well that was exciting!

[mrswadders]

who said science isn't exciting?
I've just done a demo of distillation of crude oil and the thermometer bulb blew causing part of the apparatus to be engulfed in flames! Quick work with the emergency gas supply and fire blanket!!!

Kids were well impressed!

oh the joys of being a science technician........

[Aberdeenplotter]

hee hee brilliant. I remember a science teacher doing something with a bit of potassium and wrapped it in some wire mesh for safety. Can't remember if it got wet or it got dry or what happened but it exploded out of the mesh and started a small fire. Really does get a young lad interested.

[Mrs Twigg]

Hi Mrs Wadders,
did you used to work in the Anatomy dept at Oxford Uni.........1991 ish ?

[mrswadders]

no sorry not me, another mad scientist perhaps?!!!!!!

[alex-adam]

I remember from my schooldays many years ago, our science teacher demonstrating the reaction of soda / acid. He assembled a simple 'fire-extingusher' from retorts and tubes added water, soda and the the acid (vinegar) - the reaction was instant and he pointed the 'extingusher' out of the science lab window on the sixth floor..........

................some moments later, the door flew open, and there stood the head master, who had been outside in the playground, covered in sticky, gooey foam............Oh !

[Hilary B]

I vaguely remember a demonstration of the production of 'ammonium tri-iodide', a colourless solution, which could (with great care) be dried to leave a nearly invisible residue on the Filter-paper which had been soaked in it. When the dried filterpaper was hit with a hammer, a pretty little purple cloud appeared. A few weeks later there was an interesting event as people walked into the Assembly Hall, with little puff of purple smoke...... (well that's what I was told, I happened to not be in school that morning).

[binley100]

I can remember eldest coming home impressed with the exploding jellybabies her teacher had shown them .......

[salome2001]

Na+ H20 --> NaOH +H2

.... which our A level science teacher decided to demonstrate by lighting the gas coming out of the tube. Unfortunately, tube was a bit too wide... flame travelled back into glass flask.... explosion.
Thank God he did it in the fume cupboard.
Never forgot that lesson.

Distilling crude oil sounds pretty cool though!!!

[salome2001]

I can also remember using sodium in chemistry pracs at uni. Of course, we were all told not to tip it down the sink when we had finished. Of course, when the prac class finished at 5pm in winter there was a lovely glow from all the sinks....