A lot of your more flashy chemistry experiments are explosion-centric, but there are a few quieter ones that are just as mesmerising. A mixture of copper sulphate and ammonia, for instance, looks like the surface of an alien gas giant. And, when it’s in slow motion, it’s positively hypnotic.
When you pour ammonia into a copper sulphate solution, you actually see two reactions. First the ammonia reacts with the copper sulfate to create a very pale blue kind of salt precipitate, and then more ammonia redissolves the salt to make the liquid a very stark blue. In short, you get fascinating swirls of light and dark blues.
It’s all very beautiful and serene. But still you can’t help but wonder what it would look like blowing up.