Mixing sodium with mercury

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Correction: at 12:50 I said that pure nitrogen is denser than air, but that isn't true. The specific gravity of nitrogen vs dry air at STP is ~0.97, meaning that it should rise slightly, but the difference (0.97 vs 1) is so small that there isn't a very noticeable effect. When air is flushed out of a flask by nitrogen, it would take a while, but it should eventually mix with the air out of the flask.
For this video, I'll be making the sodium amalgam, which is commonly used in chemical reactions. It can also be used as a gateway to other amalgams, even some that are normally very hard to form. This is the first official video in my new amalgam series, where I try and combine as many different metals as possible with mercury.
Related Videos:
• Aluminum and Mercury: • Aluminum and Mercury
• Dissolving Gold in Mercury: • Dissolving Gold in Mer...
• Sodium vapor lamp footage: • Grow Lights Explained:...
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[@loscheninmotion9920]

science man mixes poison shiny water with boom water

[@Nawmps]

- science book in big year

[@Dominic_LaSalle]

big if true

[@Josh-ez3mb]

Much revelation

[@user-qq8gy5hc2g]

Based and redpilled

[@mr.mercury4247]

His new name is science man and all of his fan will now call him that

[@magrildz]

NileRed: "working with mercury is almost always a pain, requires waste management and special handling..." Cody: "in this video we'll mix liquid mercury with Kool Aid and drink it!"

[@pikeyboo8608]

Danilo Pinheiro lol that’s Cody

[@lanadoesathing]

That's Cody for ya.

[@shangrel110]

Hahaha

[@johnbecker3116]

@@scdhl1856 why the politics? Keep that shit out of here

[@fishboy2644]

I was thinking the same thing lol

[@madkirk7431]

"Why the hell would you want to mix explosives and poison?" Me: *A M A L G A M A T I O N S*

[@skydragonfire93]

DC and Marvel tried that once. We got Logan Wayne. Fun times.

[@solierafromtheultrareconsquad]

Table salt: *....*

[@EXQmagikk]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/foa1lqhvmdhlq6c

[@phamminhquan5054]

@@solierafromtheultrareconsquad Salty intensified.

[@bobsvilla4168]

I read that in Shadiversity's voice lol

[@joelryan8881]

Me: Cant afford much Nile: ah yes, let me feed gold to my pet puddle

[@gabrielcomim4345]

Nice one.

[@GooseWithNoEggs]

the gold was woth like 5 cents

[@joelryan8881]

@@GooseWithNoEggs i know, it was a joke stop ruining it

[@EXQmagikk]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/foa1lqhvmdhlq6c

[@tyes6883]

Ah it's 1 atom thick

[@StrikeWyvern]

"Bro just wash the sodium with water lol" -Famous Last Words

[@nabayanchakma2419]

Rip🙏

[@Sir_Isaac_Newton_]

bruh just mix chlorine and muriatic acid for a stronger dissolver

[@itzpatrick2450]

@@Sir_Isaac_Newton_ Bain?

[@ayrendraganas8686]

@@Sir_Isaac_Newton_ dontcha mean bleach and vinegar? :^)

[@updownstate]

@@ayrendraganas8686 I thought it was bleach and ammonia.

[@theshuman100]

Gets mercury poisoning. "This is not ideal"

[@danielmaher2388]

This is not okie dokie

[@LaskyLabs]

This seems rather unfortunate...

[@AcrayMEM]

The situation at hand is currently not the most desirable.

[@user-sw8te8sb2j]

Move your ass!

[@AcrayMEM]

An unfavorable outcome has arrived in which it does not meet the ideal nor is it sought after, which puts the situation at a disadvantage due to its lack of meeting an appropriate result.

[@updownstate]

A poem about my father [who lived to 92, better living through chemistry]: Willie was a chemist. Willie is no more, For what he thought was H20 was H2S04.

[@AN-om1qc]

Deam

[@tanushreemukherjee292]

Deam

[@user-ho1vt8vz2l]

Deam

[@updownstate]

@Hand Grabbing Fruits Funny.

[@updownstate]

@@AN-om1qc What does that mean?

[@gseholm]

I dont understand why people dislike videos like this. There is LITERALLY NOTHING to dislike.

[@JulianMarkau]

They probably hold their phones upside down while watching.

