Chemistry of Color - Rainbow Theme
Continuing our Rainbow Theme for the month, we're discovering the Chemistry of Color! Quizmaster Tanner paints a vivid picture with four basic facts about our natural, colorful world. But beware, one of these facts is a pigment of his imagination! Will hosts Andi and Sups be able to find the solution, or will they be left feeling blue? This episode is sure to spark inspiration and ignite your curiosity! So grab your lab coat, put on your safety goggles, and get ready to play along!
Read more: www.ishouldhaveknownpodcast.com
They do change colors every season,right?
Andi:So
Sups:yes.one would assume that they have
Andi:they have multiple.You're basic.so then I could.Believe that.Because to me it's like if it were actually super useful,there'd be a whole black market for these bad boys,I wanna hear about fireworks now cuz you promised fireworks.
Tanner:right.And we
Andi:haven't talked about them yet.
Tanner:yet.All right,let's go it with a bang.
Andi:Hello and welcome to I Should Have Known,the Trivia Game Show that can't be trusted.Each week,one of our quiz masters will present you with four facts about a topic,but one of them is a lie.And welcome to season four.are new and improved,I should have known,and we are doing rainbow for the month of June to celebrate our new season.And this week,Argos master is Tanner.
Tanner:Hello?That's me.
Andi:Yeah,it is.And tanner's doing a sciencey episode about the chemistry of color.So he will present us with four facts about the chemistry behind colors,But one of his packs is a lie.So join me,Andy,and our other host soups in trying to figure out which one it is.
Tanner:First we have our pub quiz
Andi:Yay pup quiz.
Tanner:Yeah.
Andi:So this is a new feature for season four where we will present you with a pub quiz or trivia style question that you might hear at a pub quiz or trivia event.If you go.
Tanner:That's right.So what is the name and chemical symbol?Of the noble gas,which emits a reddish orange glow when heated in a glass tube.
Andi:Oh,I associate blue with neon signs.Oh,it?It's neon.Yes.And it's n e.
Tanner:That's right.Yes.And actually all of the noble gases.Glow when you heat them and they glow different colors.So
Andi:that's why I was confused because I was like,I know they're different colors.And I was like,oh no,which one is it gonna be?Yeah,I don't know.The reddish orange ones.I cuz I didn't think that was neon.
Tanner:Yeah,it's neon.So that's the most common one.If it's blue,that's probably zenon or argon.Yeah.
Andi:Huh?
Tanner:Yeah.So today we're talking about leaves,crabs.
Andi:Oh,crabs.
Tanner:Water,and
Sups:Okay.
Andi:I love that crabs are involved.I don't know what crabs have anything to do with color chemistry,but,Okay.
Sups:All right.
Tanner:Fact number one,leaves naturally have three color pigments.
Sups:Hmm.
Andi:Okay.
Sups:Okay.They do change colors every season,right?
Andi:So
Sups:yes.one would assume that they have
Andi:they have multiple.But what I find interesting though is when you say like,pigments,
Tanner:mm-hmm.
Andi:That means giving color.So sometimes the color that you see is from like a lack of something else.Right?But then I'm also thinking like,don't,most things have three pigment colors.Isn't that how pigments
Tanner:Yeah.You're,you're too smart for this show.
Andi:sorry.
Tanner:the teacher's a,I think,Yeah.
Sups:Andy,you're officially disqualified from season four.
Tanner:Oh yeah.So the usual explanation of why leaves change color in the fall is that they die.And as they die,they change color from green to yellowish orange
Andi:or to
Tanner:red or red,and then
Andi:They're different ones.Yeah.
Tanner:Right.That's not exactly true.Leaves are actually changing the ratio of these three pigments they have in an active process in order to kind of salvage some of the elements and chemicals in their leaves,and then they actively make the leaf fall off.
Sups:Okay,and this is Chlorophyl has got something to do with
Tanner:it.Yes.Yes.That's the green one.Yeah.The most abundant one.That's why leaves are green.In the summer.Yeah.In spring,because most leaves have three pigments.Mm-hmm.Chlorophyl,which reflects green light because it absorbs other wavelengths.
Andi:Mm-hmm.
