ChemicalForce - 2021-12-24
MAGIC ACID! "The name originated after a Christmas party in 1966🎉, when a member of the Olah lab placed a paraffin candle into the magic acid, and found that it dissolved quite rapidly." 🎦 55 years later we will repeat this experiment and check this myth ✅ ClO3F: Perchloryl fluoride. ____________________________ ✔️ So if you enjoy what I do, and would like to help me to buy chemical reagents and equipment, as some of my viewers do, I will be glad to see you as a member of my Patreon ❤️ 💛 💚 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ChemicalForce PayPal: reactionsoup@gmail.com (Shcherba) Bitcoin BTC: 1828WxhTtqohRiQBHgKtdqrmxsGncsjva2 ____________________________ 🔔 Subscribe, bro ^__^
That lithium hydride was such an incredible shot. It's amazing how it just bounces on top like that.
It's made of the lightest two elements that can form chemical compounds, so it makes sense
Hadouken in a test tube
@Deekshant seriously it looked like it. So damn cool chemistry is
Either that or Mario's fireballs in smb
"Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope!" Etc ;-)
So many chemicals, so little time. Chemistry never gets old. Thank you for all these reactions.
that slo-mo shot of the lithium hydride bouncing off the surface of the liquid was unreal, fantastic videography as always sir! 😀
yeah that was my favorite
Your videos are on a all other level of coolness and awesomeness ! Thank you for bringing this exotic reactions to us !
The blue/purple reaction from the sulfer was my fav. It was so pretty!
Also: adds magic acid to NOPE list
Fun fact: I believe the S8 ion is what is responsible for the blue color of lapis lazuli
@spiderdude2099 Ohh yes that can be true! Love that Azul color
@spiderdude2099 The S3+ ion is actually what's responsible for lapis lazuli's blue colour.
Speaking of that, there exists a blue-coloured oxide of sulfur, according to the lower oxides of sulfur article on wikipedia: "Some compounds reported by early workers such as the blue "sesquioxide", S2O3, formed by dissolving sulfur in liquid SO3 appears to be a mixture of polysulfate salts of the S42+ and S82+ ions."
@Oit Thegroit isn't it the S3- ion?
@Boltzmann Brain It could be that, I forget.
I did really enjoy this! It was fascinating, from unpacking to experimentation. It's the sort of video that might motivate a young person to study chemistry.
When I was about 13, I saw a movie about how WWII POWs were able to make explosives from materials available to them in camp. That's what got me interested in chemistry ... and why I became a chemist. Boys will be boys ;-)
The SbF5 I used was also purchased from Sigma but it was colorless so the blueish tint is definitely strange. The old bottle of SbF5 would likely contain chunks of solids if it was not properly stored in dessicator. So I would assume the suspended solid is the result of SbF5 being exposed to moisture, though I have no idea what could it be.
That demonstration of sulfur dissolution at 8:00 makes me wonder if trace quantities of [S8] 2+ could be what causes the blue color
Moisture and light
Reaction with moisture produces SbOF3. He told you that in the video. Question is; would that form an insoluble solid in SbF5? Another question is; could the solid be SbF5 crystallized out due to storage in cold conditions? These videos never go any deeper to answer any such questions, they are just eye candy for Joe Public.
@Safety Lucas I can’t help but wonder if there was something in the plastic itself, possibly even sulfur, which the acid reacted with.
Why does this comment feel like the only real one in this entire comment section, I was specifically looking for someone to mention the fact that his reagent was definitely not as it should have been
Your videos are always so well-made. They way you explain the reactions without rushing through it also makes it way easier to digest the information. Looking forward for even more great content in 2022.
Aside from interesting chemistry, your channel has dramatically improved in entertainment. Great production values. BRAVO!
God I love opening those cans that chemicals come in. It's like opening an Xmas present. I actually have a collection of a few of the cans in my office to remind me of what I work with on a daily basis.
Yea it's really satisfying seeing how carefully reagents are packed.
@femmy wemmy 💗 right? I do the same with our products. I guess you can say that I am a perfectionist when it comes to packing chemicals for shipment. Which is justifiable, in my opinion.
@BackYard Science 2000 Judging from how you pack your insanely secured Hydrofluoric Acid , I can definitely tell that you're a chemical perfectionists haha
@femmy wemmy 💗 He 100% is. I've ordered so much stuff from him and never once have I ever been even a little disappointed.
