Diamagnetism is the property of a substance to be repelled by a magnetic field. Interestingly enough, water shows this effect. We build a simple, but very sensitive detector to show this. We also show pyrolytic carbon that is so diamagnetic that it can float above magnets if they are arranged the right way. Water is diamagnetic, meaning it's slightly repelled by a magnetic field. But in everyday life this is almost impossible to notice. We need to build a very sensitive detector to see it. Just get a basin of water and float a styrofoam block in it. Styrofoam is very light and so even the small repulsive force of a test tube of water will have a noticeable push on it. Push the test tube of water into the center of the block and simply hold a strong neodymium magnet as close as possible to the tube without touching it. It's a very small force, but eventually the block will start moving away from the magnet. Pyrolytic graphite, also called pyrolytic carbon, exhibits the same effect and can even be made to levitate on top of a magnet. A single magnet is unstable since the graphite will like to fall off the side. But having four magnets and arranging them like in the video will create a "void" in the center that the graphite "falls" into and remains stably levitated. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyqOTJOJSoU

In this video we explore the science behind the well-known reaction of brake fluid and pool chlorine. Donate to NurdRage! Through Patreon (preferred): https://www.patreon.com/NurdRage Through Bitcoin: 1NurdRAge7PNR4ULrbrpcYvc9RC4LDp9pS ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSNPtuAcTm0

In this video we make luminol from domestically available chemicals. The process pretty complicated and dangerous at parts and so should only performed by, or under the direct supervision of, an experienced chemist. First we obtain diethylhexyl phthalate by refluxing 50g of finely cut vinyl gloves in enough isopropanol to completely cover them for at least one hour, preferably three to four. The alcohol solution of diethylhexyl phthalate is filtered and the supernatant is boiled until it reduces to half its volume. An equal amount of water along with 10g of sodium hydroxide is added and the mixture boiled for an hour. This causes the diethylhexyl phthalate to hydrolyze into phthalic acid and 2-ethylhexanol. After the solution cools it will phase separate into an aqueous layer containing disodium phthalate and an organic layer containing the alcohols. Retaining just the aqueous layer, 25mL of 12 molar hydrochloric acid is added to precipitate the phthalic acid. Chilling may be necessary. The supernatant is discarded and the residue of wet phthalic acid is purified and converted into phthalic anhydride by heating it to 300 Celsius. First the water boils off and then the phthalic anhydride evaporates and condenses on the sides of the beaker. At this point a flask of cold water is placed over the beaker to allow the phthalic anhydride to deposit on it. Periodically the phthalic anhydride deposits are harvested until no more can be obtained. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58Ve69s0qD0

In this video we show how to make a Zinc Air Battery. First you'll need to make a solution of 50g of sodium hydroxide in 150mL of water. Stir it until it completely dissolves. Be careful as it will heat up a lot. Set it aside to cool. Now get a zinc sheet (we cut one out of a carbon zinc battery in a previous video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knc1lSupAwQ) and attach a wire to it and attach another wire to some steel wool. We then wrap the steel wool with a paper towel to serve as a separator. The zinc is then wrapped around the paper towel/steel wool and the whole assembly is placed into a container. The steel wool has to be exposed to air to allow the oxygen to get in. The electrolyte of sodium hydroxide is added and the battery is ready. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcGWbt1mcrc