Instructor’s Notes for Alien Blood Lab
Steve Sogo, Laguna Beach High School ssogo@lbusd.org
Overview: In this lab activity, students attempt to create a highly corrosive concoction (Alien
Blood) that can eat through a sheet of aluminum foil almost instantly. Students then invent
methods for protecting the aluminum from corrosion. This lab is best introduced after students
have some familiarity with single-replacement reactions involving the activity series.
Reasons to do this lab:
 Students seem to LOVE this lab!!! Many would not quit experimenting even after the bell
had rung.
 The lab is rich in chemical concepts, including concepts of oxidation and reduction, polar
vs. non-polar materials, acids and bases, temperature and activation energies.
 The investigative nature of the lab empowers students to make their own decisions and to
critically evaluate results
Materials: For this lab, the instructor should set up a “buffet table” that provides students with
communal access to a number of reagents. A sample list is shown below. These items may be
adjusted according to instructor’s preference. Additional items may be made available upon
request (e.g. copper chloride (s)).
 Aluminum foil (both standard and heavy duty foil recommended)
 6 M HCl
 CuSO4 (s)
 CaCl2 (s)
 H2SO4 (3 M)
 NaOH (s)
 NH3 (aq)
The buffet table should also provide household materials that students may find useful during the
protection phase:
 TUMS tablets (generic is OK)
 Vaseline
 Wax candles
 Nail polish
 Palmolive dish soap
 Grinding bowls (mortar and pestle)
Comments:
 Collect liquid waste in a large beaker. This waste can be neutralized with baking soda
and poured down the sink.
 Foil waste should go into trash bins.
 The recommended mass of salt for experimental work is about 1-gram. This is enough to
achieve impressive results. Concentration of the salt can be controlled by adjusting the
volume of solute.
 Adequate ventilation is required—when the Alien Blood is working well, large clouds of
noxious gases may be produced.
A 2-minute introductory video clip from the original 1979 movie “Alien” is available at:
http://youtu.be/AX6zhEzfcLc
Assignment #152: The Alien Blood Lab
Overview:
In the classic 1979 science fiction movie "Alien", the crew of the ship Nostromo bring an
alien creature on board their spaceship. This alien possesses blood that can eat through metal
almost instantly (with much fizzing and smoke produced). The alien eventually kills everybody
on the ship except Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) and a cat (played by ????).
In today’s experiments, you will try to make your own “Alien Blood”. You will start with the
instructions given below. After performing this initial experiment, you will experiment to create
the most effective Alien Blood possible.
Use caution when doing your experiments. If things are going well, you probably will be
making large clouds of noxious gases, which you should avoid inhaling. Work on a small scale
while you do your experiments--avoid wasting materials!
Initial procedures:
1. Cut a piece of aluminum foil (about 10 cm x 10 cm) and wrap it over the top of a 150 mL beaker.
Depress the middle of the foil so that it forms a small bowl.
2. Place the beaker atop a paper towel to absorb spills that may occur.
3. Measure out 4 ml of 6 M hydrochloric acid and pour it into your aluminum "bowl".
4. Measure the time needed for the acid to eat through the aluminum and fall into the beaker below.
Use of a cell phone timer is encouraged.
5. Describe the results of this reaction and write a chemical equation that explains your
observations.
6. Place foil waste in your trash box and pour liquid waste into the big beaker on the buffet table.
Free-form experiments:
Your ultimate goals are to develop a highly effective Alien Blood and a means for protecting
a ship from an Alien Blood “attack”. Some ideas worth investigating are suggested below. Your
investigations can be performed in any order you choose and may explore concepts not
suggested in the list. Creativity is encouraged!
I. Is there a salt that would work similar to (or better than) the HCl in eating through the foil? Note:
recommended mass of salt is around 1-gram (or less). Ask for instructor approval if you want to use
more than 1-gram.
II. Would temperature have any influence on the “Alien Blood’s” effectiveness? You may use a hot
water bath to warm your “blood”. Bunsen burners are NOT allowed in today’s lab. Avoid dipping a
METAL thermometer in Alien Blood! (glass thermometers are OK to dip)
III. Would a mixture of a salt + acid work better than either component on its own? Note: scientists
use the term “synergy” to describe a combination that is more effective than its components.
IV. Can you find a way to PROTECT the good ship Nostromo? (i.e., Is there some kind of alien blood
"extinguisher" that you could dump onto an alien blood spill that would halt its destructive powers?
Or is there a way to "pre-treat" the metal so that it becomes resistant to attack??)
To investigate these questions, you may have access to anything reasonable from the
stockroom. A number of items have been placed on the buffet table for your use—please look
there first before requesting chemicals from your instructor. Keep notes on all the experiments
you try, even those that end up with disappointing results.
For your write-up, please write paragraphs that communicate your ideas (hypotheses?), your
experimental methods, the results of your experiments, and your interpretation of these results.
Include chemical equations and photos where appropriate. Ideally, your paper will describe key
discoveries you have made.