There’s no debating that metallic sodium is exciting stuff, but getting your hands on some can be problematic, what with the need to ship it in a mineral oil bath to keep it from exploding.

They are salts made from the alkaline hydrolysis of fats and oils (triglycerides). Fat molecules contain three ester links. These can be hydrolysed when they are heated with sodium hydroxide or ...

Of course, sodium hydroxide isn’t really a metal ... The material looks like a mirror, but a laser on one side will make a partial appearance on the other side. What’s interesting here ...

Releasing 6,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide solution (lye ... The solution will also be tinged with a red dye to make it easier to track, which will make the eventual chemical dump look similar ...