This page supplements our article titled Microscale
Demonstration of the Paramagnetism of Liquid Oxygen with a Neodymium
Magnet, by Bruce Mattson*, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska
68178. The article is scheduled to appear in the August 2007
issue of the Journal of Chemical Education.
Abstract:
When a neodymium magnet is brought near a suspended
small glass tube (2.5 mL) containing 2 mmol (64 mg) liquid oxygen, the
tube is attracted to the magnet demonstrating oxygen’s
paramagnetism. Larger amounts of liquid oxygen can be produced in
a similar fashion using a sandwich bag filled with oxygen in place of a
60-mL syringe used to condense 2 mmol oxygen. On the larger
scale, the blue color of liquid oxygen is readily observable by
students.
Play video of this demonstration: