Substances and materials that break our understanding of physics

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Gunpowder was once considered magic, and magnets were an inexplicable toy, however, in our technological age, there are materials whose actions are similar to magic.

1. Metal that melts in your hands

The existence of liquid metals such as mercury and the ability of metals to become liquid at a certain temperature are well known. But the hard metal that melts like ice cream in your hands is unusual. This metal is called gallium. It melts at room temperature and is unsuitable for practical use. If you put a gallium object in a glass of hot liquid, it will dissolve right before your eyes. In addition, gallium can make aluminum very brittle - just place a drop of gallium on an aluminum surface.

2. Gas capable of holding solid objects

This gas is heavier than air, and if you fill it with a closed container, it will settle to the bottom. Just like water, sulfur hexafluoride is able to withstand less dense objects, such as a foil boat. The colorless gas will keep the object on its surface, and it will appear that the boat is floating. Sulfur hexafluoride can be scooped out of the container with an ordinary glass - then the boat will smoothly sink to the bottom.

In addition, due to its weight, the gas reduces the frequency of any sound passing through it, and if you inhale a little sulfur hexafluoride, your voice will sound like the ominous baritone of Doctor Evil.

3. Hydrophobic coatings

The green tile in the photo is not jelly at all, but tinted water. It is located on a flat plate, treated with a hydrophobic coating at the edges. The coating repels water and the droplets take on a convex shape. There is a perfect untreated square in the middle of the white surface, and water collects there. A drop placed on the treated area will immediately flow to the untreated area and merge with the rest of the water. If you dip your hydrophobic coated finger into a glass of water, it will remain completely dry, and a "bubble" will form around it - the water will desperately try to escape from you. On the basis of such substances, it is planned to create water-repellent clothing and glass for cars.

4. Spontaneously exploding powder

Triiodine nitride looks like a lump of dirt, but its appearance is deceiving: this material is so unstable that a light touch of a feather is enough to cause an explosion. The material is used exclusively for experiments - it is dangerous even to move it from place to place. When the material explodes, a beautiful purple smoke appears. A similar substance is silver fulminate - it is also not used anywhere and is only suitable for making bombs.

5. Hot ice

Hot ice, also known as sodium acetate, is a liquid that solidifies with the slightest impact. From a simple touch, it instantly transforms from a liquid state into a crystal solid as ice. Patterns are formed on the entire surface, like on windows in frost, the process continues for several seconds - until the whole substance "freezes". When pressed, a crystallization center is formed, from which information about the new state is transmitted to the molecules along the chain. Of course, the end result is not ice at all - as the name suggests, the substance is quite warm to the touch, cools very slowly and is used to make chemical heating pads.

6. Metal with memory

Nitinol, an alloy of nickel and titanium, has an impressive ability to "remember" its original shape and return to it after deformation. All it takes is a little warmth. For example, you can drop warm water on an alloy, and it will return to its original shape no matter how much it was distorted before. Ways of its practical application are currently being developed. For example, it would be reasonable to make glasses out of such material - if they accidentally bend, you just need to substitute them under a stream of warm water. Of course, it is not known whether cars or something else serious will ever be made of nitinol, but the properties of the alloy are impressive.