Christmas Special: Making a ChemisTree

TL;DR

The content shows how the creator made chemistry-inspired Christmas ornaments using different materials and techniques.

Transcript

over the past year I've done a lot of cool reactions but as the year comes to an end I wanted to do something a little bit different for the past few weeks I tried to think of some reactions that could be Christmas spirited or themed but I couldn't come up with anything that I was happy with a friend of mine suggested that I could make little ornam... Read More

Key Insights

• 🎄 The creator experimented with different materials and techniques to make chemistry-themed Christmas ornaments.
• 💡 The silver mirror bulbs required dismantling and cleaning light bulbs, creating a silvering solution, adding dextrose, and sealing the bulbs.
• 👣 The 3D printed metallic molecule ornaments were made using Sketchup and printed in stainless steel.
• 🦭 Ampuling bromine, mercury, and uranium involved specialized glassware and sealing the samples in polyester resin.

Questions & Answers

Q: How were the silver mirror Christmas bulbs made?

The creator took apart light bulbs, cleaned them, made a silvering solution, added dextrose, sealed the bulbs, and added a loop of fishing line for hanging.

Q: How were the 3D printed metallic molecules made?

The molecules were designed using Sketchup, exported as 3D models, and printed in stainless steel using a 3D printing service.

Q: What materials were used for the ampuled bromine, mercury, and uranium ornaments?

Glass droppers were used to ampule the mercury and bromine, while a glass pipette was used for the bromine due to its reactivity with plastic. The ampules were sealed in polyester resin.

Q: How were the ornaments decorated and displayed?

The ornaments were placed on a Christmas tree, starting with the bromine, mercury, and uranium ornaments, followed by the silver mirror bulbs and 3D printed molecules. Snow made from sodium polyacrylate was sprinkled on the tree branches.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The creator wanted to make Christmas-themed chemistry ornaments and came up with three main types: silver mirror Christmas bulbs, 3D printed metallic molecules, and ampuled bromine, mercury, and uranium.

• The process of creating the silver mirror bulbs involved dismantling and cleaning light bulbs, making a silvering solution, adding dextrose, and sealing the bulbs.

• The 3D printed molecules were made using Sketchup and printed in stainless steel, and the ampuled samples were prepared using glass droppers, ampuled, and sealed in polyester resin.