Valentine's Day Chemistry

You can perform the Vanishing Valentine chemistry demonstration for Valentine's Day or to illustrate the principles of an oxidation reduction reaction. The demo involves a color change of a solution from blue to clear to pink and back to clear.

It's easy to make your own colored flowers for Valentine's Day, especially carnations and daisies, but there are a couple of tricks that help ensure great results. Here's how you do it.

Bring a metal heart to life, using a trick of chemistry. The mercury "heart" rhythmically pulsates as if it was beating.

The mercury beating heart is a classic chemistry demonstration, but mercury is toxic and harder to find than it used to be. Fortunately, you can use gallium for the beating heart demo. The effect is slightly less dramatic, but this version of the project is much safer. Gallium is useful for other projects, too, such as making a spoon you can bend with the power of your mind. Okay, really it's the heat of your hand, but no has to know your secret!

This crystal heart only takes a couple of hours to grow and makes a pretty Valentine's Day decoration.

Watch a pink solution turn colorless as it is heated and return to pink as it cools. This Valentine's Day demonstration is especially dramatic when performed in a large test tube. Immerse the tube in a burner flame to initiate the color change and remove it to regain the pink color.

Sweaty palms and a pounding heart don't just happen! It takes complex biochemistry to give you the symptoms of being in love. And lust. And security. Chemistry may even play a role in falling out-of-love. Get some of the details here, with links for further study.

Here's a look at some types of dates that might be perfect if your sweetie is a scientist or is interested in science. Dinner and movie is still a good plan, especially with the right movie, but I here are some additional dating ideas.

t's easy and economical to make your own cut flower preservative. Adding floral preservative will help keep your Valentine's Day flowers beautiful much longer than if you simply filled a vase with water.

Your command of chemistry gives you a certain edge in the Valentine's Day gift-making department. Use your skills to make some cool presents, to keep for yourself or give to others.