Omg, this chemical reactions macro footage is unbelievably cool! Thanks a lot for your awesome work and best wishes in 2022!
other chemists: "i won't work with hydrofluoric acid, it's bone-hurty juice"
chemicalforce: casually splatters HF just like... all over the place for a youtube video
great stuff mate
It was inside a fume hood.
too bad he was using sulfonic acid and not sulfuric. but i understand, he was saying the wrong name, which is super dangerous in a lab setting.
@pyronac1 fluorosulfonic acid = fluorosulfuric acid
This will be true for chemists, but my grandmother used hydrofluoric acid as a rust remover in the house. It is still sold in small orange plastic bottles in the supermarket.
@joris r im sorry, but, what does the label say again? also, the chemical formula is indeed different.
Can you make a video on lab safety, and how do you deal with all of these nasty chemicals?
Same way than big factories, add water, dump it to sea when it's "pure enough". :p
@Janne Johansson For some of the chemicals he uses, the water bill would be higher than Mr. Beast would pay for. For organics, use hot piranha solution. For metal salts and oxides, find a path to a safer oxidation state, or have it drop out entirely with a more reactive (and less toxic) metal. There are some chemicals that are nightmares regardless of what you do, which needs professional care.
Periodic Videos have some examples, you'd have to dig through them. - https://www.youtube.com/user/periodicvideos
It's hard to see but during the reaction he is using a laboratory fume hood closed the proper amount with an arm length thick glove (probably butyl), with a lab coat underneath and possibly one or more pair of gloves beneath the larger ones.
Wow this guy is a step above the rest. By far the best chemistry and cinematography I've ever seen.
Hello, love the channel!
Just watched your video on Thionyl Chloride (hope I’m spelling that right) and in that video you explained the reaction between it and Cobalt (II) Chloride and how it drops in temperature and changes color. I thought it was awesome and it really piqued my interest in endothermic reactions.
I know everyone loves exothermic reactions because , ya know, heat fire and explosions, but I have a newfound love for endothermic reactions.
Can you do a video with your favorite endothermic reactions? And what is the greatest drop in temperature in a reaction that you know of? I always think of things bursting into flames, but I never think of things bursting into…ice? Lol
Thanks again for all the videos, I went back to video one and have been watching them all!
Edit: sorry if you’ve already done a video on this as well, I’ve only made it to thionel chloride so far lol
I love it how this channel displays subjects that are usually less known to the public. Good luck
And also
HAPPY NEW YEAR 👍👍👍👍👍👍🎉🎉
I always wanted to see this experiment, thank you for sharing! Did you mix the reagents in exact stochiometric amounts? Maybe that is what's needed to dissolve the candle. Or maybe you just need to use more acid, because small amounts of water in the acid could also be quite a problem.
Nice slow-mo footage (and magic music), your always exciting channel has become visually very professional, better than any nature program on TV. I wish the older content would be someday re-shot in this quality.
Maybe there might be a ratio for the components in order to dissolve it well?
It might also be that water needed to be added, but then it would be sulfuric and hydrofluoric acid. Maybe thats what they really saw in the christmas party of 1966.
Great video, and maybe there are other hidden secrets about this mixture that allows it to dissolve paraffin wax.
Optimal Molar Ratio is 1:1, which translates to 1mL HSO3F and 1,25mL SbF6 if I did not miscalculate. Looks about right at 5:49
@Christian Miersch hmm thanks for the crosschecking
I had imagined that they had chucked the candle into a waste basket (for the fun of it?) and it dissolved after a while/instantly and then someone asked around, "Dude, what was in that bin?"
The production quality of your videos just gets better and better.
What a lovely Christmas present🎁! That's a rather fascinating chemical, the sulfur was particularly beautiful and the lithium hydride was an awesome shot.
Your videos are amazing and very informative keep up the great work!!
Thanks for the video! keep up the good videos for all of us to see and learn chemistry.
3:24 , I often find chemicals from large companies like Sigma, Carolina, Merk, etc have discoloration due to some sort of manufacturing process that introduces very small amounts of impurities (hence why you never see a bottle say 100% pure, amongst other reasons) and sometimes things just turn out the wrong color with a precipitate. I've had batches from Cesium distillations go blue, green and have a clear distillate come over with it. Easy enough to extract the cesium from the discoloration and redistill, but still, stuffs expensive and having such things happen sucks! But yeah, you'd be surprised at what you get every now and then with these companies. Not saying they're bad, just that with the sheer volume of product they produce it's hard to not send out something mildly contaminated every now and then.
And yes, I know Sigma and Merc are the same company now.
