Do you have technician notes for running the demo with hydrogen peroxide? I did it with dichromate and 6M sulfuric before I saw this video. I tried the same 6M acid and a small amount of 30% hydrogen peroxide but it didn’t so much. After pulling some of the acid/peroxide solution off, it started spinning but didn’t “beat”. I’ve been trying to find a procedure using peroxide for a few weeks now and haven’t had any luck. I’ve also tried to work out the math to determine the minimum concentrations of each needed but I’m not really sure where to start. I’m really sure how to apply the equilibrium equations I learned in Chem 2 to an oscillating reaction like this. What I find so interesting about this demo is I’ve seen it described so many ways in different articles. I first saw this demo online when I was in Chem 1. I recently changed my major from microbiology to chemistry, and this reaction is what initially sparked my curiosity and interest in chemistry and turned me into a lab nerd. Most of my professors have never seen this reaction in person and gallium wasn’t mentioned once in my 1st and 2nd semester chemistry. I’d like to change that. If I can show the reaction can be performed in lab or in a lecture demo with a relatively safe concentration of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, I think more professors would be willing to do it. I’m going to make some Galinstan this week and try this experiment and see what happens.
This is some very interesting chemistry! Thanks for sharing.
Do you have technician notes for running the demo with hydrogen peroxide? I did it with dichromate and 6M sulfuric before I saw this video. I tried the same 6M acid and a small amount of 30% hydrogen peroxide but it didn’t so much. After pulling some of the acid/peroxide solution off, it started spinning but didn’t “beat”. I’ve been trying to find a procedure using peroxide for a few weeks now and haven’t had any luck. I’ve also tried to work out the math to determine the minimum concentrations of each needed but I’m not really sure where to start. I’m really sure how to apply the equilibrium equations I learned in Chem 2 to an oscillating reaction like this. What I find so interesting about this demo is I’ve seen it described so many ways in different articles.
I first saw this demo online when I was in Chem 1. I recently changed my major from microbiology to chemistry, and this reaction is what initially sparked my curiosity and interest in chemistry and turned me into a lab nerd.
Most of my professors have never seen this reaction in person and gallium wasn’t mentioned once in my 1st and 2nd semester chemistry. I’d like to change that. If I can show the reaction can be performed in lab or in a lecture demo with a relatively safe concentration of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, I think more professors would be willing to do it.
I’m going to make some Galinstan this week and try this experiment and see what happens.
Well... looks like I'm buying some gallium
I also made a video of this effect, but the "heart" bate much slower...
👍