Here’s the start of a new series of collaborations withMEL Science, looking at a number of fun chemistry experiments and the explanations behind them. Today’s initial offering looks at how zinc pellets can be transformed into tin hedgehogs with some simple chemistry.

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If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you might have assumed that the medals given out are, as advertised, made of gold, silver, and bronze. Due to metal values, however, the reality is slightly more complicated. Giving out pure gold medals would be financially crippling for the International ...

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in C&EN

In this month’s Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News magazine, we’re looking at the compositions of U.S. coins, as well as some of their quirky history.

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This graphic looks at the colour of various metal and metalloid ions that occur during flame tests. Most people probably remember doing this experiment in school chemistry lessons, if not with the full range of ions shown here, but for the uninitiated a brief explanation of the origin of the ...

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Sodium Hydroxide & Ammonia Precipitates

This graphic, on the other hand, looks at how transition metals (and some non-transition metals) can be identified by the precipitates they form with sodium hydroxide and ammonia solutions. I’m going to keep the explanation of the reasons for the colour changes and precipitates fairly simple ...

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Element Infographics

This graphic looks at some general properties of the transition metals – I had a little less space to work with than with the previous graphics, on account of the large number of elements that the transition metals encompass, but hopefully what’s included is still of use.

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