Tanner:Carotids.Which
Andi:is that orange or
Tanner:carrots.They're colored.Yes.They reflect orange and yellow.And then a third one,which reflects red and purple is called anthocyanins.
Sups:Mm-hmm.
Andi:Okay.
Tanner:So most leaves have a ratio of these.Mm-hmm.And the most one in the warm months is chlorophyl.But this pigment,it's kind of unstable.So as it gets colder,it quickly decomposes.And so the more stable orangeish,yellow carotid is now the most common one in the ratio of three.And then finally anthocyanin if there are many.And so this is why they change color in this way.
Andi:Okay.I can kind of believe this.I have always wondered why,like cherry trees,they don't have green leaves,many cherry trees,right?they have like reddish,purplish leaves,natural normally,yes.yes.They're not like green,green leaves.And I always thought that was weird and I wondered why.So I guess they just have a different ratio of this,assuming that you're not lying to me right now,
Tanner:Yes.
Andi:because you might be.Yeah.
Sups:So the light could be,it's not three,but maybe there is one other pigment that we are forgetting,or,
Andi:yeah.Well I would think that it's like the common knowledge would be about chlorophyll.Everyone knows about chlorophyll and then I guess like the question is like,well is chlorophyl pigment?Yeah.Or is chlorophyll something else
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:this could be true because it could just simply be like,you never really thought about it.Yeah.But like most things that we see that are pigmented Is a combination.Pigments are like paints.Like you think of paints.Yeah.Right.then at the same time,it's like,I also could just see that when.Chlorophyl breaks down it turns orange or yellow.Yeah.
Sups:Is
Andi:could also just be true,I
Sups:guess.Yeah,makes sense.I mean,the logic,everything that he says,I mean,vaguely reminds me of things.I studied these in like middle high school bio,right?So I think,yeah,at least the three pigments I,Heard of these names.I mean,chloro,yes.But the other two.Also,yeah.Yeah.I about
Andi:any of this.
Sups:Hmm.Okay.
Andi:Okay.I definitely need to hear more before
Tanner:Before
Andi:I can really guess.
Tanner:So the next three facts are pretty much about blue because it's so rare.Yes.So Fact number two Litmus tests are made from the blue blood of horseshoe
Andi:Oh,
Sups:Oh.
Andi:what?Okay.I did know that horseshoe crabs have blue blood.And it's super weird.Yeah.remind us about litmus tests.I did learn about those in my public school,so I do know what those are.
Tanner:So we'll start with litmus tests and then we'll come back to the crabs.Okay.Okay.Litmus paper is a type of paper that you can use as a basic test
Andi:for ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.Show's over basic.You're basic.
Tanner:So So the litmus test is performed by this dyed paper.You place a small drop of a sample on it and it changes color.Mm-hmm.That's the idea.Mm-hmm.Now,A litmus paper is white and it has a blue end and a red end usually nowadays,and the red end will turn blue if the sample is alkaline or more basic.And the blue part will turn red if the sample is more acidic.
Andi:So the whole thing will turn one color.Mm-hmm.
Tanner:But horseshoe crabs,They have bright blue blood and inside their blood there's a collection of immune cells that are exceptionally sensitive to pH.
Sups:Mm.
Andi:So
Tanner:these blue cells meet an acid,they flood the area with a solution of sodium bicarbonate.Which we use in the kitchen as Baking soda.
Sups:Yeah.
Tanner:and it neutralizes it and turns it from blue to red.
Andi:Good
Sups:Steven.So going back to the fact about this blue blood and crab and litmus test.So are people actively seeking out these crabs to get this for Yes.Their
Andi:blood?Yeah.It's hardcore.
Tanner:there's still blood,like thousands of them per year because they still need this chemical in the blood to make the paper.
Andi:and we haven't been able to synthesize
Tanner:it.Scientists have been trying to replicate it in the lab by like cloning the cells for a long time,but they
Sups:but they,yo it's
Andi:Wow.This week.Wow.It's interesting.It's interesting,
Tanner:they like milk them.Yeah.
Andi:But that is really interesting though to think about.So it's like not vegan if you work in a chem tent lab.That's like weird to think about though.Yeah.We haven't been able to make artificial horseshoe crab blood.
