What links Shorea Stenoptera, pig’s bladders, a bright red unicycle and some barking dogs? It can only be the Cheltenham Science Festival, now only five days away. For me it means Five shows in three days and a lot panic over the next few days as I get my risk assessments finished and some tea crates loaded. Above all it’s a chance to hang out with and make a whole lot of new friends. What will this year portend?
And Mark Lythgoe has produced this, which is beyond over the top, but what the hell….:
We very much enjoyed your demos and thank you for the preparatory work you put in to them. I do wish you had said more about the judgements you take regarding environmental impact. And I was disappointed that you had a drop a demo (isomers) in the talk with Jim Al-Khalili — what did we miss, please?
You were there? Why didn’t you come and say hi? Or maybe you did. I was so frantic I may have missed it.
The real problem was time. First of all, my earlier Gastronuts show turned into a bit of a nightmare because the act preceding us took about 35 minutes to clear the stage (and there were four people involved!). Which meant we started a few minutes late. When we finished that we overshot a bit and then had to clean up. So by the time I got to the Volatile History venue I only had 30 minutes and everyone, including me, was panicking – there just wasn’t time to get things ready. And then the propane regulator which had worked a treat an hour before decided not to give me the flow I needed to do the diamond burning…….
But actually the demo was going to be very very simple. It was to point out how the analogy for isomers in the series went slightly wrong and I had piece of duplo at the ready to do it again properly.
Then I talked too much and we ran out of time……. me? Talk too much?
I did wait to see you a couple of times, Andrea, but seeing you were so much in demand, and the unfinished meal I guess was yours (in Volatile History) I took pity. I emailed you instead about what I wanted to ask — whether you know the ‘Chemical Magic’ book from the 1930s (not the Ford/Grundmeier one from 1959/1993).
Also, as many people don’t know what a diffraction grating is, it might be worth showing it in front of a white light before the hydrogen lamp. Thanks for explaining re. isomers. Not so disappointed now as I’d imagined viewing stereoisomers through a polarising filter and coloured lights or something!
I think the second diamond (not counting the dropped one) may have stuck to the forceps and not dropped in to the flask; the tip was glowing as Jim withdrew it.
Yes. All good points that I have made a note of in my blue book. But the diamonds….. argh. the problem was the propane tank – for some reason I oculd not get the propane pressure high enough to get a hissing gas oxygen flame. The plumber’s torch just wasnt’ hot enough. I’m going to get a different regulator for the next time I try. And replace the flashback arrestor……
And yes, the diffraction grating. A whole talk in itself. I should have brought another lamp as well. But I had six crates of stuff for Chelts and the logistics had got way out of hand.
I don’t know the book and would love to see it if you have the energy to scan it. Thank you.
Thanks Andrea. I’ve now found the book — Chemical Magic by John D. Lippy Jr. Dedicated to his daughter, 1919-1927; rather sad. I doubt there’s anything there which is new to you, but it’s entertainingly quaint, and has an amusingly old-fashioned approach to health and safety. Must be out of copyright so I’ll scan it (give me a few weeks) and email you when done.
Hi Andrea,
I’ve emailed you the scan of Chemical Magic, and hope you enjoy it.
Cheers,
Nick
I’ve got it. Rotated it and turned it into a pdf. Looks brilliant. Thanks again for a lovely present.
I love the bit when he suggests dropping some ice onto a piece of sodium wrapped in paper. And to make sure it’s foolproof, he suggests wetting the paper with a bit of petrol.
Oh happy days of yore!