Many of us gained our first appreciation for chemistry upon witnessing a high school teacher drop a chunk of sodium into a beakerful of water. You may think you know the explanation behind the ...

It’s the classic piece of chemical tomfoolery: take a lump of sodium or potassium metal, toss it into water and watch the explosion. Although this piece of pyrotechnics has amazed generations of ...

Potassium reacts quickly with water producing a lilac-coloured flame For example, when potassium is added to water, the metal melts and floats. It moves around very quickly on the surface of the water ...