September time!

Hi everyone! Here's an update on what i've been working on!

The next video really should be the next Cubane video where we do photo-reactor stuff...... but it wont be. I've just been stuck doing boring purification on the diketone and not building the photo-reactor and its not interesting! I've been filming this stuff and maybe it'll be edited together eventually but it just feels like a grind and i'm not convinced its good watching. People want to watch me run a photoreactor so that's what I should be doing, not running recrystallisations! But I can't put dirty slop through a photoreactor!!! Anyway. I've got that to do. Somehow i've lost a bit of enthusiasm for it.

But I've always got enthusiasm for videos!! Just re-directed!! I've been saying for Ages that I need to make this 'Perbromate' video for Explosions&Fire. And it's finally time!! I'm doing it!! there's some cool science and interesting stuff already filmed over the past.... 2 years?? So i'll start putting it altogether, and it'll be an authentic explosions&fire video which is always a lot of fun.
Pictured here is a screenshot from it, which is a mixture of XeF2 and sugar igniting. A very exotic mixture, but what's cool is that there's this green glow from the reaction front - i'm not sure what it is as i've never seen anything like it, so my best guess is that it is emission from ionised xenon gas?? How wild is that! Does that theory seem possible to people?


Also, on Extractions&Ire I got contacted by a materials company who want to offer something for a very light sponsorship, so i've asked for a high temperature metal crucible, which would let us do something with the induction furnace again. I'm thinking the video could be making Silicon Carbide by heating carbon and SiO2 powder very hot (seems like at least 1800 C is needed). And then if we do form crystals of SiC, applying a voltage to them might cause some to glow as they become LEDs from low level dopant impurities. It might work, it might not.... but it'll be fun to try, and it'll be nice to upgrade the induction furnace more so it can handle its max heat for longer.
If the sponsorship for the metal crucibles happens, I've said i'd get that video out in late October- which is extremely optimistic- but maybe I do need more deadlines with this sort of thing hmmm.


That's it! Thanks as always!!
Tom