[@sunnyd9321]

Maybe it has something to do with something political he said at one point? Or maybe they don't like his voice. I dunno lol

[@nameless......................]

Or they hate not understanding and feel insulted by not being a supergenius

[@petersmythe6462]

"There was a thump, and all the sodium instantly disappeared." Sodium in a nutshell lol.

[@isaacroebuck9514]

Nope, it reacts with nutshells too, there's no way you could keep it in one.

[@serbianspaceforce6873]

Isaac Roebuck lmao

[@omnical6135]

sodium LOOKS LIKE CHEESE!

[@Sp00kq]

@@isaacroebuck9514 silence

[@oliviablundell3733]

@@isaacroebuck9514 Aren't you funny!

[@ericmacfadden7856]

Imagine having science channels like this on KZbin, and then showcasing “melting lipstick” as a science experiment representing all science channels.

[@unfetteredparacosmian]

And imagine that that was actually one of the better parts of the video. Oof KZbin Rewind was bad

[@xenonram]

I'm still trying to figure out why everyone is talking about that stupid video. I never even knew KZbin rewind was a think until electro boom did a video about it. Who cares? It's just a stupid video put out by KZbin. K-pop!

[@unfetteredparacosmian]

@@xenonram Everyone is talking about it precisely because it's so stupid

[@WG55]

What if they combined mercury and lipstick? 🤔

[@ArtDesignHobby]

@@WG55 Kardasian

[@johnster02]

9:51 “but anyway, now that all that safety has talks done, i can go back to playing with the amalgam.” lol

[@EXQmagikk]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/foa1lqhvmdhlq6c

[@elisabethsun7059]

Lol

[@kingofglory5161]

I actually like chemistry unlike most of my family and I definitely LOVE this channel because it shows the extremely fun (and dangerous) aspects of chemistry

[@wooy1701]

then you should watch explosions and fire al you need to know is in the name

[@a-blivvy-yus]

One of the best high school chemistry teachers I know of: "OK students, today we're going to the school pool. Why? Because there's an important lesson for us to learn there. We are not allowed, as teachers, to allow students to handle sodium, because it's very dangerous. We are also not allowed to put sodium into water in the classroom. Today, *WE ARE NOT IN THE CLASSROOM* because of this rule." A year later: "OK students, today we're going to the school pool. Why? Because there's an important lesson for us to learn there. We are not allowed, as teachers, to allow students to handle sodium, because it's very dangerous. We are also not allowed to put raw sodium into water under any circumstances. So instead, I am going to carefully lay out this sheet of paper so it's floating on the surface of the water. And now, I will drop this piece of sodium onto the paper. Remember, I'm not dropping the sodium into water, because that would be breaking the rules and rules are important to follow."

[@kimberlymarsh9687]

Best teacher ever

[@itz_grass5890]

I wish I had this teacher

[@johnrtylertyler7713]

Mr.Lowe

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

Sodium speedboats! Always fun to play around with. That and the jelly baby cannon.

[@expresso4thedeppresso]

Can I have that teacher? :)

[@alicexylanthrax6169]

“So to get things started, I added a few drops of acid.” Me, at every party

[@zivbarr]

was searching for this

[@fss1704]

that's the rule

[@Hachiae]

you drop cid at parties? i got big doubts

[@fendysusanto876]

You need gallons of LSD

[@JJ-si4qh]

Actually lol

[@765kvline]

I work with HID lighting and found this episode the answer to many of my questions. Great video!

[@Unmannedair]

I think this is my favorite video that you've done. I really like these amalgamations.

[@linuspauly2380]

"Smashing it a BIT" *destroys flask completely*

[@rhythmjain5639]

Happened with me soo many times it's not even funny.

[@bluesap7318]

Rhythm Jain same here.

[@Schradermusic]

Well, he started out very carefully...

[@BillAnt]

@Matrix29bear < You mean pushing Sodium under Mercury with furry paws. lol

[@autarchex]

Years ago my roommate and I played around with a material we nicknamed "Hell Metal." Not a mercury amalgam but an alloy of gallium and aluminum. We dissolved powdered aluminum in molten gallium into no more would go in, then removed the aluminum oxides dross. Result is a liquid alloy that is relatively stable in dry air, wets glass, makes great mirrors of all your glassware, and if not disturbed may remain liquid at room temperature for anywhere from hours to weeks before it solidifies. It tears apart water on contact to produce hydrogen, evolving a fair amount of heat - learned that the hard way when I tried washing some off a gloved hand and received a burn for my trouble. Handy reductive agent.

