The Electric Pickle : 50 Experiments From the Periodic Table, From Aluminum to Zinc

Why does a pickle light up when you plug it into a wall socket? Can iron burn? Are Cheerios magnetic? Explore these strange questions and more in The Electric Pickle , an indispensible collection of 50 madcap experiments based on the periodic table. Each project demonstrates an element's unique properties using easy-to-follow instructions. Experiments include: Hexed Helium Balloon Green Tornado Fire Black Light Jell-O Gonzo Pickle Batteries Totally Tricky Thermometer Ludicrous Lead-Pencil Lightbulb The Electric Pickle is also sprinkled with mind-bending scientific facts and entertaining sidebars about historic experiments and less common, often dangerous, elements. Front Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 2 Half Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 8 Introduction......Page 12 1. Exploding Hydrogen Bubbles......Page 16 2. Hexed Helium Balloon......Page 20 3. Horrible Hot Dog......Page 23 4. Green Tornado Fire......Page 26 5. Rubber Blubber Slime......Page 30 6. Bizarre Gummy Bears......Page 33 7. Flaming Black Snakes......Page 35 8. Psychedelic Paper......Page 39 9. Hilarious Hot-Air Balloon......Page 43 10. Smoky Cold Pack......Page 48 11. Homemade Ping-Pong Ball Smoke Bomb......Page 51 12. Freaky Soap Soufflé......Page 54 13. Daffy Dry Ice Monster Bubble......Page 56 14. Cornstarch-Powered Flamethrower......Page 60 15. Loony Lava Lamp......Page 62 16. Eggciting Eggsperiment......Page 64 17. Surprising Static Bulb......Page 67 18. Electric Pickle......Page 71 19. Hot Ice Insanity......Page 77 20. Perplexing Crystals......Page 81 21. Baffling Money Burn......Page 85 22. Mystifying Milk of Magnesia......Page 88 23. Crazy Colored Crystals......Page 92 Aluminum......Page 95 25. Kooky Can Crusher......Page 98 26. Magical Mystery Sand......Page 100 27. Radical Rust Remover......Page 104 28. Black Light Jell-O......Page 106 29. Ghastly Green Eggs......Page 109 30. Wacky Woolly Wool......Page 112 31. Daring Diet Coke and Mentos Rocket......Page 115 32. Preposterous Purple Blaze......Page 119 33. Silly Naked Eggs......Page 122 34. Weird Walk on Eggs......Page 125 35. Mysterious Memory Metal......Page 129 36. Cool Colors......Page 132 37. Sizzling Sphere Smashup......Page 136 38. Groovy Genie in a Bottle......Page 139 39. Bewildering Burning Steel......Page 143 40. Gonzo Pickle Batteries......Page 146 41. Ketchup and Copper......Page 150 42. Shocking Silver Pennies......Page 153 43. Strange Silverware......Page 157 44. Bonkers Bonko Cans......Page 160 45. Wicked Purple Plastic Eater......Page 163 46. Magnetic Cheerios......Page 166 47. Mad Microwaved Lightbulb......Page 170 48. Totally Tricky Thermometer......Page 173 49. Ludicrous Lead-Pencil Lightbulb......Page 176 50. Crazy Crystals......Page 179 Acknowledgment......Page 186 Sources......Page 188 About the Author......Page 192 Back Cover......Page 194 Hydrogen (H) : exploding hydrogen bubbles Helium (He) : hexed helium balloon Lithium (Li) : horrible hot dog Boron (B) : green tornado fire Rubber blubber slime Carbon (C) : bizarre gummy bears Flaming black snakes Psychedelic paper Nitrogen (N) : hilarious hot-air balloon Smokey cold pack Homemade ping-pong ball smoke bomb Oxygen (O) : freaky soap soufflé Daffy dry ice monster bubble Cornstarch-powered flamethrower Loony lava lamp Fluorine (F) : eggciting eggsperiment Neon (Ne) : surprising static bulb Sodium (Na) : electric pickle Hot ice insanity Perplexing crystals Baffling money burn Magnesium (Mg) : mystifying milk of magnesia Crazy colored crystals Aluminum (Al) : incredible shrinking potato chip bag Kooky can crusher Silicon (Si) : magical mystery sand. Phosphorous (P) : radical rust remover Black light jell-o Sulfur (S) : ghastly green eggs Chlorine (Cl) : wacky woolly wool Potassium (K) : daring diet coke and mentos rocket Preposterous purple blaze Calcium (Ca) : silly naked eggs Weird walk on eggs Titanium (Ti) : mysterious memory metal Cool colors Chromium (Cr) : sizzling sphere smashup Manganese (Mn) : groovy genie in a bottle Iron (Fe) : bewildering burning steel Nickel (Ni) : gonzo pickle batteries Copper (Cu) : ketchup and copper Zinc (Zn) : shocking silver pennies Silver (Ag) : strange silverware Tin (Sn) : bonkers bonko cans Iodine (I) : wicked purple plastic eater Neodymium (Nd) : magnetic cheerios Tungsten (W) : mad microwaved light bulb Mercury (Hg) : totally tricky thermometer Lead (Pb) : ludicrous lead-pencil light bulb Bismuth (Bi) : crazy crystals. "Why does a pickle light up when you plug it into a wall socket? Can iron burn? Are Cheerios magnetic? Explore these strange questions and more in The Electric Pickle, an indispensible collection of 50 madcap experiments based on the periodic table. Each project demonstrates an element's unique properties using easy-to-follow instructions."--Amazon.com