Bradley,+Sarah

I read the article that dealt with how chemistry can be found in J.K. Rowling's world of Harry Potter. In Harry Potter, flames change color, ink becomes invisible or changes its hue, and wizard coins are gold, silver, and bronze. The chemist who wrote this article explains how you don't have to be a wizard to do some of the things described in the book--you just have to have a basic understanding of chemistry. To turn flames yellow, you use sodium. To turn fire green, you can use copper. She goes on to explain that to change the color of ink, you can use very simple household substances, such as lemon juice heated over a light bulb causing the ink on a paper to turn brown. To turn a penny gold like a Galleon in the currency of Harry Potter, you can use granular zinc and boiling sodium hydroxide solution. I liked this article because I never really thought about how chemistry could relate to Harry Potter.

Sarah, Well done. Your comments make me want to do a few demonstrations of those things! 5 stars MW