Twospoons - 10-9-2024 at 15:50
On Friday some a-hole shot my cat in the face. He's at the vet today getting broken teeth and metal fragments removed from his jaw. Given the low
damage its most likely a ricochet from an air-rifle pellet.
I'd like to check the composition of the fragments - check for lead, bismuth, copper etc. I already know its not magnetic so that rules out steel.
I only have tiny fragments to work with, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
(BTW the cat is OK - he's had a lovely weekend, high on fentanyl)
Sulaiman - 11-9-2024 at 01:58
The simplest would be to use an XRF spectrometer.
A jewelry or gold or coin or pawn shop may help - for a small fee.
sarinox - 11-9-2024 at 05:15
@Twospoons could u post pictures of the fragments?
Also where did it go down? Maybe some people who are expert in rifles would have a better guess if they know where did it go down!
[Edited on 11-9-2024 by sarinox]
Texium - 11-9-2024 at 12:54
I’m so sorry about your cat, that’s dreadful! People can be so cruel. I wish him a full recovery.
Regarding the metal fragments, dissolving them in dilute nitric acid would be the best first step for old fashioned chemical analysis. If you treat an
aliquot of the resulting solution with an iodide salt solution, it will yield a bright yellow precipitate if lead is present. Treat another aliquot
with ammonia until basic, and the solution should turn blue if there is copper present, and a white precipitate should form for lead or bismuth.
Twospoons - 11-9-2024 at 14:55
Thanks Textium, thats exactly what I needed. I should be able to make that work.
I don't have pics of the fragments but they are tiny, as in ~1mm long. And I only have two - the rest had to be left in my cats mouth, as the vet
didn't want to do too much digging around.
I don't understand the mentality of someone shooting at a cat, clearly a pet, and likely just for fun. Also firearm use (including air rifles) is
illegal in residential areas where I live.