It's still crazy how many obscure chemicals those companies provide. You can get whatever you want, but you'll pay a high price for them.
@Truly Infamous The powers of Ebay
I seem to recall discoloration was more common in acids. I guess because the contamination doesn't interfere with what the acid is being used for - dissolving stuff.
It looked to me like there was a precipitate, not just discoloration. I've seen contaminates in the bottle plastic itself. Those plastics aren't as inert as some like to believe. Scientists I worked with loathed reagents stored in plastic.
@Truly Infamous As far as I know Sigma doesnt sell to amateurs so getting cool stuff is not easy.
Under rated chemistry youtube channel keep up the great work
Best chemistry channel... all the experiments that no one dare touch... i love it.
Plus the straight-to-the-point and mature presentation and the professional videography.
Beautiful Christmas upload, Feliks!
Btw, that suspension in the Antimony(V) fluoride along with the blue colour was probably just some contamination that might have accidentally got in during the bottling process of the reagent
Even BBr3 and PBr3 sometimes appear red. Maybe some photochemical stuff at work in some/all of these cases?
@Farhan Amin Maybe. But it would make sense for brominated compounds to appear reddish from photochemical release of bromine. From my knowledge, it doesn't make sense for any photodecomposition products of a fluorinated or antimony compound to appear blue.
Is it possible that a trace amount of sulphur actually got in there?
@The Hyperscientist What about the plastic container the Antimony was in? If that was a non-compatible container or one badly made, made with a different plastic than advertised?
@Gintoki Possible
@The Hyperscientist Yes, you are likely right about the photochemical release of bromine. As an addendum to that, I wonder what becomes of the BBr3 or PBr3 post debromination! This would mean a trace impurity in the reagent, which may even change the course of a given reaction that uses "BBr3" or "PBr3" esp. if the impurity/impurities happen to be catalysts or poisons. This ties in with a larger issue of reproducibility of reactions in a research lab, since reagents can at times be "capricious". In order, thus, to be very precise, every reagent would have to be distilled or crystallized or generally purified prior to its use and then an NMR would have to be run but in the normal scheme of things, this would be both time and resource consuming! Sigh.
And yeah. The blue in "SbF5" is real weird. As for your sulfur point, that’s a fascinating idea. I tried reading a bit on Sb related impurities but got bored :p I’ll find and share the link of the source all the same. It appears Cu can be an impurity in Sb sometimes but that is as much as I could glean.
Hi, cool video perfect for Christmas Eve. Please also put citations in your video descriptions please. Olah published J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1967, 89, 9, 2227–2228 where they stated formation of RCH2- through hydride abstraction. I would put a small amount of pentane/hexane into the mixture and see if it chews it up.
doesnt hexane by itself dissolve paraffin?
Can you do a lab tour or something like that in the future? What kind of authority clearances you required for your lab?
I subscribed instantly. Something about the music, the slow motion, your narration... I don't know, it was super enjoyable to watch and of course the information was very cool too.
brilliantly scored and filmed as usual mate.
Merry Xmas mate. Thank you for your quality content 👌
I really like your choice of music. It adds feeling of suspense and wonder to the reactions.
I am grateful for the exciting and picturesque reactions. Have you ever considered an exhibition with your best chemistry pictures or to sell them? It is chemistry art.
Your unboxing music was so wonderful! Made me feel like a kid having a chemical Christmas 😂
Amazing effect with lithium hydrate! Also cool mid-air collision at 2:29
I know for a fact that here in Norway candles are different than before, and you can still get the old ones in some shop’s. The old candles did drip more and was replaced because of the safety, lots of fires with Christmas ornaments led to this. But the pure paraffin wax should have been dissolved if the myth was true. The antimony V fluoride container seemed to be under halfway full, could it be a some fault with the production or storage? It seemed to have crystallized and thickened texture!
Normally I'd say you need a bit of hydration as pure acids usually create a protective reacted layer over whatever you're trying to melt and water removes that and allows the reaction to carry on
But given that fluorosulfonic acid reacts with water maybe that's not the case... Although old papers are a bit shoddy with their details so maybe it was hydrated and the products from the reaction of fluorosulfonic acid and water were called fluorosulfonic acid
This is a negative of very concentrated acids in general however
Disolved acids cant be stronger H3O+, so even in the case the water doesnt destroy the flouroslufonic it would be less reactive - its so to say a definition of a super acid
@Der Albtraum you make a great point which i didn't know about but in this specific case it's not just an acid it's a mixture, I'd imagine that even if the power deceased the mechanism of the oxidation of the paraffin wax would go a lot more smoothly and thus quickly/not get clogged up
Wouldn't you say?
