Look In Wonder At The Most Gorgeous Chemical Reactions Ever Filmed

Chemistry truly can be beautiful. The meeting of two or more chemical compounds can result in explosions that look like magic tricks, dancing liquids, and swirls of brilliant colors. Look at some of the most lovely examples of chemical reactions committed to film.

Five precipitation reactions, filmed by Yan Liang

Copper meets iron sulfate

Explosive polymerization of p-nitroaniline and sulphuric acid

Color changes, filmed by Yan Liang

Caesium in water

Crystallization of copper sulfate (CuSO4), sodium thiosulfate (Na2S2O3), potassium ferrioxalate (K3[Fe(C2O4)3]), and sodium acetate (CH3COONa), filmed by Yan Liang

The Chemical Chameleon

Wall of Fire in a jar

Metal displacement, by Yan Liang

Mercury(II) thiocyanate decomposition

A piece of metal salt dropped in water glass (water solution of sodium silicate), filmed by Yan Liang

Lithium burning at 300 fps

Three different kinds of smoke, filmed by Yan Liang

Sulfur hexafluoride and oxygen

Dead squid vs. soy sauce – an automatic response to the salt (sodium chloride) in the soy sauce, by the dead squid's muscle cells

Four bubbling reactions, by Yan Liang

A gallium spoon melts in hot water

The oily chemicals from fluorescent sticks mixed with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, by Yan Liang