How to Electrocute a Pickle (Starring Jim Cramer)

by kentchemistry.com in Outside > Survival

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How to Electrocute a Pickle (Starring Jim Cramer)

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The Electric Pickle chemistry demonstration is a way for students to see how excited electrons will emit light when they fall back to the ground state. Since pickles are soaked in salt, Na+ and Cl- ions are present. Thus pickle will conduct electricity. The Na+ when excited will emit an orange yellow color when the electrons fall to the ground state. If I were a Physics teacher I could use the demonstration to show resistance in an electricity unit. Alas, I do not teach Physics.

Set up you need a plug that is cut exposing the two wires

Connect each wire to a metal object (I used nails)
jam into pickle

****plug in with one hand (as to not have and electricity jump through your heart if there is a short.

*** working with exposed wires is dangerous, be careful