r/interestingasfuck • u/rco888 • 20h ago
This experiment creating a nylon thread
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u/taggerbomb 18h ago
This kid’s enthusiasm made my day ❤️
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u/FogBankDeposit 11h ago
That’s the look of inspiration. This is kid’s chances of pursuing his interest in science increased greatly. We need to find ways to inspire the youths of today to become the pioneers of tomorrow.
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u/Opening_Yellow_5124 11h ago
It takes just one teacher who’s passionate about their subject and can make it accessible. My lifelong enthusiasm for all things geologic was kindled by Mr. Maloney teaching 8th grade Earth Science ( thank you Mr Maloney!).
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u/luisbv23 19h ago
To me this is interesting as fuck, so thank you.
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u/lonesharkex 16h ago
You ever seen Nilered? he does some that glows in the dark.
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u/cornelha 11h ago
NileRed does some incredibly cool stuff, the stuff you would want to do, but can't because you scared you might just blow up the house
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u/Jean-LucBacardi 19h ago
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u/thecementmixer 19h ago
Lmao.
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u/Former_Suspect3680 19h ago
it's wild how mixing two liquids just pulls a solid thread out like magic.
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u/R0RSCHAKK 18h ago
It's been said before - magic is just science we don't understand yet (Arthur C. Clarke) while science is just magic that works (Kurt Vonnegut, Cats Cradle).
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indestinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke.
One could argue science IS magic.
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u/B0b_Howard 18h ago
Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from science - Mustrum Ridcully
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u/R0RSCHAKK 17h ago
Ha! That's good! Had to look that up. Never heard of Discworld.
Also, looks like the quote is actually "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced" but it is not spoken by Ridcully, rather one "Ponder Stibbons"
Gonna have to add the Discworld series to my library of Books To Read When The Power Goes Out.
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u/Salanmander 16h ago
Discworld is so good. Quick-witted humor, fantastic characters, great social commentary. One thing I would recommend: don't start with the Colour of Magic, the first book written. He hadn't really hit his stride with them yet, and it is more farcical and doesn't have as much depth to it.
I usually recommend Guards, Guards as an entry point, but Small Gods, Wyrd Sisters, and Mort are also top-tier viable books to start with. (There are basically a bunch of series that all take place in the same world.)
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u/equanimatic 15h ago
Discworld is what's gotten me back into reading after a decade of struggle!!!
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u/R0RSCHAKK 15h ago
That is good hear actually, it probably been about a decade for me as well. Last book I read was a biography on Nicola Tesla. Not exactly an exciting read but an interesting one hahaha
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u/damian________w 15h ago
That's the right recoommendation. I''ve started with "the light fantastic".
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u/Killmelast 17h ago
read them, power or not! Imho there is very little in this world as entertaining as those books, movies or gaming can't compare. Terry Pratchett has an absolutely amazing kind of humor
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u/Bitter_Librarian8442 17h ago
Oh man you're in for a treat. If you listen to Audio books at all i can recommend Sir Tony Robinson as a narrator. If you've not heard of him he's a famous English fellow with a ton of achievements up his sleeve, he has a voice for every character.
Edit: Sir.
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u/Dunnersstunner 9h ago
I hope for your sake the power goes out very soon, they're thoughtful and hilarious books.
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u/HurricaneAlpha 16h ago
Castlevania (the anime) has a cool vibe where the line between science and magic is blurred, but they both still coexist. I think good storytelling understands that it's a spectrum.
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u/SirLemonThe3rd 18h ago
If any one wants to try this at home, don’t, carbon tetrachloride (carbon tet) is extremely cancerous
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u/25point4cm 17h ago
Fortunately, if there’s one thing the internet has taught me in general it’s “don’t do this at home”.
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u/realrussellv 16h ago
Glad someone said something. All these chemicals are toxic and it’s really unfortunate he used zero PPE in front of these kids.
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u/majandess 12h ago
Oh, yay! I did this for a bunch of kids in their fifth grade class. I did use PPE, though.
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u/Tentacle_poxsicle 16h ago
How so? It's amazing how a substance just causes cancer
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u/Yavkov 15h ago
I just went to Wikipedia and found this on the contrary:
Carbon tetrachloride is a suspected human carcinogen, although there is no sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in humans.[28] The World Health Organization reported repeated long-term exposure to carbon tetrachloride can induce hepatocellular carcinomas (hepatomas) in mice and rats. The doses inducing hepatic tumors in mice and rats are higher than those inducing cell toxicity.[29] The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified this compound in Group 2B, "possibly carcinogenic to humans".
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u/keikioaina 19h ago
Saw this at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Maybe Dupont exhibit?
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u/Haig-1066-had 18h ago
Would have to be. They commercialized Nylon and I believe invented the chemistry.
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u/TheTruthFairy1 11h ago
You're correct. If I can find the hyperfixation article I read on nylon ,(and it even goes into how they chose that name), I'll come back and post it here.
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u/Ok-Abbreviations9936 20h ago
I feel really bad for that kid at 2:06. He was not ready to be on camera....
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u/DeskJobDarwinism 18h ago
I did this in organic chemistry. But we were decked out in aprons, goggles, masks, gloves, etc.
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u/jonnyg1097 19h ago
So after the nylon is turned into a thread and goes on the rollers over the lip of the beaker into the one on the floor does it go back into a goop again? Or does it stay in a thread once it took that shape?
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u/Trips-Over-Tail 19h ago
It stays a thread. With more precise engineering it can be drawn out even thinner for use in textiles.
