Gold & Casio Watch - Periodic Table of Videos

Summary

In this video, a scientist attempts to coat a watch in gold using a vacuum chamber and metal evaporation process. Gold, prized for its resistance to corrosion and rarity, is heated until it evaporates, creating a thin gold film on the watch. The process showcases the unique properties of gold, its history, and the role it has played in chemistry and alchemy. While the watch gains a gold coating, it suffers some damage from the heat, highlighting the delicate nature of the experiment.

Takeaways

• ⚙️ The speaker is attempting to coat a cheap watch with gold using a vacuum chamber and electrodes to evaporate the metal.
• 🪙 Gold is one of the few metals that can be found in its metallic form naturally in the environment.
• 🔥 The gold atoms are heated to a very high temperature in a vacuum chamber to form a thin layer of gold on the watch.
• 🧪 Gold is chemically unreactive, which allows it to exist in nature without oxidizing or forming compounds easily.
• 🌡️ The speaker tested the watch in a vacuum to ensure it could withstand low pressure without damaging the turbo pump.
• 💡 Metals appear shiny due to delocalized electrons, and a very thin layer of gold can give a shiny metallic appearance.
• 🔬 The gold used for coating the watch is only a few nanometers thick, creating a gold-like appearance without much material.
• 💡 Gold has recently been discovered to act as a catalyst in certain chemical reactions, such as converting CO to CO2.
• ⚡ After heating the gold in the vacuum chamber, the metal evaporates and deposits on the surface of the watch.
• ⌚ The watch was successfully coated with gold, but the process caused some melting and imperfections on the watch’s surface.

Q & A

What is the main objective of the experiment described in the script?

The main objective is to attempt to make a cheap CIO watch look gold by applying a thin gold coating on it using a vacuum chamber and evaporation process.

Why is gold chosen as the element to coat the watch?

Gold is chosen because it is a favorite element of the speaker, it has been highly valued for thousands of years, and it can be found in nature as a metal, which is rare among metals.

What is the contraption used in the experiment and what is its purpose?

The contraption is a vacuum chamber with two electrodes, used for evaporating metals. Its purpose is to heat the gold to a high temperature until it melts and evaporates, creating a gold coating on the watch.

Why is the watch tested for vacuum resistance before the process?

The watch is tested for vacuum resistance to ensure it can withstand the vacuum environment without exploding, which could damage the turbo pump.

What property of gold makes it suitable for creating a thin, shiny coating?

Gold's property of having delocalized electrons gives it a characteristic sheen or shininess, and only a very thin layer, just a few atoms thick, is needed to achieve this effect.

How is the gold prepared for the coating process?

The gold is prepared by placing it in a boat within the vacuum chamber, where it is heated to over a thousand degrees to melt and evaporate.

What is the significance of gold's unreactive nature in the context of this experiment?

Gold's unreactive nature means it doesn't easily react with oxygen or most other elements, allowing it to exist in the environment in its elemental form, which is important for the coating process.

How does the gold's position in the periodic table relate to its reactivity?

Gold is near the bottom of the periodic table, indicating it has a large atomic size and forms weak bonds, contributing to its unreactive nature.

What historical context is provided about gold in the script?

The script mentions that gold has been highly valued for thousands of years, and there have been instances in human history where large lumps of gold weighing a kilo or more have been found.

What is the significance of the gold's boiling point in the experiment?

The gold's boiling point is significant because it is the point at which the gold atoms evaporate from the hot surface and deposit onto the watch, creating the gold film.

What is the outcome of the experiment on the watch?

The experiment results in a gold film being deposited on the watch, but it also causes some damage, such as melting the watch's window, due to the high temperatures involved in the process.