[@maximiliancollins1748]

I am totally gonna try this. I love youtubers that run their own experiments lol stay safe and never give up!

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@maximiliancollins1748 this sounds cool lol

[@Dji00]

@repentandbelieveinJesusChrist2 🍆🤡🎯

[@gameseeker6307]

Imagine this in a water squirt gun, or pellet form while it is raining

[@RavenVargas27]

Thanks that's really cool and interesting

[@icyfyer]

Congratulations on your promotion! I'm proud of you. The new place looks excellent. Here's to growing out of this one too!

[@MartinIsRunning]

Love the behind the scenes look at your channel! Glad to see it’s so successful!!

[@panchu50]

This is the chemistry I always wanted to see. Weird KZbin recommendation has finally something good!

[@evilgoesunpunished3122]

😂😂😂 good one

[@killerkirby366]

Watch backyard scientist

[@doonutaprivoise9917]

It is not wierd!!! It is Nile red 😍😍😍

[@msim28]

I suggest you start with an english recommendation, first.

[@KazzArie]

@@killerkirby366 or applied science or AvE or Cody’s lab

[@maximilianraab18]

I've just gotta say that I have absolutely nothing to do with chemistry. I am not a chemistry student nor do I have anything to do with chemistry in my job, yet I really enjoy all of your videos as they are super interesting and extremely high quality. You are so good at making interesting and educational videos that you attract people that have barely anything to do with the matters you cover in your videos. I'll have to thank you for all your effort you put into your videos, it's really obvious that you value high quality content and take great effort to produce your videos! Cheers!

[@user-km4fs5vj2v]

Great inspiration 👏

[@tomking6926]

I get a light-hearted chuckle out of some of the comments but of course I do realize that like myself you're on novice and experimentation is how we learn. Many times by watching one another's experiments we learn not to do that other times we learn to take chances and other times to go forward for if it wasn't for the novice experimenter bathtub chemist a lot of what we have now wouldn't be possible.

[@1904Ernst]

@@tomking6926 Lets stop calling it chemistry though. The word has been hijacked

[@donnaboyle669]

I really enjoyed your test, I like mercury. Looking for to seeing your other videos. Thank you for making them!

[@nathanas64]

Wow! You’re a diehard research chemist! As a former chemist I really enjoy these videos ! Best wishes for success in your endeavors !

[@WitchidWitchid]

I used to dabble in Chemistry related experiments in my younger years (back in the 1970's). I remember ordering some sodium. It came crated in a wooden box filled with sand. The sodium was in an airtight can embedded in this sand. When I got done with my experiments I stored the unused portion of the sodium in a jar filled with kerosene such that the sodium was completely covered by the kerosene. Now the funny part is over time I noticed the remaining sodium was dwindling. In fact, every time I looked at the jar there was less and less sodium. Turns out my younger brother was "borrowing" some of my sodium every now and then to put on a little "fireworks show" for his friends. He would cut a piece of sodium and toss it into a puddle and watch the "fireworks" LOL. P.S. I should add that the reason I stored the leftover sodium in kerosene was to keep it from reacting with water and oxygen in the atmosphere.

[@Someone-ig7we]

LOL That sounds so funny! That's so cool that you did that :)

[@Nananana-dj3qm]

Lmao

[@WitchidWitchid]

@@Someone-ig7we Yes, it was. I was cool about my brother using some of the sodium. Namely because I would have done the same damned thing...LOL

[@NiqIce]

Funny lil story 😃👍

[@bruno-xg5dl8tr7x]

Good man!

[@Sharpman76]

0:14 "It's almost always a bit of a pain because it requires special handling" *proceeds to mix it with another metal that requires special handling*

[@astra3766]

Exactly

[@ajithnandakumar8244]

This video deserves to be in the list of Really useful videos

[@chazgriffin5582]

another great video been watching you for a while love your content you're really good work I love how you've grown and love your knowledge it's amazing keep up the great work me and my children and my wife and my brothers love watching it

[@StopChangingUsernamesYouTube]

1:22 "But first, let me show you some of my exotic cheese collection."

