Why liquid oxygen is drawn toward a magnet
In short: Technician Andy Marmery investigates liquid oxygen's paramagnetic traits during this display. Watch how this substance behaves when poured between the poles of a large magnet, following the experimental legacy of Michael Faraday.
The footage shows liquid oxygen production via oxygen gas flowing through a copper coil submerged in liquid nitrogen. Because oxygen has a higher boiling point than nitrogen, it condenses within the coil.
This experiment builds on Michael Faraday's 1847 observations at the Royal Institution, where he discovered that oxygen behaves magnetically rather than diamagnetically. His research revealed that the magnetic properties of gases are influenced by both temperature and the gaseous medium used during experimentation.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Tales from the Prep Room - Paramagnetism of Liquid Oxygen
- Also: sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu — Paramagnetism of Oxygen | Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations
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