @Sherwin657
    @Sherwin657 14 лет назад

    So if i i put a match to a billiard ball it will catch fire?

  • @cepson
    @cepson 14 лет назад

    Neil is a dangerous, dangerous man. Thank goodness he's on our side.

  • @LiaEA
    @LiaEA 11 лет назад

    You sir, are awesome.

  • @murphyld66
    @murphyld66 14 лет назад

    I remember reading somewhere that at one time that playing cards were made out of nitrocellulose.

  • @jakethesnake10000
    @jakethesnake10000 13 лет назад

    i love these videos