[@explosivedude8295]

Forbidden cheddar

[@pinball66]

Nile, you fuel all of my nerd needs. I love your channel and recommend it to all.

[@user-bd2bk3kc7k]

Indeed.

[@rushthezeppelin]

With Cody's Lab and AvE in the mix my physics/enginerding nerdiness is fulfilled.

[@justlolatthisworld7917]

20:01 "I'm sorry Mistress, I'm SURE I can fit all of them in my mouth" LOLWUT? Is that someone's name?

[@dropndeal]

Back in the early 80’s I worked in an aluminum foundry, and we used sodium to refine the eutectic silicon grain distribution. The sodium was encapsulated in small aluminum cans making it safe for storage. These would be preheated, then added and stirred into the molten aluminum. As years passed, the industry turned to Titanium boron as a much safer grain refinement option, and our inventory of sodium capsules was forgotten…by most😂. I would take a handful of these on weekends down to the river, poke holes in the can, tie to a rock, then drop them into the 70-100 foot deep river. In the darkness, you would see flashes in the deep and a muffled rumble. A few seconds later the surface would boil up with bubbles and smoke, and tiny pieces of sodium would burn purple and pop about as they reacted. Unfortunately, we didn’t have cell phones with video capability back then (and pretty sure I wouldn’t video that today).

[@pavelkryl457]

I would like to see NaK mixed with mercury, you just know that has to be fun.

[@challox3840]

I had that idea too! Like!

[@christopherleubner6633]

The reaction is violent, but similar to the sodium one. The nak splatters and boils. Can be done in argon.

[@RichardBirdsall]

I can't believe I end up watching every one of his videos in their entirety when I couldn't stay awake in school courses I paid for haha

[@randallriley9455]

Intro to chem day 1 the professor mixed up this "liquid" that spent the entire class changing colors as it was stirred. I never missed his class... guess you have to lead with cool science to draw us in... it worked !!!

[@TerranceClayton]

Made sodium amalgam many times when in graduate school for organic chemistry. The procedure I used was to melt the sodium by boiling in toluene, allow the toluene to evaporate and quickly add the mercury via an addition funnel. The resulting liquid was then quickly poured into a mortar and stirred with a pestal while it solidified. This would result in a course powder which could be easily stored and weighed when needed.

[@rarebird_82]

I love how the sodium dissolved/boiled off in the water like an effervescent tablet reversing the initial reaction and restoring the mercury back to original liquid state 😃 awesome!

[@nknown8672]

Hg? Na...

[@mimimitsu]

Ha!

[@SlippySocks]

That’s great...

[@tommy.rc3]

Nice

[@electronicsandroboticsclub750]

K.

[@Rindew]

He He He

[@Sp00kq]

"there was a thunk and the sodium disappeared" Yea... That's kinda what sodium tends to do

[@Timeward76]

Sodium: aight imma head out

[@randallriley9455]

No idea how I got here but you have an interesting channel and I am curious about amalgams now. Job well done buddy !!! Thank You

[@Skjoldborg8]

Fantastic Channel, and amazing storytelling gifts you have. Keep up the great work! 👍

[@sheep4100]

*reads title* sounds safe

[@AdamosDad]

It would be cool to see the crystals under a microscope.

[@agvulpine]

Request: Try an ultrasonic bath (jewelry cleaner) to mix the amalgam and keep it from solidifying. Possibly also breaking the surface tension so a glass rod is not needed. Also try with tuning forks (and a rubber butt to prevent breaking the glass on contact).

[@ariajacobs5719]

Y'know, you've inspired me to want to become a chemistry teacher. Keep up all your great work.

[@ziiik4398]

Hopefully your dream becomes true!

[@trymatic7151]

I feel like you’re gonna get elemental fluorine at some point. Cody will probably be first though

[@NileRed]

Fluorine scares me

[@Sebastian-ur7lg]

@@NileRed I think every chemistry based youtube channel says that.

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

@@NileRed flourine scares everyone!

[@kadergumus2598]

Yes, Cody likes dangerous things.

[@SuperAngelofglory]

it is even possible to make it without electricity, but it requires some nasty chemical intermediates

[@mikemalo6336]

I know i am writing this 2 years late but please continue with this series of Mercury experiments, I see a huge potential for generating info by exploring an obscure area of chemistry. In order to get a pH.D don't you have to develop information that was previously unknown, it would be cool to see you get a doctorate in chem and document it online.

