Dramatizing Isotopes: Deuterated Ice Cubes Sink
Description: An ice cube made of heavy water sinks in a beaker of regular water. A regular ice cube floats. This is good for indicating “heaviness” of an isotope.
This demonstration is also available on video and JCE Software “Chemistry Comes Alive” Vol. 2 CD-Rom
Source: Journal of Chemical Education
Year: 1990 Vol: 67 Page: 159
Keywords: Isotope, Water, Deuterium, Ice
Rating: 
Hazard: Low
- No hazardous material in use
Effectiveness: Good
- Average reliability
- Visually counter-intuitive
- Results are observable with guidance
- Good connection from demo to course material
Difficulty: Low
- Simple manipulations for most to perform
- Simple procedures
Safety Precautions:
- Gloves required
- Eye protection required
- Absorbent material on hand
- Use of UL approved three-prong plug and outlet if display is used
Class: Physical Properties
Division: General
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