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Believe it or not, the stuff inside lava lamps is a trade secret, not unlike McDonald's special sauce. Could they be one and the same? Probably not. But here are a few leads: Our noncommercial Lava Lamp Category features four -- count'em four -- invaluable web sites on the topic, including a helpful site called The Lava Lamp Conspiracy that links to an intriguing little document offering the specifics on the first lava lamp patent by David George Smith of England. The two fluids listed on the patent are water and a "solidified globule of mineral oil, paraffin and a dye as well as paraffin
wax or petroleum jell, preferably Ondina 17 with a light paraffin, carbontetrachoride, a dye and the paraffin wax or petroleum jelly." So there you have it -- Mr Smith's Original Recipe. If you're trying to make your own lava lamp, a friendly science teacher named Sean suggests Benzyl alcohol (probably around 150 - 250 ml) mixed in a 4.8% salt water solution (48 g per liter). To get the right color in the Benzyl alcohol, "find an oil-soluble marker (Magic Marker?) and break it open. Carefully remove the felt ink-soaked thing (technical talk; sorry) and place it in a small bowl with the benzyl alcohol." But remember to wear gloves, David. Some of these chemicals are fairly dodgy.
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