Watching Paint Dry

Amazing video of paint drying under a microscope.

Sticking Your Hand into Molten Lead

Making a batch of lead anodes and accidentally stick your wet hand briefly into the casting pot? You'll probably be okay, according to the MythBusters show. The Leidenfrost effect works in this case the same way you can touch a hot iron and not get burned. The good stuff starts at around 1:55.


From kottke.org, home of fine hypertext products.

Just to be clear, I am telling you not to try this yourself.

Shale Gas

Interesting video explaining the process of shale exploration here.

Shale gas has become an increasingly more important source of natural gas in the United States over the past decade. ... Although shale gas has been produced for more than 100 years in the Appalachian Basin and the Illinois Basin of the United States, the wells were often economically marginal. Higher natural gas prices in recent years and advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal completions have made shale gas wells more profitable. Shale gas tends to cost more to produce than gas from conventional wells, because of the expense of massive hydraulic fracturing treatments required to produce shale gas, and of horizontal drilling. However, this is often offset by the low risk of shale gas wells.

From Wikipedia.

University of Utah General Chemistry lecture on Corrosion

Brainiac alkali metals (3:16)