Brainiac Alkali Metals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m55kgyApYrY

I think this video interesting because it not only unfolds the marvel of chemistry world to us, but also relates to the periodicity of elements, which is the knowledge we have just learnt these weeks. As we learn from the class, the properties of the elements in the same group will change gradually from top to the bottom. In the video, the reaction between lithium and water is not very violent, just producing some foam, while cesium reacts with water so severely that the bathtub is bombed out in a second, I think this video can best represent the periodicity of the elements, and help us understand it better.

This video also reminds us of the safety at laboratory, because some chemical reaction is so fierce that if not carried out carefully, they will probably threaten our life. I remember an anecdote in our high school that a boy took away a small piece of sodium from the laboratory after class secretly, hoping to do the experiment at home. However, he had no container to place the sodium, so he threw it into the dustbin and it caught fire later. Fortunately it was noticed and put out in time. In the college we will also do some chemical experiments, and some of them may be very dangerous, so we are supposed to comply with the guidance of professor and TA carefully in order to ensure our safety.


Submitted by Zixing Fan (Vincent)