[@flyingcod14]

This is great chemistry and entertaining! Thank you.

[@tkskagen]

So happy to brought back to your Channel!

[@jacmac225]

I don't know why but i feel sad every time you smash a glass tube. You always say something like "i was hoping i could just pop it out, but i can't." That always makes me feel like you're all disappointed. it always comes off as like, "I tried to save my near and dear glass tube. I truly did, but alas, my efforts were futile. I'm sorry, my glass tube, that it has to end in this way. But your contributions will not be forgotten. Your end will not be in vain. you will be a part of something much greater. Hundreds of thousands of people shall see your ultimate sacrifice to science," Mr.Science man says, tears building in his eyes. And then you give the glass tube a slow death with a hammer, and it takes a few tries, like the glass tube is trying to resist. it just makes me feel like I've lost something. and I feel so silly every time it happens.

[@christianoconnor9031]

J_mac225 7:31

[@nurcanagar7593]

@@christianoconnor9031 thanks

[@limeangelo6019]

Thanks im crying now.

[@bhavendralalsharma19]

@Audiocronic Please...no more

[@wetraccs5747]

Glass Tube: Dad it hurts! Please stop! Dad.... I love you..

[@pape869]

*NileRed hiring his brother* Me: "Chemical Brothers"

[@pickle_muffins]

Fullmetal alchemist live action

[@thegrizzlyoldtiger]

Just found your channel and it’s amazing bro!

[@yurika_edits]

I realized science is actually very fun when u understand everything. I just studied the chapter about s-block elements, and this whole reaction was there to prepare caustic soda (NaOH) so i understood everything word by word. This video reminded me why i took science lol.

[@BlackKillerGamer]

8:15 "I have absolutely no ideia what the concentration of sodium is here" "but I think it's somewhere around 5%"

[@pmdoublet1948]

ok

[@quapin]

ok

[@rawpie2]

ok

[@TheRealDescartes]

ok

[@itsgalaxy2407]

ok

[@MagicScorpio]

I'm watching this in late 2020 and all I can say is CONGRATS! Love the videos and keep doing them please! So interesting and I love trying to guess what happens and also wish I majored in this field. So interesting. Good format. Love it!

[@stevensteven7165]

I love this. We need this mercury series to keep going. It's super interesting.

[@junkyyard2273]

If this keeps on going then Nilered won't be.

[@domonator5000]

The ammonia amalgam reaction looks vaguely like what you see of a screen from an MRI to be honest. Super damn cool!!

[@Rizspalinka]

Making sodium amalgam is a lingering (half-day) work, it requires paying attention. The most important thing the inert atmoshere (do it under argon or nitrogen) Depending on the quantity but you have to use KPG stirrer. The second important step is to use freshly cut sodium (before washed the mineral oil with dry hexane or petrolether) and you have to cut the sodium to small slices and added to to the mercury in small portions. The mercury reacts so violently with the sodium that it boils locally. (after every slices you can hear a loud hissing) :)

[@gieromguy_does_nothing_pro8458]

"Mercury requires special handling, as well as waste management" Codyslab: "haha, Mercury go brrrr"

[@raymondweaver8526]

No gloves

[@jannejohansson3383]

Mercury is very nasty but aluminium can be too, If it go to lungs.

[@LiborTinka]

Some reductions with sodium amalgam are actually done in dil. HCl. Alternatively, if too high or too low pH is to be avoided, boric acid can be used as a buffer.

[@LiborTinka]

You can measure the concentration of sodium by decomposing the amalgam in water, then titrating the liquid with acid until neutral: 2 NaHg + 2 H2O -> 2 NaOH + 2 Hg + 2 H2 NaOH + HCl -> NaCl

[@natekite7532]

Really excited to see this series continue; I don't understand most of what you're saying but the amalgam at the end looked so cool

[@annabanana3855]

I want to say I really appreciate your channel. I'm still a high school student and I have yet to take a chemistry course, but your channel helps me understand so many different reactions. You explain things in a manner I can comprehend and I've learned so much. Thank you.

[@JakeKlineMusic]

How was your chemistry class? 😃

[@martfildes9675]

I’ve no idea why this popped up in my feed, but I’m glad it did. New sub here.