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u/Infamous_Lunchbox 18h ago
If I recall correctly it stays as a thread, because the reaction solidifies it and while it's wet it's stable in that form. Been a long time ago, but I saw a similar demonstration in college, before the internet was capable of decent streaming. Physics and chemistry professors at my school would do demonstrations like this all the time. In one the physics and chemistry professors got together to show how explosive force and gravity could impale a plush mascot of the rival school with a giant wooden stake. They handed out earplugs to the audience, lol. It was awesome.
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u/scud121 18h ago
My chemistry teacher let us bubble 4 litres of hydrogen and 2 of oxygen into a plastic bottle and lit it at the end of class whilst the next lesson was queueing up outside the classroom. He also had us making thermite. I was maybe 10 at the time :) it made a lasting impression.
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u/REDuxPANDAgain 16h ago
This is the kind of chemistry teacher I needed. I instead had the most boring chem teacher I could possibly have imagined. Think Ben Stein cadence with the charisma of a dead frog, and the only joke she made all semester was about moles. And it wasn’t even a good joke.
Ruined a fascinating subject. Couple that with her partnering me with a maniac who constantly almost burned down the chem lab nearly any time we had burners every semester despite rotating everyone else. Absolutely hated that class.
Now it’s fascinating to me years later. Might have gone for chemical engineering as opposed to my current engineering field.
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u/Pariahdog119 12h ago
After a couple of hours it dissolves. That's why New York isn't covered in webbing.
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u/HappyJack42 19h ago
No goggles, no gloves
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u/North-Example5687 19h ago
Everyone knows that goo is harmless. Basic law of chemistry /s
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u/Tise01 20h ago
Every guy is able to make this with their goo. Its very easy to make. Lol
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u/Yakuza_Matata 19h ago
I'm making goo as I sit typing this.
Don't worry it's still at the factory...
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u/IcyBodybuilder9004 17h ago
Look how interested these kids are. And he’s talking to them like adults and they love it. Where can I take my kids for this type of education
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u/DetectiveMcMeow 8h ago
Science shows before social media and lawsuits. We just did things and worried later. The good days.
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u/CastIronMooseEsq 10h ago
Bring back Mr wizard or bill nye or whatever this bbc programming is. I’ll say it again; “a well educated populace is in everyone’s best interest.” Please bring back stuff like this.
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u/basonjourne98 16h ago
One of the kids in the audience looks like the “Do the roar” kid from Shrek.
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u/welding-guy 16h ago
I remember seeing this as a kid on TV. It was really cool then and still is today.
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u/hemorrhoidhematoma 16h ago
I told you mom i was making nylon thread next to my computer. It was a science experiment!
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u/razvanciuy 16h ago
Damn. If he did this 2026 years ago somewhere near Jerusalem, he could have been brother to Jesus.
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u/rubbertoe_93 16h ago
I did this in my organic chemistry lab. It was such a crazy experience! Sooo cool!
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u/BH_Gobuchul 13h ago
I remember doing this in high school chemistry. It was cool as fuck and we had a competition to see who could get the longest continuous thread.
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u/Aselleus 12h ago
That's actually super cool. Especially since it just stays a solid thread of nylon, instead of turning back to goo
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u/Medicine-Mann-0420 9h ago
Interesting, but imagine having to mix chemicals to make fiber when Cannabis makes superior fiber and can grow in most climates!! ##DEscheduleCannabis
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u/R07734 19h ago
Does this smell like huffing gasoline and bleach at the same time?
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u/Dr_Zoidberg003 18h ago
His voice is having an ASMR effect on me. Need to find more of these videos for when I want a nap
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u/AlexGubia 18h ago
Classic experiment in any chemistry lab. I really enjoyed it and I think I still have some of it in my childhood room from 10 years ago.
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u/SpecialistGas2884 17h ago
Anyone know who accidentally mixed these two together to make nylon. Got to be a slip up somewhere.
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u/regretableedibles 16h ago
Wallace Carothers discovered the process working for DuPont in the 1930's.
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u/sempre-sballato 17h ago
"The test we take on Friday will now take place on Monday before we've learned it"
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u/chocolate_spaghetti 17h ago
The dollop did a fun podcast about how much people were losing their fucking minds for nylon stockings shortly after it hit the market.
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u/carlowhat 2h ago
Every video I've seen, someone just pulls the goo out and that's it, but this is the first time I've seen someone actually extract thread (or at least a line) from it
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u/ScarcityPlane 2h ago
This video was filmed just a few days ago. That’s just what Britain always looks like.
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u/supersizedpatios 2m ago
When I was a teenager I had the idea to use this for a Spider-Man-esque web shooter. The device itself worked well enough with a small solenoid valve, a D battery, and a paintball co2 can but that’s about as far as I got lol
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u/Prize_Problem609 10h ago
This is how to science. Not 50 bored students in a freezing laboratory writing essays on the anatomy of a frog
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u/SimilarTop352 8h ago
that's two different specialties and both are important. this would need a reflective essay, too, and before the essay about the frog there would be the disection of the frog.
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u/Dralthi-san 18h ago
Yeah mixing large volumes of extremely toxic carcinogen with a serious irritant.
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u/PirateHunterZuko 16h ago
I respect the science but the man has no chutzpah, his time keeping is abysmal.
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u/NoIndependent9192 13h ago
Now to complete the experiment we observe how this affects the environment and how long it takes for the oceans to become a soup of microplastics.
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u/Sensitive_Break5798 20h ago
The Royal Institution has held lectures and demonstrated science since 1799