A chemistry demonstration given by Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri at MIT.

In a dark bottle at room temperature, hydrogen peroxide decomposes very, very slowly. But add potassium iodide, and that same reaction happens thousands of times faster, with very… tall results.

The old adage takes on new meaning . . . with the help of a little flash paper and isopropanol. (No money was harmed during the making of this video.)