Puzzle: do you know chemistry?
Here is a very nice puzzle - But unfortunately you have to ressurect a little chemistry knowledge to fully appreciate it...
You have two identical test tubes. Both tubes look identical - they both contain colourless, odoreless, aqueous solutions. But someone told you that one of them contains a solution of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), and the other one a solution of potassium aluminum sulfate (potash alum).
How do you quickly tell them apart?
Comments
- Anonymous
April 21, 2005
Shake the test tubes? A bit rusty on my chemistry though... - Anonymous
April 21, 2005
Read the labels? :-)
My chemistry is very rusty. - Anonymous
April 21, 2005
Taste them ?
potassium aluminum sulfate should be salty
NaOH should be...caustic soda-ish ? - Anonymous
April 21, 2005
drops of water is the solvation :) - Anonymous
April 22, 2005
you could put them on ice as well.
Causetic soda will quickly melt the ice and dry eveything up.
However not sure how the aluminum sulfate will react, it might not be very pleasant. - Anonymous
April 22, 2005
If u are a software developer..
Do 'google'ing and get the following results..
http://www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/industrialchem/inorganic/CAUSTIC%20SODA.htm
http://www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/industrialchem/inorganic/ALUMINUM%20POTASSIUM%20SULFATE.htm
That explains you how to quickly tell it..!
Thanks. - Anonymous
April 22, 2005
Hint: if you mix the two solutions then some chemical reaction will happen... - Anonymous
April 22, 2005
Well... if you put a little bit of one in the other you get a precipitations if you are putting a little bit of the NaOH solution in the KAlSO4 solution (it would be Al(OH)2) but no precipitation if you are putting only a little bit of KAlSO4 in the NaOH solution becouse then you make Al(OH)6 wich is soluble in water...
I think - Anonymous
April 22, 2005
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
March 24, 2008
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