Oxygen is MAGNETIC?!

Liquid oxygen has unusual magnetic properties. This demonstration with the MIT Technical Services Group and a crazy blowtorch demonstration on the curie point of iron share a glimpse into how different kinds of magnetism work.

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Creator: Dianna Cowern
Editor: Jabril Ashe
Thanks to: Josh Wolfe, Andy Neely and MIT TSG

[Jarastlad]

That Curie Point is quite an interesting one for blacksmiths and knifemakers. They use that loss of magnetism as an indicator for tempering/hardening steel. Either they use their eyes and check the colour, or they use a magnet. When it doesn't stick to the metal, they know it's time for a good temper !

[rodneysmith]

I have had advanced physics and engineering classes, and yet I get just as excited as Dianna (who has had way more Physics training than me) when I see simple science experiments like this. It is so cool to see all this science in action!

[jacobhelbig]

Scraping ferrofluid off of a super strong magnet is the worst job ever. Imagine you need a job, go to MIT, and that's what you earn money with! That must be horrible!

[craigcorson]

Hypothesis: Gaseous oxygen is also paramagnetic. Experiment: Using the same or similar electromagnets, turn them on and wait a while for oxygen from the surrounding air to accumulate between the poles, and nitrogen to be excluded by its presence. Introduce a flame to the space between the poles, i.e. a lit match or candle. If the flame brightens noticeably, the hypothesis is confirmed.
It would also be interesting to note how the ionized gases of the flame would be deflected by the magnetic field.
When can I expect to see the video?

[erictaylor]

If I remember my welding classes right, the reason the iron loses it's magnetic properties has to do with the shape of the iron crystals. As the iron heats up these crystal shapes change (way before it melts) which is why you can arc weld iron using DC current. The magnetic field doesn't effect the shape of the weld joint. It dose effect the shape of the arc however, but it can be manipulated to be beneficial.
You'd think the arc would be lightning bolt shaped, but it's not. Usually it's cone shaped.

[bradfordramsden]

All right, I just found another role model for my grand daughter!

[jerryhubbard]

In 48 yrs as an electronics tech you are still teaching me. And, you are way prettier than any of my Army instructors!

[watchmands]

Dianna- a huge compliment - I was watching "The Princess Bride" when i saw you had posted a new video today. I turned off the movie and immediately cast your video to my TV.. Thanks for doing this awesome show.

[------country-boy-------]

the "emf" at the end was actually an inductive spark. they happen when contacts are separated that were supplying power to a coil. A capacitor or lamp load spark happens at the beginning when contacts are closed. Very important to know in electronics!

[EdwardIglesias]

Great video! As a side note blade smiths use the Curie point in tempering steel. Heat until non-magnetic then quench.

[ace.of.space.]

i was aware of paramagnetism but never knew liquid oxygen had the property! it was fascinating to see how the liquid pooled over thin air because of magnetism. also the iron being heated past the curie point was really interesting to watch - knowing it happens and seeing it does are very different experiences.

[sandralovesmusic]

Those are awesome demos for magnetism which tends to be pretty hard to understand/wrap your head around.

[chocolatemoose]

Jesus, running a channel like this is admirable. So many smarties in the comment section correcting everything you do. Lots of a cool knowledge you can get from the comments, but a bit taxing. Keep on doing cool stuff, Dianna!

[sadiqmohamed]

I remember doing the experiment with heating iron to it's Curie point back in school, but I haven't seen the liquid oxygen effect before. Very cool!

[cvgurau]

"Oh my gosh, i can't believe this demo"
"it's really cool."

I see what you did there, MIT guy.... I SEE IT.

[ambrosioromero]

Very cool demonstration! Fantastic job Diana!

[atubero]

Hi Dianna.
What if you submerge a neodymium magnet in the liquid oxygen then pull the magnet out, will the oxygen stick to the magnet?

[ivarsvilums]

Careful with all that oxygen and electric sparks! That's what happened inside Apollo 1! Back around 1980 I was working with a group of people looking at medical technology that could be used in the future. The magnetic properties of oxygen were intriguing on paper and to get a better feel for it we made a small amount of liquid oxygen and everyone was amazed at how the stream would bend when we poured it past a giant magnetron magnet. Of course, that magnet could not be turned off and we had to take other precautions in the lab when we took it out of it's big drum holder - you didn't want to be wearing your mechanical watch or other ferrous jewelry anywhere near it. We were looking to see if oxygen concentrations could be measured using oxygen's response to pulsed magnetic fields inside a tuned cavity and even what it would take to make a device to extract oxygen from the air magnetically. It was going to take a lot of power to extract usable amounts of oxygen from the air magnetically but experiments building prototype sensors were very promising. Unfortunately the company wanted to move in other directions and the work was abandoned. Love how you make science concepts concrete and relatable! Looking at basic concepts in new ways is how breakthroughs happen!

[apoorvtyagi]

Dioxygen has 2 unpaired electrons. Unpaired electrons make it a paramagnetic substance which is weakly attracted by magnets.

[happmacdonald]

Jabril seems like a very competent video editor! Love the animations. :D