Mad Science

Mad Scientist.  Hmm... so we have a toyline based on science gone awry.  But are the toys really the product of a mad scientist, or are they rooted more in real world science?

Take for example "Monster Flesh".  It's a gruelsome name.  But behind it all, what is it?  This is practically a specially formulated plasticene-like substance.  Plasticene is basically clay - silicates - soaked in some sort of mineral oil.  "Monster Flesh" is likewise a specially formulated hydrophobic claylike substance soaked in a solvent.  It's hydrophobic - or water-hating - because it seems to prefer to stick together to itself, instead of being hydrophilic (water-loving or has an affinity for water).  Hydrophilic substances like water tends to spread out when poured on a surface.  What's the solvent?  I'm not too sure, but I would reckon that it's something similar to an organic polar solvent - a solvent that would dissolve the hydrophobic substrate, without feeling oily.

If "Monster Flesh" is just specialised plasticene, then what is "Living Ice"?  No, it's not ice of any sort, not even close.  The clue though is that when frozen, it bounces.  What I would in fact suggest is that "Living Ice" is another type of plasticene.  The only difference in this case is that the substrate is a specialised plastic polymer that has elastic properties.  Plastic here means synthetic, polymer means a long chained molecule and elastic means that the substance can undergo compression and retain it's shape (like a spring).  And the solvent?  Well, I know for a fact that the solvent is an oil, since the oil can be separated.  It's a very low molecular weight oil - or a light oil and thus is rather volatile (it evaporates easily).  The oil though, has a freezing point way below the temperature of the fridge in your house.  When you freeze this plasticene, the elastic synthetic plastic polymer "traps" the oil inside it even more than usual (remember - plasticene = oil dissolved in solid) and hence it becomes solid.

What about "Alien Blood".  Well, no aliens were harmed to extract their blood, only, perhaps prehistoric animals that have died and have since been transformed into crude oil which has then been refined and made into plastic.  Again, this is a typical liquid-in-solid compound, at first sight, until one realises that it's actually a suspension of plastic solids in a hydrophobic solvent.  So this is basically a very polluted tub of liquid, unlike the other two which are solids with liquid dissolved in the solid.

"Alien Blood" also glowed in the dark - that's because it has phosphor added to it.  The Glowing Glop Monster Kit also had phosphor, called "Powered Light" by the Mad Scientist, added to the jelly to make it glow in the dark.  What is phosphor?  It's a compound of phosphorus that has a unique property.  See, the electrons (negative charges) in this molecule (the smallest bit of the stuff that makes it what it is.  Divide it any further and you get something else) has the properties to absorb light (ultraviolet in this case) and go to a higher "orbital" - an orbital is the path an electron takes around the positively charged nucleus of the molecule.  However, after a while, the electron drops back to its original orbit (in a process known as decay).  Because the lower orbit requires less energy, the excess energy is given off.  In the case of the phosphor molecule, the energy between the two orbits is a fixed value and when that is converted by Einstein's famous formula E=mc², the wavelength of the light is equivalent to that weird glow-in-the-dark green.

What about the Monster Lab?  How do you get the "Monster Flesh" to dissolve in the vat?  Well, remember one has to add the "Secret Froth Formula" to the "Monster Flesh" and then add "Powdered Monster Flesh Remover" to the vat?  Well, the "Secret Forth Formula" is nothing but a carbonate, or in this case a bicarbonate - it's just baking soda or Sodium Bicarbonate.  The "Powdered Monster Flesh Remover" is nothing but crystallised Citric Acid - yeah, the stuff found in lemons and other citrus fruits.  So how does it work?  Well, the citric acid, when dissolved in water turns the water acidic (but you knew that already, don't you?).  The secret here is that when a carbonate - any carbonate, including the bicarbonates - Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, when these carbonates are mixed with an acid, Carbon Dioxide is given off.  So, when you chuck the spiked "Monster Flesh" into a vat of Citric Acid, you get those small bubbles of Carbon Dioxide.  Now, since the baking soda is mixed well into the special "Monster Flesh", wherever the flesh comes into contact with the acid, carbon dioxide forms, breaking up the "Monster Flesh".  The gas bubbles can cause such havoc that it literally tears the "Monster Flesh" to pieces.

So, there you have it, the science behind the Mad Science, if you must.  If you want to read about the toys in this range, you can find it in the Mad Scientist section.

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