To UW-Madison chemistry Professor Bassam Shakhashiri, Christmas is not about presents, trees or eggnog. It is about explosions, toxic chemicals and fire.
Shakhashiri entertained capacity crowds this weekend in the Chemistry building as part of what has become a Madison tradition, the 35th annual \Once Upon a Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri"" presentation. Shakhashiri calls the event, in which he performs dazzling chemistry experiments, ""my holiday gift to the community.""
Shakhashiri said he wants kids to learn from a young age that science is fun, not intimidating.
""I use demonstrations to engage the audience, to get them asking questions,"" he said. ""When there's a visual impact and an appeal to the senses, it's more exciting than just reading about something in a book.""
In an audience favorite, Shakhashiri poured two colorless liquids into a funnel beneath which was spiral glass tubing with the lights dimmed. As he poured the liquids in darkness, the mixture glowed a bright blue. He used this demonstration to explain what happens inside children's glow-sticks.
Shakhashiri's grand finale featured a large, round flask into which he poured two more colorless liquids. He shook the flask, and when he set it down after a few seconds, the audience gasped audibly when it realized the liquid had become a solid silver film coating the inside of the flask.
""Look, we just made our own Christmas ornament,"" Shakhashiri said. He added this method, which involves combining silver nitrate and ammonia, is how mirrors are made.
Chancellor John Wiley even got in on the fun. After Shakhashiri lauded Wiley's contribution to the development of an electrical circuit found in all personal computers and Sony PlayStations, Wiley demonstrated color changes that arise when two liquids are mixed to indicate a chemical change.
""[Shakhashiri's] just a natural and charming showman,"" Wiley said. ""He makes serious scientific points in ways that are sometimes humorous, sometimes startling, sometimes amazing and always entertaining.""
Students in attendance agreed. UW-Madison sophomore Brittney Kasprzak called the glow-in-the-dark demonstration ""pretty cool,"" while 12-year-old Jay Dietz said the event was entertaining.
""I always like watching things blow up,"" Dietz said.
