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.
"'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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!)
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."
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.
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 :)
Neil makes the chemicals they use by putting them together one atom at a time with his lightning fast ninja skills. Neil doesn't weigh samples, he looks at them, counts the atoms of each element, and multiplies by their atomic weights - in his head.
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.
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).
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...
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)
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).
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.
I love it when Prof tut tuts someone for uttering such a foolish remark as "are billiard balls still made out of nitrocellulose." It seems so obvious to him.
The most amazing thing about this video wasn't the nitrocellulose but the fact that Niell broke character and cracked a smile TWICE.
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.
"'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.
That tie is sweet.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Neil always has this non-plussed look on his face like he's got much more important things to do, haha!
Where do I get Chemistry ties like the professor?!
They seem cool!
"It would be unfair for the elephant if i were to throw this away" - The prof is hilarious!
stunning, and as I have said before a great channel
@Davidshark1 It is quite close, though NG takes quite a bit more care to make safely.
NEIL SMILES :D
2:20
...but he smiled when he was asked to light something on fire. Hmmm....
Neil usually heals his wounds with gun cotton.
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.
Happy 2nd aniversary :DD Love the videos. :) Cheers from Singapore.
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
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.
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.
the match-on-a-stick is a surprisingly common tool in science
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.
Happy Anniversary!!!, and many thanks for making all of these great videos!!!
Happy Bday periodicvideos! Keep up with the great work!
Congratulations on your second year, guys! You're doing a fantastic job!!!
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.
Congratulations on the second anniversary! Hope you'll continue for atleast another two years!
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.
It might be useful here to examine nitrs films and safety films. Old films used to burn impressivly, which is why older films vanished.
CONGRATS ON YOUR SECOND YEAR! Love your videos.
You could also see that it left a lot of residue. Commercial NC doesn't leave a lot of it.
Thank you so much for sharing all of your knowledge. I have learned so much from watching these videos.
Thanks,
Bill
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!)
Neal is always so professional, mute, and competent. Watching him nick back in civvies is hilarious.
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."
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.
Looking good professor!
This is one of the few things I can always count on enjoying.
Happy birthday! Another excellent video. Keep it up.
Great video! Happy anniversary.
Look how many icons he has on his desktop. He needs to tidy that up! get some folders!
Loved the vid!
Happy Birthday then, Periodic Videos! Congratulations!
Happy Birthday periodicvideos! Happy anniversary :D
I love the professor "I think it would be cruel to the elephant to throw it away" Fan-tastic!
Neil: the master of the one-second smile
I love this channel! who could actually dislike it? who's that lone 1 person??
I often picture Neil as the Terminator. Short grin, huge gun, metal endoskeleton, 'Hasta la vista, baby'...
Happy Anniversary!!
Happy 2nd Anniversary!
Neal is always so professional, mute, and competent. Watching him kick back in civvies is hilarious.
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 :)
:36 i love how neil is like "ya i'm too cool to look at the camera" he's just awesome
@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.
Happy 2nd Birthday from Germany ^^
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!
My favourite videos are the videos where you make things blow up.
My other favourite videos are the ones with Neil in them.
Excellent vid. WIkipedia has a nice article on nitrocellulose.
Congratulation on your second anniversary!!!(Niel is awesome!)
The open day was wonderful! wish i had seen you guys!!
happy 2nd aniversary!
Actually sucrose is Glucose and Fructose joined by a peptide bond between. Not glucose and glucose.
Happy birthday!
Some say his skin is fireproof, and that his chest hair is even more impressive than the professor's hair... all we know is he's called Neil.
Love this channel. Thanks guys!
You know when Professor starts with "have a look at my tie" it's going to be interesting.
Neil makes the chemicals they use by putting them together one atom at a time with his lightning fast ninja skills.
Neil doesn't weigh samples, he looks at them, counts the atoms of each element, and multiplies by their atomic weights - in his head.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
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!!!!!!!!
happy anniversary
@buzzausa
You are right, two glucose units would be maltose
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.
I'm glad they finally let Neil have some fun
Happy nitro-Birthday!
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).
Neil is a dangerous, dangerous man. Thank goodness he's on our side.
Woohoo! Happy birthday!
Interesting as always! I think we should be allowed to see the professor's full tie collection sometime!
Guitar picks are/were made of nitrocellulose too.
Great video.
Woah! That was a big blast.
Also 0:43 NEIL! He likes being filmed doesn't he
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...
oh, come on, we all want an interview with Neil! :D
Greetings from Montenegro! (bet you dont know where that is :P)
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)
Marty from back to the future got another lead role.
i love these videos
can you explain hydroperoxyl molecule (HO2) and how it reacts with ozone ?
"Are billiard balls still made out of nitrocellulose?"... LOL that'd make a great party trick at the pub
Love your videos i get lost watching them wish i could some day travel and meet you guys
You sir, are awesome.
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).
Yay! Thanks for this vid. When did the professor get a haircut?!
interesting video.
Good job, Neil!
*hugs video* Happy anniversary :D
Please show us a demonstration where you make this :)
loool the tie has the ''boat'' isomer!!!
@darrylportelli I meant chair ''isomer''
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.
@culwin Neil has spoken and he sounds like a typical nottinghamshire lad, not to different to myself.
I love it when Prof tut tuts someone for uttering such a foolish remark as "are billiard balls still made out of nitrocellulose."
It seems so obvious to him.
2:22 Chills down the spine everybody.
I remember reading somewhere that at one time that playing cards were made out of nitrocellulose.
@chemicallover78 old cinema films were made from nitrate not gun cotton which is why they would spontaneously combust