Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
Reactions

The One Where We Put Stuff in Acid

Season 4 Episode 38

Watch as Reactions uses some acid know-how to tell a chemistry detective story and sort real gold from the imposters. Acids are reactive, and even weak acids like vinegar can wow people with their reactivity. But strong acids can really put on a show, dissolving otherwise relatively inert metals. And aqua regia, or royal water, is a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids that can dissolve gold.

Support Provided By
Season
I Made Kidney Stones So I Could Destroy Them Forever
11:57
Alex made some kidney stones at home and tested prevention methods to keep them at bay.
How Trees Pollute the Air (and Why Your Coworker's Scientific Citations Don't Mean They're Right)
10:38
An email from a subscriber made us question everything we thought we knew about trees.
Every other video about color is wrong.
21:33
The 15 ways that color happens. It's all about the electrons. Well, almost.
Why is the US buying Canada's trash for $30,000 per gram?
12:07
This element powers glow in the dark exit signs, keychains, and costs $30,000 per gram.
Did fraud lead us to an Alzheimer's breakthrough?
9:53
Scientific fraud rocked the Alzheimer’s research community. Did it help point to a cure?
Don't Drink Raw Milk. But What About Raw Milk Cheese?
12:54
Alex Dainis explores whether or not your milk needs to be pasteurized. Yes, it really does.
This Video is About Electroadhesion
14:04
George tests a revolutionary new way to stick stuff together.
Chirality is Just Turtles All the Way Down
12:02
Sometimes the difference between life-saving drug and deadly side effect is chirality.
This (Edible) Mushroom Could Kill You
17:23
What happens when you eat morel mushrooms.
Science Doesn't Understand How Ice Forms
10:31
WARNING: this video contains incredible macro footage of supercooled water droplets nucleating ice.
Is There a Quick Fix for Ocean Acidification?
13:12
Let’s dive into the science behind ocean alkalinization!
I Reinvented a 300-Year Old Drink
16:56
Discover why curdled milk is the key to the best cocktail you’ll ever taste.
Active loading indicator