borrowedlawyer
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Obtaining Alkali Metals
Hello all,
I am trying to locate some sodium metal in Australia. Does anyone know where to buy it?
If it is too hard to acquire, I am considering making it, but it seems dangerous as I have only just started.
Before you comment Hexavalent, I have used the search feature. (BTW thanks for telling me about it, I did not even see it lol)
Thank You
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Hexavalent
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You can get lithium from batteries, but preparing alkali metals is not the place for a beginner to start and also probably not for them to handle.
[Edited on 6-9-2012 by Hexavalent]
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Winston Churchill
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Doc B
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It can be purchased but being a restricted chemical you would need to complete an End User Declaration (EUD) stating why you were purchasing it along
with copies of you photo ID (eg; drivers license)
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triplepoint
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FWIW, I also think a beginner is better off starting with some of the many materials that are less hazardous and more forgiving. There are all kinds
of issues that can come up that a beginner would not expect. Build up some experience and a knowledge base, then move on to sodium.
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marko
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I had a car with sodium filled exhaust valves.. not sure how much would be in a valve, but... suppose that would be one way to get a little bit.
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Mailinmypocket
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Quote: Originally posted by borrowedlawyer  | Hello all,
I am trying to locate some sodium metal in Australia. Does anyone know where to buy it?
If it is too hard to acquire, I am considering making it, but it seems dangerous as I have only just started.
Before you comment Hexavalent, I have used the search feature. (BTW thanks for telling me about it, I did not even see it lol)
Thank You
|
You could try galliumsource.com I quickly checked their website and it looks like they may perhaps ship to AU. The shipping rates might be ridiculous
though. Sodium isn't all that interesting as a reagent either... Is there a particular application you need it for?
I bought some not long ago and put a few bits into some water to show a friend who never saw it before, but it is far too expensive to do that very
often. I save it for solvent drying and whatnot.
Might as well try getting lithium from batteries and play around with that (already quite damned expensive) if you really want to experiment with
reactive metals.
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Lambda-Eyde
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Come again? Heard of the Birch reduction, Bouveault-Blanc reduction or perhaps the Clemmensen reduction? Or its widespread use in organometallic chemistry? The use of metallic sodium as a reagent opens for many interesting
reactions not otherwise possible, don't underestimate it. It's more to those soft, shiny lumps than throwing them into water...
This just in: 95,5 % of the world population lives outside the USA
Please drop by our IRC channel: #sciencemadness @ irc.efnet.org
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elementcollector1
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That and drying numerous solvents without a hitch, one of the biggest uses for the lower alkali's.
Elements Collected:52/87
Latest Acquired: Cl
Next in Line: Nd
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Mailinmypocket
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Oh for sure it's amazing stuff!
But since this person mentioned they are only starting out I assumed they wanted to experiment with it to explore alkali metal properties and not
perform Bouveault-Blanc reductions and the like yet. I may be wrong though!
In any case, lithium could be of interest, and easier/cheaper to get if they just want to explore alkali metals.
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borrowedlawyer
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| Quote: Originally posted by Hexavalent | You can get lithium from batteries, but preparing alkali metals is not the place for a beginner to start and also probably not for them to handle.
[Edited on 6-9-2012 by Hexavalent] |
Thanks about the lithium from batteries tip, I watched nurdrage's video on how to get it. Now I have a sample of lithium in mineral oil!
[Edited on 7-9-2012 by borrowedlawyer]
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