Fascinating Experiments That Show What Happens When Mercury and Aluminum Are Combined

Canadian chemistry buff NileRed captured a series of fascinating experiments to show what happens when mercury is combined with aluminum. Each experiment was conducted under slightly different circumstances, yielding different but equally remarkable results, all involving aluminum oxide.

Aluminum is normally protected by a thick oxide layer, but the formation of the amalgam disrupts it. It allows fresh aluminum to react with air to form white aluminum oxide. As the oxide grows, it forms as these cool white fibers.

• Pouring Molten Aluminum Into a Pumpkin That Has Been Cooled With Liquid Nitrogen
• Astronaut Terry Virts Demonstrates What Happens When Water and an Effervescent Tablet Are Combined in Zero Gravity
• The Backyard Scientist Pours Molten Aluminum Into a Cantaloupe and a Honeydew Melon To See What Would Happen