[@copernicusepoch7574]

1:23 The sodium metal looks like cheese- *The forbidden cheddar*

[@gamemeister27]

On getting the percentage of sodium higher, my bet would be higher temperatures, either initially, or through adding more sodium leading to a longer positive feedback loop.

[@jonathanodude6660]

you dont want the positive feedback loop, what you want is low temperatures and a very deep chamber to mix in so that the sodium doesnt reach the surface

[@democratic_chocolate2067]

I died when he dropped sodium after washing with toluene

[@bcdm999]

So did he

[@ArtFiendz]

I love this video. I have been a huge fan of chemistry sine I was around 7-8 but never really got into it other than basic kid experiments.

[@Zanthum]

2:09 "before this I had never made any sodium amalgam before." Un huh, sure. I don't believe for a second that you never made NaK before this. That is literally one of the first things I would do if I got my hands on some sodium and potassium.

[@Dingomush]

That ammonia reaction was the coolest thing I have ever seen! Keep up the awesome work!

[@nicklemke98]

This channel always reminds me why I decided to pursue a chemistry major. I love watching your videos when I’m in need of motivation to actually study

[@user-ui8sp5th4g]

When i first took chemistry as a prerequisite for my science degree these were the experiments i thought we would be doing. I could not have been anymore wrong. Chemistry was easily the worst science class i ever took. So much math and very little interesting experiments. However with that being said i really enjoy your channel because you take everything that captivated me about chemistry and make it interesting. I wish you were my teacher. I think what people don't understand or respect about this channel is just how much of an education you have to have in order to be able to safely perform these experiments correctly. You have to be far into a chemistry degree before ever being able to do this kinda of stuff lol. Ill stick to my biology courses lol.

[@slevinchannel7589]

Nile Red is an example for what we should all Sub to: Good Channel with the concept of rare-but-epic Uploads. I mean, Tier Zoo, Oversimplified and Hbomberguy, they are all Top-Tier but dont put any Strain on youre Time-Schedule, right?

[@mckrunchytoast2469]

I doubt this will get seen because older video but, coal contains a lot of impurities like mercury, I found some chunks of coal by railroad tracks went "oh neato" and kept them. Tossed them in my aluminum truck tool box and kinda forgot about it. Even in the coal and in small amounts it still damaged and started pitting the box. Kinda cool really, didn't do any serious damage but still awesome. And I only knew it was mercury in the coal thanks to awesome people like you and Cody's lab not trying to promote him but you both have expanded my knowledge on science and chemistry so thank you for that.

[@TheBrickedWall]

Hey Nile, huge fan of your work. One thing I'd like to suggest that I think would be cool is some slow motion of these reactions that you do. Especially with the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. It would be neat to be able to see how these reactions originate and maybe have you break down each stage and discuss it. Just an idea. Keep it up, can't wait to see what else you come up with

[@turtlzeboi9455]

My favorite mercury reaction was the gold foil one. the way the mercury almost eats the gold leaf paper looks so cool!

[@88koldenburg]

If I'm not mistaken this is a way to 'charge' the mercury. Old gold mines would use a copper plate, coated with 'charged' mercury on a shaker table to capture and amalgamate the fine gold from the oar being mined. Charged mercury is like a gold magnet

[@LiborTinka]

I guess the advantage of an amalgam is the mercury working as a medium for electron transfer. This allows reductions that would be more difficult with just sodium and a proton source (e.g. sodium in ethanol). Examples I know of include reduction of decalin to tetralin and of harmaline to leptaflorine.

[@ethanpund1482]

I love how informative you are about absolutely everything you talk about.

[@drcurv]

An interesting video. Thanx for the upload, NileRed. A couple of points - as mentioned by other commenters, nitrogen is slightly lighter than air, not heavier. But it's OK for creating an inert covering for your amalgam if you're quick enough at stoppering the container. Mineral oil is not, of course, a solvent for sodium metal (if it were, your sodium would be in solution, wouldn't it!) It should have come as no surprise to you that the article by Read and Lucarini on the large-scale preparation of sodium amalgam in the lab was an old paper - it says so at the bottom of the page! (Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, 1925, vol. 17, part 5, p. 480 [a one-page-only article] for those of you voyeurs who understand that there's more to chemistry than the miserly offerings we find on the internet). Interesting and great news that you've found a kind landlord who's provided you with some premises to work in - they know about the nature of your experiments I take it? You're not sure what use to make of your sodium amalgam? Ooooooh! Do you not have access to any alpha, beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (or similar)? Your amalgam should work a treat at reducing them. Also, try a reaction with an alcohol to make the corresponding sodium alcoholate as a strong base. You may like to try making an amalgam with about 35-45% Na by weight; this should also be a liquid at round about room temperature or a little above. The (approx. 40%) eutectic melts at about 21 C. Good luck, best wishes, and please do keep up the good work :)

