Chemistry Nerds Unite!

Blast-Off! No.I, originally uploaded by Devpow.

A little while ago, Franklin and I were trying to decide what he would do as his science project this year. Last year he and Dickson presented on the science of air pressure by threatening to dump a glass of water on Dickson’s head. It was fun. His class got a kick out of Dickson’s facial expressions. I also got a sense of how wonderful Dickson was a teacher. He’s pretty mesmerizing in front of a group of kids.

Or perhaps that’s just me.
But I don’t think so.
(and I’m willing to bet Mom Kent believes the same)

But I digress…

Franklin is getting into science more and more. He comes home explaining the different states of matter with jumping enthusiasm – as in acting out what heated molecules act like all over the place. This year, in keeping with the obsession with everything Star Wars, he wants to examine the science of jet packs – as in Boba and Jango Fett.

Because why not, right?
Here’s to a 7 year’ old’s refusal to be bound by the limits of reality and his parent’s Humanities degree.

So the science of propellants…

We watched this:

and looked into the science of Hydrogen peroxide decomposition using a catalyst like Manganese dioxide. Much like this:

Now, he had a hard time understanding that this could become forceful enough to be used in a jet pack so we watched this with a higher concentration of H2O2:

Now he gets it. In fact, now he wants to build a jet pack and see if the 30% hydrogen peroxide and manganese dioxide we got from the university lab will actually life him off the ground.

Cue in the discussion of pressure tanks while trying to avoid the basic ingredients on how to make a bomb…

Never mind, my co-worker has just explained to him how to mix dry ice and water in a bottle, screw on the cap, bury it in the ground and run far, far away.

Wonderful.