Thread by @WIRED

Take a break and dive into the minute world of chemical reactions. Using infrared thermal imaging techniques and high-speed and time-lapse microphotography, Wenting Zhu and Yan Liang explore the molecular beauty of the elements surrounding us 1/ wired.trib.al/Q8hTR8m

Behold the beauty of chromium chloride and sodium hydroxide swapping ions. The positively charged chromium and negatively charged hydroxide molecules form tight bonds, freezing them into place and producing a solid that doesn’t have room for its water molecules to fit neatly 2/

These odd-looking rings show what happens when silver nitrate is added to potassium dichromate. The two compounds trade ions, forming silver chromate. Many scientists believe the substance then becomes supersaturated and diffuses to create a chemical, circular pile-up zone 3/

Potassium permanganate is an ultra-positively charged compound known as an oxidizing agent. In a sugar solution, the oxygen pulls electrons from the sugar molecules, creating a “redox” reaction. As permanganate gains electrons, it begins to change color 4/

This branch of ammonium iron sulfate is suspended within a chemical garden—a silicate solution full of dissolved iron salts. As iron salts trade ions with the surrounding solution and solidify, they form a thin, hollow membrane with a water-filled interior 5/

This is what happens when an electrode is placed into a petri dish with a potassium dichromate solution. The steady flow of extra electrons bond with the positively charged potassium ions, causing them to solidify in elaborate fractal patterns 6/

For more stunning photos—and science!—go here: 7/ wired.trib.al/Q8hTR8m

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