The supernatant solution luminesced when it was excited with an ultraviolet source, giving off a yellow or blue light depending on whether the group used nitric acid (yellow) or aqueous hydrogen ...

Does the Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell have an impact? Hell yeah. A former colleague responded to a recent lesson about purifying silver. His memoir is pure gold.

"Nitric acid, other than red fuming appears as a pale yellow to reddish brown liquid with reddish brown vapors and a suffocating odor. Very toxic by inhalation. Corrosive to metals or tissue.