Sups:Okay.
Andi:Okay.when you say they're blood they don't kill them,is that what you're saying?They try to like take samples out without murdering
Tanner:They try,yeah.Some die every year.Yeah,but they shovel like a tube in them and the blood comes out and they try to stop before they
Andi:die.Do they also get a cookie after donating their blood?
Sups:Yeah.Okay.
Andi:Okay.What an elaborate lie that that was,if that was a lie.Right.That
Sups:is so cool.
Andi:Like that's
Sups:cool.Like
Andi:that's elaborate.
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:Wow.Wow.Mm-hmm.I mean,Okay.So a couple things.One thing is that how important are litmus tests actually in labs?You know what I mean?Like,I know in school it's like you have to learn about
Sups:Mm-hmm.but
Andi:like,all the litmus says,tells you is if it is a base or an acid.Mm-hmm.It doesn't tell you how acidic or how basic,I mean,you can kind of tell by the color,but like,not precisely.So like why even bother making them?Yeah.Other than to teach kids about
Tanner:that.That's basically the industry for them.Yeah.It's,for high school and middle school chemistry.Yeah.Because in the professional labs,they have pH meters.If you want to test your blood,you have an arterial blood gas,
Andi:You measure the hydrogen,you're not gonna like sit and Yeah,Mm-hmm.
Tanner:This just tells you what half it's on,
Sups:Yeah.you know?Yeah.Yeah.Would,yeah.I think it's like for kids between12to16,I think that's the market.
Andi:Yeah.So then,I quick.so then I could.Believe that.Because to me it's like if it were actually super useful,there'd be a whole black market for these bad boys,these poor little guys.But like,if it's not that important,it's like,okay,yeah,they Mm-hmm.People take what they need and that's end of it,I guess.Still surprising that I think like we're kind of as a species moving away from these kinds of things,so that seems a little sketchy that like,
Sups:Like
Andi:We haven't created a synthetic version of this That's hard you know?
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:Hmm.
Sups:Okay.Okay.But we are halfway there,so,Hmm.
Tanner:All right,let's stick with blue and the water.So fact number three,the ocean is blue,mainly because water absorbs red light.
Sups:Hmm.
Andi:Like on mass because like my cup of water is
Tanner:clear.Yeah.Yeah.That's exactly the question.Pure water is clear,But the water molecules.When you have enough of them,They absorb red light the best.And so the deeper water you have the bluer it is so in your glass of water,it's not deep enough.For the water molecules to absorb enough red to appear blue.
Andi:That's what I was saying,that like when you have enough water like the ocean,then it's blue.Because it absorbs red light.
Tanner:Yes,as long as it's not reflecting off of the sea floor.So this is why coastal and shallow
Andi:water right appears as different That pretty like bluish green color is is from
Tanner:the
Andi:on the
Tanner:Exactly.Yeah.
Andi:Okay.So it you're saying the ocean works like a T-shirt?Or like a painted wall.Yeah.Where it's literally like the waves are bouncing off or being absorbed and that's how we see them.Yeah.
Tanner:Yeah.
Andi:Hmm.Yeah.
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:I mean,I guess.
Sups:sounds logical
Andi:And then like the ocean is blue.Mm-hmm.So we can't really,you know,that,that's,lot,that's,not really a question I get that the idea is that like,there's so much more water,that's why it appears blue,whereas like your cup of water does not.But I don't know.It's,it seems like a weird reason to
Sups:make.Mm-hmm.
Andi:I don't know like not all lakes appear blue.Is that how deep we gotta
Sups:Yeah.Yeah.That's what I'm thinking.And it's like there are lakes where it's like almost clear water.Yeah.Right.Yeah.Like mountain
Andi:spring.Mm-hmm.Lake.Mm-hmm.Can be pretty deep.Yeah.Like lake by call is the deepest lake in the world.It's clear.Clear.Mm-hmm.Why would the ocean be blue?Is it really just like you need that much more water?
Sups:Mm.
Tanner:Yeah.
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:Hmm.This is the first one where I'm like,I know.I don't know.I feel like there's gonna be a different reason.The ocean is
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:I feel like it was too simple.Yeah.
