The booms and bangs of chemical reactions will reverberate at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, May 15, during the CU Wizards show "Polymers, Foams and Pressures."
Associate professor of chemistry Tarek Sammakia's show will take place at 9:30 a.m. in Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry room 140. It is free and open to the public.
CU Wizards is an annual series during the school year that introduces topics in astronomy, chemistry and physics and is intended primarily for students in grades five through nine.
During the show Sammakia will ignite hydrogen soap bubbles, crush a can using only air pressure and demonstrate the manufacture and properties of polymers such as nylon, acrylic and foams.
He will use both fire and dry ice to demonstrate how energy is released in the form of pressure changes during chemical reactions. The audience will see both explosions and implosions, as well as learn about the properties of polymers.
For more information about CU Wizards call (303) 492-6952 or visit .