Wondering if anyone has recently tried to acquire some of this in small amounts for demonstration purposes? As a teacher i would love to use this in
small amounts if I could get a hold of some, but I don't know where to look.
Any ideas?ScienceSquirrel - 16-2-2012 at 10:56
Specialist chemical supplier?Mailinmypocket - 16-2-2012 at 11:18
You may want to try Praxair, one of their few sulfur hexafluoride pickup locations is located in Salt Lake city, Utah.
Not sure if they will have the size you may be looking for though, still worth a try:
Probably not very helpful to you, but I buy lecture bottles of it through Sigma Aldrich for a science educational outreach program I do. My work is
able to order this for me, but I don't believe they sell to individuals.zoombafu - 16-2-2012 at 12:08
There is a lab gas supply place where I live, they have pretty much any gas you could think of bottling, I do remember asking if they had sulfur
hexaflouride, they do, but only in large quantities (not small containers), and it costs a lot!!! Look for a local welding gas supplier, they may
have it.Stifle - 16-2-2012 at 13:52
Thanks so much for the replies so far friendsDr.Bob - 16-2-2012 at 14:29
It will be harder now, as it is a very high global warming potential gas*, so it is being phased out of many processes that it used to be used in,
especially in light of its very long half life in the atmosphere. So it may be hard to find now. I used to know someone who could get it, but that
was the lab that closed down a while back that made fluorine compounds. They used to sell it in small quantities.
Bob
*The author does not wish to get into that discussion in this forum thread, please.
[Edited on 16-2-2012 by Dr.Bob]AndersHoveland - 16-2-2012 at 14:54
Rather ironic that while SF6 is relatively harmless, actually making it would be very hazardous.ScienceSquirrel - 16-2-2012 at 15:28
Probably not very helpful to you, but I buy lecture bottles of it through Sigma Aldrich for a science educational outreach program I do. My work is
able to order this for me, but I don't believe they sell to individuals.
As the original questioner is a teacher he may not have this problem.
Sigma Aldrich may be prepared to sell to his school or he may be able to order through an associated university.
But I checked the online catalogue and it is currently unavailable.Stifle - 18-2-2012 at 09:51
So far it looks as though Sigma Aldrich is the only company that sells it in small enough quantities to make it possible. Pretty spendy though.Dr.Bob - 18-2-2012 at 15:37
Rather ironic that while SF6 is relatively harmless, actually making it would be very hazardous.
My understanding is that some of the intermediates in the process are extremely toxic, as I was told it was ironic that SF4 and SF5Cl (and other
similar intermediates) are very toxic/poisonous while SF6 is quite inert.
SF5Cl is used to make R-SF5 derivatives, which my friend used to make.
I noticed cyclinders of it in a cyclinder bay here melbourne in a large teaching/research/verterans hospital when i was removing the EM i had bought
from them, i noticed it because it was a colour i had never seen before and i was curious as to what it was. Upon reading the label, and being aware
of its interesting properties i began to speculate as to what it may be used for in such an enviroment, it ws a large shoulder height cyclinder hooked
up to a line. I had always meant to try and figure its use. I imagine such a dense inert gas would be very useful in circumstances where those
properties are required, i'm not sufficently med savvy to know the technique, surgical or instrumentaional or imagingesche that uses it.
Find that out and theres your best lead.
