Sands of the Nile, also known as Hindu Sands or Sands of the Desert, is a popular

magic trick Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

performed since the early part of the 20th century. It was a staple of

Doug Henning Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Early life Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and began practising magic at Oakenw ...

's stage and television shows.

Effect

A large transparent bowl is placed on a pedestal along with three small piles of colored sand. The bowl is filled with water, often with the magician drinking some or providing it to an audience member to demonstrate it is simply normal water. Stirring the water with his hand, the water turns murky or black. The colored sands are then poured into the bowl and stirred by hand. With a flourish, the magician reaches into the bowl to pull out each color of sand, separate and unmixed. With a last stir, the water turns clear again, with a few stray grains of sand left in it.

Method

The trick uses simple chemistry for all of its effects. The change of color from clear to opaque and back can be accomplished using any number of simple chemical reactions. Almost any acid/base

invisible ink Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means, such as heat or ultraviolet light. Invisible ...

formula will work, with common examples being

iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...

which goes clear with

sodium metabisulfite Sodium metabisulfite or sodium pyrosulfite (IUPAC spelling; Br. E. sodium metabisulphite or sodium pyrosulphite) is an inorganic compound of chemical formula Na2S2O5. The substance is sometimes referred to as disodium metabisulfite. It is used a ...

, or a mixture of

tannic acid Tannic acid is a specific form of tannin, a type of polyphenol. Its weak acidity ( pKa around 6) is due to the numerous phenol groups in the structure. The chemical formula for commercial tannic acid is often given as C76H52O46, which correspon ...

and ferric ammonium sulfate which turns clear with

oxalic acid Oxalic acid is an organic acid with the systematic name ethanedioic acid and formula . It is the simplest dicarboxylic acid. It is a white crystalline solid that forms a colorless solution in water. Its name comes from the fact that early inve ...

. In both cases, the chemicals are introduced during the pour, often using multiple containers with only the first being pure water, or using any number of simple gadgets like a false thumb to store them during setup. The sand is treated with a

hydrophobic In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is seemingly repelled from a mass of water (known as a hydrophobe). In contrast, hydrophiles are attracted to water. Hydrophobic molecules tend to be nonpolar and, th ...

compound to produce what is commonly known as

magic sand Hydrophobic sand (or magic sand) is a toy made from sand coated with a hydrophobic compound. The presence of the hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinders (to minimize surface area) when exposed to ...

or Moon Sand. When poured into water, it naturally clings to other grains, forming piles or lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The sand can be poured rapidly in a spray and will still re-form, adding to the illusion of it mixing into the water. The hand-stirring performed after pouring will leave these piles intact. The magician can then reach into the bowl and feel out the piles, grasping some of the sand and tossing it into the air. Water has been excluded from the piles, leaving the sand completely dry and free-flowing.

References

{{Magic and Illusion Magic tricks