Experiments You Can Do at Home - But Probably Shouldn't

Chapter 6
Natural Wonders » Save a Snowflake for Decades

Making Silicon from Sand

Chilled superglue turns solid with even the tiniest amount of water, so you can create a lasting cast of individual flakes. Ever wanted to catch a snowflake and keep it forever? You can. This is a photograph of a snowflake that fell in January 1979, but it isn't a 30-year-old photo.

It is a recent shot of a snowflake that's been sitting in chemist Tryggvi Emilsson's desk for 30 years, locked in a drop of that miracle of modern chemistry we call superglue.

Buy the Book

Mad Science - Buy the Book
Theo Gray's Mad Science

Order Now

Popular Science

Buy Posters
& Merchandise

Posters, 3D Prints and Place Mats Element Cards Personalized Element Banners

Visit Shop