Sarah Spivey is a Meteorologist at GMSA@9 who performs demonstrations and explains the science behind them every Wednesday. In her latest series, Sarah conducts an experiment that showcases how soft and shiny metals react with water. This eye-catching experiment is in partnership with the San Antonio Zoo and is copyright KSAT 2023 – All rights reserved.
To conduct this experiment, you will need a small piece of potassium (which can be purchased on Amazon), a paper towel, and a beaker of water. Remember to wear eye and hand protection before starting the experiment.
In this experiment, Sarah demonstrates how potassium reacts explosively with water (H2O) to form potassium hydroxide and hydrogen gas. This reaction is exothermic, meaning it generates a lot of heat. Because of this, some of the potassium may catch fire during the experiment.
If you are interested in having Sarah and David visit your school to conduct a live science experiment on KSAT, fill out the form provided. Winners are selected at random for this opportunity. Copyright 2024 by KSAT – All rights reserved.
