Since Gallium is non-toxic and low melting Maxim had fun playing with the liquid metal in his hand. He also shows how easy it is to make a gallium mirror and crystals.
Maxim creates an alloy of sodium and potassium by simply rubbing the two metals together under and inert liquid. He used kerosene. As he rubs a liquid alloy of the two metals is formed. As you would expect the alloy is highly reactive with water as he demonstrates.
Praseodymium is a silvery, greenish, paramagnetic, lanthanide metal. The name is derived from the Greek word for green which explains the chartreuse colored chloride Maxim prepares. I is magnetic at temperature below room temperature. A glass made from praseodymium is used in laboratories with slow beams light.
Thulium is the rarest of the Lanthanides making it quite difficult to isolate. Charles James original separate required about 1,500 step. Despite its rarity it has some commercial uses such as anti-counterfeiting phosphors for currency and medical lasers.
Maxim develops and anodizing technique to produce a rainbow of colors with Niobium. He then uses his technique to produce an attractive souvenir trinket.
Europium is a slightly radioactive lanthanide metal. It reacts with oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air, water and, of course, acid. Its compounds have diverse fluorescence and phosphorescence properties. It has a few commercial uses related to its fluorescence.
Maxim shares the story of the discovery of erbium in Ytterby Sweden where it was discovered along side ytterbium. Today it has several uses in advanced technology such as lasers, amplifiers for optical cables and wires in quantum computers.
Like it's sister platinum group metals ruthenium is generally unreactive but with some clever coaxing it will form some interesting compounds including organic coordination compounds. It has several potential commercial uses but it is hindered by the cost and potential toxicity.
Maxim describes the history of thorium beginning with it's discovery. It had a number of commercial uses over the years. Although it is an alpha radiation emitter it has been almost entirely replaced in consumer products due to the toxicity of the oxide. That creates a problem for rare earth production because it is an inevitable byproduct that is hard to dispose of.
Maxim describes the important roles of iron throughout human history including creating the Earth's protective magnetic field and essential proteins in our blood. He show samples of iron from it's raw materials and mankind's first application of iron up to the newest materials such as ferrofluid. He demonstrates a few reactions that show the oxidation states and colors iron can produce.
Maxim repeats the original preparation of bromine by Lowig and Balard followed by a second preparation of the element with Piranha solution. He then proceeds to demonstrate the reactions of bromine with aluminum, aniline and, using an iron catalyst, with benzene.
Silver has been known since antiquity and used as currency often in the from of the natural gold alloy electrum which resisted tarnishing. Maxim demonstrates how to mke beautiful silver crystal by electrolysis and a pretty nice mirror via a chemical reaciton.
Neodymium magnets contain iron, boron and a variety of other rare earth additives or contaminants that increase the Curie temperature or the alloy. So how much neodymium is in a magnet? Maxim endeavors to extract the neodymium and finds some of the other rare earths.
Like silicon germanium is a semiconductor but it lost out to silicon for computer chips in the 1970s due to cost. Today it is used primarily in optical fibers which are much less expensive that copper wire. Maxim dissolves germanium in sodium hydroxide to produce sodium germinate which is used to produce bismuth germanate used as a scintillation detector in particle physics.
Glass is an amorphous material devoid of crystallinity. It is pervasive in our society usually as car and building windows made of silica glass. Amorphous metal alloys, known as metallic glass, are also being produced that are harder and resist deformation better than crystalline metals but in low volume for niche application.
After providing a primer on alloys Maxim demonstrates how to make a few. With a high temperature electric furnace and a little stirring he produces bronze, brass, stainless steel and magnaloy. Then its time for some real fun. Twenty-nine metals in one alloy based on iron.
Alkalais such as sodium hydroxide are know for there corrosive nature and react with human skin to produce soap. Maxim demonstrate some superalkalis that are even more corrosive. Sodium hydride ignirtes when exposed to water and even then leaves corrosive sodium hydroxide as reaction product. t-butyllitium can catch fire when simply exposed to air.
Maxim introduces several dangerous chemicals in common laboratory use; sodium peroxide, potassium permanganate, sodium azide and nitrous oxide. One of them even sent him to the emergency room with hand and eye injuries despite his protective equipment.
Super alloys were created following World War Two to meet the strength and high temperature demands of turbojet engines. Though the formula is complex Maxim creates one such alloy at home then tests it against traditional alloys.
