Exhibition chemistry

Properties of alloys: finding the NaK

By 2016-06-09T00:00:00

Nak alloys properties demonstration

Source: © Declan Fleming

Why is NaK a liquid? Declan Fleming finds out

In the July 2012 exhibition chemistry article we looked at Field’s metal, which melts at a surprisingly low temperature of 61°C. This mixture of indium, bismuth and tin is great for showing how an alloy will have different properties from its constituents. Another such alloy is a mixture of sodium and potassium, and it displays a fascinating property at room temperature that students really don’t expect.

This demonstration lends itself well to teaching metallic bonding for 14–16 year-olds.

With accompanying video and power point slides, Declan Fleming shows how to prepare and demonstrate an experiment on NaK's properties, with ideas as to the post-demonstration discussion.

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