What happens when one adds metallic lithium to a glass of 7-Up is a sight to behold.
The guys over at The Periodic Table of Videos decided to test the phenomenon. Sir Martyn Poliakoff places a piece of lithium inside a drink, and it then starts to bubble, heat up, and change color.
It started off as a joke because 7-Up at one time used to contain lithium, a purported “mood stabilizing element”.
According to Gizmodo, “After the government banned its use in soft drinks in 1948, 7-Up stopping including lithium citrate in its recipe. So if you’re feeling down, don’t drink 7-Up. See a doctor. Then, when you get home, go ahead and drink a 7-Up. The soft drink is still very refreshing, even without the mood stabilizing elements.”
Of note, 7-Up used to be called “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda,” and it was launched just two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered the Great Depression.
(H/T - Laughingsquid)