[@ashrowan2143]

Watching these videos is making me miss my junior high science class, our science teacher did some wild demonstrations with every highly reactive metal he could get his hands on

[@jumzbrugs9867]

Viewers: Wow that's really cool. So what can you do with a Sodium + Mercury amalgam? Nile: Turn it back into Sodium and Mercury

[@spudhead169]

Can you do a video on making (synthesising I guess) ethanol? I know it's far far easier to ferment sugar but a chemical process would be fascinating.

[@fuckthis8547]

....takes me back to my alcoholism days

[@quickscience5090]

Burn ethane

[@photonicpizza1466]

@@quickscience5090 That'll just produce water and CO2, like all other simple hydrocarbons. Some ethanol might be produced as an intermediary here and there, but that's highly unlikely, and if it were to happen, it'd immediately burn as well. And since it'd be only an intermediary, the reaction wouldn't constitute a synthesis.

[@alanclarke4646]

The industrial method is to pass ethene and steam over a silicon dioxide and phosphoric acid catalyst. This has to be done multiple times, as only about 5% of the ethene is converted to ethanol in each pass. It has to be done at 300 deg C, and 60 to 70 atm pressure.

[@prajeth]

I like your videos as they are easy to understand and fun too, they help me a lot in my Chemistry, Thank You @NileRed.

[@gloriaduan1281]

Could you do a video on your chemistry journey? Would love to see it!!

[@tommunyon2874]

My getting my B.S. in chemistry 41 years ago was immediately followed by my being commissioned as a Naval officer, which meant I was assigned to pursue other endeavors that did not directly entail the use of chemistry. My 1979 edition of "The C.R.C. Handbook" is but a relic of the past, as I am sure the Chemical Abstract Society probably certifies enough new compounds in just a single year to fill multiple volumes. I find it interesting that I can at least vicariously observe experiments such as those herein presented.

[@MrGreglego]

You should do a chemistry-off with Cody

[@randominternetprofile8270]

Nilered would win. He's an actual chemist.

[@Matt_Deluca]

Nile would win. I like both of them, but cody's specialty is geology.

[@coryman125]

Maybe not a competition (as was said, NileRed seems to have more proper chemistry experience, whereas Cody just knows enough to use for practical purposes), but definitely a collaboration between the two would be interesting.

[@jonathanodude6660]

cody is doing physical chem while nile is doing synthetic chem. you cant really compare them

[@EduardoWalcacer]

A colab is what they should do, would be awesome.

[@tmfan3888]

NR: the rxn is very exothermic and can burst into flames Also NR: *didn't submerge the flask in cold water bath* Me: excuse me wtf

[@challox3840]

what if shock heating breaks the glass? this is not a danger in this example, but it could be a problem

[@robbiejames1540]

Water + sodium = fire anyway?

[@demonking86420]

Nilered: I like to live on the edge

[@zanderb9646]

I would be really interested watching the reaction of this amalgum happening inside of bismuth. If possible to mix bismuth and mercury, before the reaction, and use very small amounts of sodium to avoid exothermic reactions to not disrupt or displace the bismuth, and to perhaps be able to watch the different layers of crystal forming between sodium and mercury, and how that would form the bismuth.

[@txikitofandango]

your videos are clear and engaging, and somehow you manage to pack actual chemistry into them

[@tucker8951]

Somehow.... He literally does chemistry so I'm sure it's pretty easy for him

[@lumberjakmatt7683]

As much as I love your experiments one of the main things I use your channel for is to fall asleep lol no disrespect at all your commentary is just super relaxing lol

[@TinySwanGrandAdventures]

You use the long video playlist for sleep aid as well? His voice is super relaxing and it's always fun to guess which video you'll wake up to if you put the playlist on loop. 😌💙

[@moritzschaferalthaus3461]

I love you’re videos.You really inspire me to pursue chemistry.Thanks Nile

[@daemoh3696]

anyone gonna press videos.you ?

