one thing's for sure, our kids are going to have kick butt science fair projects

I think if I were in charge of marketing science to little kids, particularly little girls, all I'd say is, "Be a chemist, and you can make glitter and pretty colored things!!"

Behold the evidence:

trans-dichlorobis(ethylenediamine)cobalt(III) chloride

(synthesized today in lab! it was in this really pretty dark, dark turquoise liquid, absolutely gorgeous) 

Buckminsterfullerene (60 carbon atoms bonded together in the shape of a soccer ball)

(made last week)

Buckminsterfullerene with flash!

Gold flakes about to be dissolved by aqua regia

 Dissolved gold in aqua regia!

(Isn't that cool? Did you ever think about gold dissolving?)

I think that the colors just might be my favorite thing about chemistry. So beautiful.