Oxidation / Reduction

I teach Redox and Electrochemistry as the first topic in AP Chemistry¹.

Galinstan is the tradename for a liquid metal alloy that is comprised of three elements: gallium (68.5%), indium (21.5%), and tin (10%).¹ It behaves a lot like mercury but has significantly lower toxicity. Because of this, Galinstan is used as a replacement for mercury in a variety of applications.

Co-Authored by Tom Kuntzleman* and Grazyna Zreda** *Spring Arbor University, MI and **Tanque Verde HS, AZ

The chemical reaction between violet-colored thionin and iron (II) ions produces a leucothionin, a colorless compound (Equation 1).^1,2

I have always wanted to try the mercury beating heart experiment, in which a drop of liquid mercury is made to throb like a beating heart.¹ However, I have never conducted this experiment due to the issues associated with mercury toxicity.

A recent publication in the Journal of Chemical Education caught my eye.¹ The article describes how lithium “coin” or “button” batteries can be used in the chemistry laboratory to teach students about stoichiometry.

In Chemical Mystery #18: Peek A Boo Blue,¹ Blue Powerade is observed to change to green, and then to a yellow color. When the yellow-colored solution is disturbed by pouring it, it shifts back to green or blue-green.

I have always been fascinated by chemical reactions that form shiny, metallic mirrors.

One of my favorite chemistry demonstrations is the “Copper to Silver to Gold” experiment¹ (VIDEO 1), in which a penny is first plated with zinc and then heated to form brass, an alloy of copper and zinc. The heat causes zinc to diffuse into the copper in the penny. The zinc plate imparts a beautiful silver color to the penny.