[@moritzschaferalthaus3461]

I just did.Nothin’ appeared unfortunately

[@marbleswan6664]

Moritz Schäfer now i want to make a site for that

[@moritzschaferalthaus3461]

The question is what kinda site we are gonna make?!

[@daemoh3696]

@@moritzschaferalthaus3461 the site sounds like something youll find on the dark web lmao

[@donovanshy9927]

I hated chemistry in school always Im much more biology and zoology science minded but I always love these videos you break down everything as best as you can for simple people like me if you taught my chemistry class I would have loved chemistry haha

[@debibeverly0609]

Brings back fond memories. We were allowed to play with Hg when I was in high school. We aren’t even allowed to have it on campus these days. It has been deemed that mercury oxide is a carcinogen.

[@deusexaethera]

And this, by the way, is why old metal fillings included mercury -- because it's really good at forcing other metals to mix together and making them all easier to mold.

[@ChristaFree]

I still have 3 in my mouth, got them in 3rd and 4th grade. ...i'm 50 now. People say I should get them replaced but I don't see why I should. I don't have any problems at all. We played with it, with our hands on our desk, in elementary school. I'm not sure what that means, but I have a feeling it's not as toxic as it's claimed to be. ...i'm no chemist, but nobody i've ever known has had any problems from playing with it, or having mercury fillings. Maybe this guy, or someone else, can explain. We did a lot of things back in the day that's discouraged nowadays, particularly living in the county where there wasn't much to do. Like dynamite fishing, or shooting guns, for example. Lol nobody ever got hurt in my area. It's was the oddball case from other places, with people that didn't have proper knowledge. Not once. Lots of people broke arms climbing trees though. I was always safe, because I was taught properly, and to have respect. This is what I did, and do, with my kids. I never let them dynamite fish though. They don't have enough sense or or focus. My grown children do, but we'd rather fish with a pole now. They all are expert shots though. The 14 yr old girl outshoots most men at the shotgun club, without her glasses.

[@deusexaethera]

@@ChristaFree: Metallic mercury dissolves poorly in water, so the amount of mercury you ingest over time is minimal. Mercury _salts_ and _methylated_ mercury are the really dangerous stuff -- get just a few drops of dimethyl mercury on your skin, and you'll only have a few weeks to live before you suffer brain death. However, even though their toxicity is minimal, metal fillings leak badly compared to ceramic fillings, which are injected into the cavity and then hardened in place. It sounds like yours are perhaps the best 3 metal fillings ever installed if they haven't leaked yet...but ceramic fillings would still look nicer.

[@madladjerry]

is it possible to make sodium wool, like steel wool, so u have a ton of surface area. if u put this in water how violent would it be with the increased surface area

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

I'm sure you could, but you would have to draw it into very fine wire in an inert atmosphere so that the sodium wouldn't almost instantly react with the oxygen in the air.

[@deflatedfruit4716]

Hell, make it out of caesium

[@Zelnyair]

There's no point to that when you could grind it to powder instead for an even larger surface area.

[@theCodyReeder]

Sodium actually reacts with water fat faster in the form of solid lumps due to electrically driven mixing

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

@@theCodyReeder funny seeing you here. I've seen your comments on lots of science channels I watch. We must have similar scientific interests.

[@bradfader691]

Science class was always fun with energetic reactions. I remember we got a hold of a strong laser is class and melted the whiteboard lol.

[@beverleylevy4029]

When you first cut that big piece of sodium, I thought, OMG. 🌋. Love your videos. Especially working with the Mercury . Schools in UK no longer use it for H&S reasons, which is pretty understandable. Have you ever considered working with frequency?

[@maddisonquinn]

Whenever I’m bored, I watch these videos. I’m not an expert scientist so I don’t fully understand some things but find these videos really interesting and entertaining

[@Sp3077]

Having KZbin Premium for almost two years , im a bit surprised the algorithm recommended this channel ..but glad it did.

[@mekelius]

Lol that might be the single best vpn ad on yt. It's kinda scary how deeply I trust nigel's calm and authoritative voice to just know stuff. Even when I most likely know more about vpns than him.

[@thebackwoodredeemers2483]

really interesting! Thank you, and nicely explained.