Sups:Yeah.And maybe that's
Tanner:Why is the
Andi:ocean
Sups:blue?
Andi:it's blue.Just the same way.Your T-shirt's blue.Like what?No,I,I want it to be more profound.It's the ocean.Yeah.But,okay.I don't know What's to think of that?I wanna hear about fireworks now cuz you promised fireworks.
Tanner:right.And we
Andi:haven't talked about them yet.
Tanner:yet.All right,let's go it with a bang.So fact number four.The most difficult color to create for fireworks is blue,
Sups:but like fire is blue.
Tanner:Yes.But when you make colored fireworks that go up and explode in this night sky,you can make different colors using different elements.Right?by far the most difficult one to make.For fireworks manufacturers is the blue color.
Andi:Okay.So you mean of the colors that people use to make fireworks?Yeah,because I would imagine black would be pretty difficult to
Tanner:make a firework..
Andi:thing.Okay.So you're saying of the colors that people manufacture fireworks,blue is the most difficult of them.Exactly.Okay.Well now that sounds much more believable because before I was like I'm sorry.I was like,Black,not harder.How do you make up Make me a brown firework Tanner.Go ahead.I've seen blue ones,but I've never seen a
Sups:brown brown
Tanner:Yeah.
Andi:Okay.I think I've heard this before.Maybe
Tanner:it comes up every4th of
Andi:yeah.yeah.Right.
Tanner:Yeah.
Andi:Culturally we have a lot of fireworks.Yeah.Okay.What is it?Nickel.What chemical makes blue copper?Copper,of course.Oh,I knew that.Yeah.
Tanner:I should have
Andi:known.
Tanner:it's really cool when you get into fireworks,they're not just like a bunch of gunpowder,it's actually like a precise packaging.Of the shape that you want to appear in the sky,in these little tiny stars that have mineral elements packed around which have black powder or gunpowder surrounding it,and then like a fuel at the bottom.And so it's kinda like a ice cream cone shape and element that's wrapped around these little,they call them stars.That's what produces the colors.So copper makes blue,barium,makes green,strontium,makes red,and sodium makes yellow,and then you can mix those strontium and sodium makes orange,
Andi:Mm-hmm.
Tanner:copper,and strontium makes purple or and titaniums zirconium and magnesium makes whiteish silver.
Sups:Mm-hmm.
Andi:Cool.
Tanner:But if you look at the periodic table,barium and strontium,these are on the far left.They're alkaline earth metals.Mm-hmm.Uh huh.Copper is in the
Sups:the
Tanner:It's a transition
Sups:Yeah.Okay.Yeah.
Andi:Okay.Why is blue so hard?
Tanner:so blue is hard because
Andi:you're making
Tanner:a firework,if you wanna make a brighter,more intense color,you heat it to a higher temperature,
Andi:Mm-hmm.Right?
Tanner:So it kind of goes through the color spectrum So if you wanna burn a more intense red,just heat strontium higher,and it will be more intense if you do that with copper.It breaks down.Mm-hmm.So it's unstable at higher temperatures.So because yes.Mm-hmm.It's already blue.So if you try to get in a more intense blue,it washes out,you lose the blueness.The best you can ask for from copper is a dim blue.So some people say you can judge a fireworks display by how good of a blue they
Andi:Oh.I don't love this phrasing.In this fact.Mm-hmm.Most difficult.I mean,everything is decently subjective when you talk about difficulty.Yeah.But I,I get what you're saying.
Tanner:Mm-hmm.
Andi:Hmm.What do you think?
Sups:for me,with all the metals and everything,definitely the part about copper checks out
Andi:mm-hmm.
Sups:So I think.if not a hundred percent.I think I'm relatively sure about this
Andi:Yeah,I'm feel good about it.Yeah,Wait,backtrack.Copper is why the horseshoe crabs have blue blood.Isn't it just like iron is the reason we have red blood?
Sups:I that
Andi:just hit me just now.I was like,wait,our blood is red cuz of
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:it must be copper.they
Tanner:copper in it.Yeah,
Andi:Wild.I wanna talk a lot more about horseshoe crowds.I don't care.
