The 27 Most Impressive Chemical Reactions

Listen, chemicals are super awesome, and super dangerous.

1. Ammonium dichromate looks pretty cool when you burn it:

Source: i.imgur.com

2. Aluminum meets bromine:

Source: i.imgur.com

3. Caesium and fluorine are a reactive combo:

Source: i.imgur.com

4. Water and liquid nitrogen make pretty good cover for escape:

Source: i.imgur.com

5. Take one part hydrogen peroxide, one part potassium iodide, and a little soap, and you’ve got yourself a tiny mushroom cloud:

Source: 2.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com

6. (You can also do it in a jack-o-lantern:)

Source: i.imgur.com

7. Make sure to avoid using gallium spoons in hot water:

Source: i.imgur.com

8. If you ever mix cesium and water, make sure to take a step back first:

Source: 0.media.collegehumor.cvcdn.com

9. Glycine-nitrate reaction with precursors of barium nitrate, zirconyl nitrate and yttrium nitrate to form BaZr0.8Y0.2O3 (whatever that means):

Source: youtube.com  /  via: i.imgur.com

10. Strontium, sulfur, And heat make for an unexpected light show:

Source: stream1.gifsoup.com

11. Diethylzinc has a pesky habit of spontaneously combusting on contact with air:

Source: i.imgur.com

12. Strong cup of coffee? Nope, just sulphuric acid causing explosive polymerization of p nitro aniline:

Source: youtube.com  /  via: i.imgur.com

13. Gasoline + Fire = Awesome:

Source: youtube.com  /  via: i.imgur.com

14. If you ever need some improvised rocket fuel, just drop a catalyst into some potassium chlorate and sugar:

Source: youtube.com  /  via: i.imgur.com

15. Sodium Polyacrylate aka Instant Snow:

Source: 

16. Lithium and fire get along pretty nicely:

Source: i.imgur.com

17. The reason you should avoid getting and snake venom in your blood:

Source: i.imgur.com

18. Copper and nitric acid:

Source: i.imgur.com

19. Gallium melts aluminum, which is pretty cool:

Source: i.imgur.com

20. Nitrous Oxide and Carbon Disulfide (aka The Barking Dog Experiment):

Source: imgur.com

21. Ever wonder what happens when you drop a gummi bear into potassium chlorate? This:

Source: i.chzbgr.com

22. Calcium gluconate and a little open flame:

Source: i.imgur.com

23. Nitrogen triiodide is touchy enough to be detonated by a feather:

Source: i.imgur.com

24. Here’s what happens to Coke cans in hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide:

Source: 3.bp.blogspot.com

25. This one’s pretty simple. Just some alcohol in a glass carboy:

Source: i.imgur.com

Not technically chemical reactions, but these are pretty cool too:

26. This is what happens when you heat up a CD and blow on it in cold weather:

Source: i.imgur.com

27. Laminar flow is a pretty neat party trick:

Source: i.imgur.com