The Chemistry of Fire and Gunpowder - with Andrew Szydlo

Andrew Szydlo gives a spectacular demo-filled talk of explosive science using gunpowder, energetic reactions and quite a few flames.

The talk was filmed on the eve of Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night.

Andrew Szydlo is a chemist and secondary school teacher at Highgate School, well-loved by pupils and Ri attendees alike.

He has given public lectures around the UK, been featured on TV shows and has become a popular part of the Royal Institution's YouTube Channel in recent years.

This talk was filmed in the Royal Institution on 4 November 2017.

[trustthewater]

I'm 33 and can't say there was anything really new to me and I also tend to have a short attention span. I'm used to working on some project while having videos like this playing in the background. This lecture consumed 100% of my attention. Absolutely amazing.
Those kids have no idea how lucky they are to be there in person. I'm sure many will have an intense interest in chemistry for the rest of their lives thanks to this.

[johnrobinson]

If this man had taught at my school, i would have taken a very different career path. If you have a class he teaches, You are
a lucky person.

[tristanchiu]

Earlyer today I was wathcing a video on "HOW TO CHOP WOOD WITH AN AXE".... My settings must have been set to AUTOPLAY because I just came back to my computer 12 hours later and this video was playing. I have no idea who this guy is I'm not a scientist or a chemist Nor am I a student, I'm just a dumb carpenter who now has an interest in science because of this guy . I LOVE THIS GUY, he sure knows how to teach.

[Albanez]

Take a shot of ethanol every time he:
1. Thanks his assistants.
2. Mentions Faraday.
3. Starts a new sentence without finishing the previous.

[arguan]

Andrew Szydlo is an archetypal professor, his mind always a few steps ahead, the now a bit helter-skelter and absolutely lovely with impeccable manners. He makes it a tour the force of interesting experiments mixed in with enough chaos to give it a dangerous edge 😊

[jurriaanthemmen]

For the love of god I do not understand why Prof Szydlo's video's dont have more views and likes. I abolutely LOVED chemistry when I was in highschool and this man has completely re-invigorated my love for the subject. Thank you.

[linabasilisk]

Dr. Szydlo reminds me of the physics teacher I had 20 odd years ago who, among other things, walked over coals to demonstrate various principles of physics. He was passionate about his subject and did his best to teach as much as possible to as many as possible. The equations tend to confuse me, but that man did manage to drill some physics and a love of that science into my head.

[andrestrujado]

So happy that I was part of this magnificent lecture demonstration!! Andrew is an inspiration and a great value to all chemistry and chemists!

[notablediscomfort]

This is the kind of passion I wanna see in people who lift. No, not just the energy. *The deep understanding and ability to explain it in a way that gives a grown man a childlike fascination with the subject.*

[themoonsevilsister]

A man explains what wood is made of for over an hour.
I love it.

[altareggo]

This is simply AWESOME!!!! Love almost everything about this teaching genius, from the way he so charmingly says "dear children", to the way he mingles such a huge amount of information with a wealth of historical perspective. Also adore the way he shows how beautiful and interesting science can be, when approached in such a manner as he does. BRAVO and thank you for posting this for everyone to enjoy and learn from.

[Gamefreak]

I thought what the hell I'll watch his general chemistry video. Now I have my fourth ready for tomorrow. He certainly does love his fire.

[macacofrito]

He mastered chemistry so much he can turn off breathing to maximize talking and teaching <3

[AZ-zddz]

His emotional remembering at the end of the lecture.. that was intense.
A great professor, a greater man. That sense of passion is the kind of things that pushes us into the future.

[gerardmazzarese]

Let me tell you how brilliant Andrew truly is: Most lectures are boring. Boring means that the lecturer has succeeded in cutting bloodflow to your brain making it harder to learn. Andrew realizes this either consciously or unconsciously and he keeps the class engaged. No one is bored, everyone pays attention, cerebral perfusion is increased and this helps memory as well as intelligence. Anyone who would criticize my professor is ignorant of psycophisiology and the science of how we learn.

[ryanlastnameredacted]

This video was far more interesting than any action movie.

[ryanlashbrook]

Absolutely uplifting to know that these type people still exist. Passion for one's field and the desire to pass on his knowledge rather than overcomlicating the subject with curriculum designed to inhibit imagination and mindfulness and drifting further away from any real world knowledge. Refreshing to see someone who just truly loves what they do and want everyone to have true knowledge.

[PacificAirwave]

I absolutely love this guy's presentations! The best classes I had in high school 35 years ago were from a Physics teacher and Chemistry teacher who both loved demonstrations. You can read about the numbers and theory...but watching your Physics teacher go down the hallway on a CO2 extinguisher-powered cart. Or seeing a demo with YOUR teacher on the bed-of-nails during class...oh man that was awesome! Hat's off to those great teachers from my youth and to these great presentations from The Royal Institute!

[villie]

He's more of an entertainer, who has an exceptional scientific knowledge for being an entertainer, rather than a scientist, who has a superb knack for entertaining people. I wish we had more teachers like him.


Hats off to that man, I enjoyed every minute of this.

[tilethio]

I am commenting this from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia 🇪🇹🇪🇹 far far away from Great Britain. Dr. Andrew Szydlo is not just one genius chemist. Rather he is a passionate person with a combination of talents packed in together. He is a humble ingenious teacher, an amazing musician and a talented painter. Moreover, unlike many scientists today who prefer to dwell in their area of specialization, he is curious about nature and how things work in general. His teaching techniques should be adopted by many trainers. As for instance, when he sketched with that graphite, he was not just try to show what elemental carbon can do, but he was summarizing his flask experiment with a picture so everyone will not forget the lesson when he switch to the next lesson plan. Besides chemistry, I think there are a lot of lessons to take from his videos. I had been following his series for a while and was always fascinated by his simplistic methods and his common sense explanation. Big love and hug for Dear Dr. Szydlo from the rainy city of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹🇪🇹