Sups:don't,um,episode.
Andi:Okay.So those were some very colorful facts.But one of them is a lie,so we need you to repeat the four of them before soups and I take our guess at which one it is.
Tanner:Okay.Fact number one,leaves naturally have three color pigments.Fact number two.Litmus tests are made from the blue blood of horseshoe crabs.Fact number three,the ocean is blue,mainly because water absorbs red light.And fact number four,the most difficult color to create for fireworks is blue of all the colors that you can make.
Andi:Right.
Sups:These are like,you know,you'd expect that you should know this.Like,these are such basic facts.It feels like that.Yeah.And then it just gets
Andi:I'm feeling the same way.I'm feeling like this is some third grade science and I really ought to know
Sups:as long is
Andi:lie.But I I don't,
Sups:me neither.I think number two,
Andi:the crabs.
Sups:Mm-hmm.Maybe it was a thing in the past.I don't know if
Andi:if this is I'm with you on that.That it's like the lie's gonna be something hopeful where it's like,No,actually we don't use them Anymore.
Sups:Yeah.
Andi:But we got burned on that last with the
Sups:Yeah,I know.All right.
Andi:So Yeah.Why do you keep giving us facts about murdering
Sups:soccer.
Andi:creatures?
Sups:It's like Yeah,totally his thing now.Yeah.
Tanner:I test all my facts on animals.Yeah.
Andi:Oh,no,no.I should have known is a fully cruelty
Tanner:true.Yeah.I'm just so worried about conservation.I always look at where they're dying,
Sups:Okay.And also about this ocean one,I think.it's so logical,but there might be like a small,important
Andi:Yeah.that we Yeah.I think I'm gonna go with the ocean wine.Yeah.Because I think it's way too simple and I want there to be a way,cooler reason why the ocean is blue Yeah,
Sups:I'm going with number two,purely for emotional reasons.Not backed by science,
Andi:backed by
Sups:but purely,
Andi:Yeah.I'm going with the ocean.You going with the crabs?
Tanner:Okay.Then we have fact number two and fact number three.time for the big reveal.The lie is fact number two.We are not killing crabs every year to make this
Sups:Go.
Andi:Emotions.
Tanner:Yay.
Andi:Wishful thinking.
Tanner:Yay.Yeah.Oh Wow.if you ask NASA why the ocean is blue,they say it's because of the absorption,
Andi:Yeah.a lot of people are still trying to figure it out.I mean,it makes,obviously it makes sense.I know how light works.Yeah.But I just wanted it to be something cool I just wanted it.
Tanner:Yeah.Yeah.So fact number two,the truth is kind of two facts put into one.So horseshoe crabs,we do bleed every
Andi:Oh no.What?No.Wait,wait,wait,wait,wait.We were just excited.What do
Sups:They did this
Tanner:this to
Andi:us.Well,it's
Tanner:a very different reason.
Sups:Okay.But hopefully positive.positive.Okay.And it's
Tanner:going in a good direction.Okay.hear horseshoe crabs.Their blood is not sensitive to pH.It's sensitive to toxic bacteria.so it is bright blue.Is
Andi:blood not sensitive to toxic bacteria?
Tanner:Not in the same way,no.Okay.so they have nothing to do with baking soda or any of the CH color changing stuff.crab blood is used for the limulus amoy lysate test,which checks new vaccines for contamination.
Sups:Ooh.
Andi:Oh,
Tanner:and scientists are working very,very hard to try to clone these cells in the labs so we don't have to bleed them anymore.
Sups:Okay.Wait.But it's a noble cause.Yeah.It's okay.
Andi:Though,It still happens.Yeah,But I guess it's not just for like some snot nose kids to like learn chemistry.
Sups:Yeah.
Tanner:It's a little better,
Andi:but still.I should have known,
Sups:I should have known.
Andi:Thanks for listening to this episode of,I should have known.We now have YouTube as part of season four.So if you are listening,on YouTube,please like this episode and subscribe and leave a comment.And we'll be continuing with our rainbow theme with more colorful topics for the rest of the month.Next week we're gonna be talking about cuisine.Hope you're hungry for more,and as always,thanks for listening.
Tanner:those birds
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