@Guy That actually it isnt an oxidatiion but it produces carbonium ions which are totally unstable in water. But I can imagine that another solvent than water may work
@Der Albtraum i was gonna write that but i have no idea what available polar solvent could be used... Alcohol, ofc how could I not think of it
Although usually has some hydrate but it's not terrible and 100% does exist
I'm really curious what the reaction of NaK with Magic Acid would look like (specifically whether or not it would explosively blast itself apart with a coulombic explosion like it does in water, and how rapid/intense the reaction would be; seeing as the magic acid could conceivably add to the power of said coulombic explosion, because of its high H+ conductivity and high electron affinity...).
Further this could be done in at least two ways: adding MA to NaK and adding NaK to MA. I wonder if a low temperature may make for a more interesting spectating experience.
Thanks for sharing buddy love watching your videos always very interesting hope everyone is having a merry Christmas
Always love his content
Merry Christmas Mr. McBoogerballs
What was the ratio of your solution? Did you try any other ratios?
Just for curiosity: what do you pay for these small amounts of the chemicals and what certifications do you need to be able to order them? 30 or 40 years ago you nearly could get everything from an ordenary chemist store in town - this has changed a lot here in Germany ...
Could the color be from copper tubing? You could put a piece of copper in the SbF5 and see if the color is enhanced (if you have any left).
I don't have access to the papers anymore but I think, the mixture of both components needs some reaction time (maybe some hours) and doesn't give you the magic acid instantaneously. Also addition of water is counterintuitive for me, would not recommend it, instead I would even further try to dry and purify the SbF5.
Anyways, thanks for your great videos, all those things, even a chemist likes to do but doesn't, because it's too nuts and to expensive to do it just for fun - but fun it is! ;-)
This is easily the most beautiful channel on all of the youtubes. Thank you soooooo much for all of your content my friend. =)
Thanks for the great chemistry videos
2:00 This is absolutely stunning videography right there.
Isn't the light blue coloring just from the container? it looks like it's made from the same stuff you described in the fluoroantimonic acid video from last year (happened to see it just before this). The suspension is still weird though.
Do you think something was wrong with the antimony pentafluoride you received? It looks like it maybe semi reacted in its bottle. It seemed thick too compared to the other acid. Was it supposed to be that viscous?
Yes SbF5 is highly viscous
Michael Free - 2021-12-25
A note on the wax candle: In 1966 a paraffin candle would have been a regular candle of the time... petroleum-derived alkane paraffin, potentially with stearic acid mixed in to raise the melting point.
Beeswax is a collection of fatty acid esters and saturated fatty acids.
What your candle probably is, given it's intended for food contact, soy wax. Stearic acid and fully hydrogenated triglycerides.
ED: Got distracted and lost my overall point... the number and type of hydrogen bonds and the overall absorbed water content will vary greatly among these. Color agents could also work as a catalyst for dissolution, same with odorants. As powerful as magic acid is, it could be the difference between a pure paraffin/stearic acid candle and one that's 0.01% of some metal oxide or an aniline dye that's usually nonreactive... usually...
Christian Miersch - 2021-12-25
This sounds plausible to investigate.
Bee Bop - 2022-01-15
Beeswax candles are not common place anymore as they were pre 1970. They are now only found in high end markets and institutions such as churches that still demand beeswax primarily because of their long lasting and clean burning properties.
Paraffin became more popular in the seventies simply because of cost. However over the past decade or more soy based wax has become more prevalent as a medium between beeswax and paraffin.
All are acceptable for food service but I doubt that any modern day birthday or production candles of any type are made of beeswax.
Nathan Torres - 2022-02-09
Damn how tf do u know this shit lol. Impressive
Michał Ireneusz Jakubowski - 2022-03-15
@Bee Bop There are also candles based ona a mix of paraffin and oils. Kinda hard to mistake for anything else, since they have the consistency of butter. Those aren't particularly clean-burning, and the smell isn't pleasant either - kinda like diesel oil, which is weird, since the oils are almost exclusively vegetable-derived. All in all, they are for outdoor use primarily.
They are, however, the longest-lasting candles I've ever seen.
billy nomates - 2022-04-05
@Nathan Torres
999/1000 people: candles? yeah, they're made of wax
*micheal free .....fully-hydrogenated triglycerides