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Author: Subject: Help for a young scientist
DraconicAcid
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[*] posted on 8-3-2018 at 12:49


Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  

V - keep your eye out for some ferrovanadium. Or screwdriver bits typically contain 0.5%. (Extracting this is a current project of mine. The bits are still dissolving. I'll check them in a few months.) Or buy a sample.

Pottery supply stores have V2O5 cheap like borscht. I have not yet tried to isolate the metal from it.




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Texium
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[*] posted on 8-3-2018 at 13:20


Quote: Originally posted by diddi  
@ec1 and amos: could be a potential SMSG participant? but dont invite j_sum; we dont want any mods there :P
Too late!

[Edited on 3-8-2018 by Texium (zts16)]




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j_sum1
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[*] posted on 8-3-2018 at 14:09


Quote: Originally posted by DraconicAcid  
Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  

V - keep your eye out for some ferrovanadium. Or screwdriver bits typically contain 0.5%. (Extracting this is a current project of mine. The bits are still dissolving. I'll check them in a few months.) Or buy a sample.

Pottery supply stores have V2O5 cheap like borscht. I have not yet tried to isolate the metal from it.

I have looked but never located pottery-grade V2O5.
MrHomeScientist has a great thermite reaction with the stuff if you do find it. Good luck getting any metal though. It is a pretty vigorous reaction.




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[*] posted on 8-3-2018 at 22:18


Quote: Originally posted by Sulaiman  
Welcome:
some random thoughts;


Always consider safety, in advance, think what MAY go wrong - fire, spills etc.
and plan for that, fire extinguisher/blanket/hose, easy escape route, 'antidotes' such as;. vinegar to neutralise bases, sodium bicarbonate solution to neutralise acids, sodium thiosulphate solution for stains such as sliver nitrate, etc. etc.



I'm interested by this idea of 'antidotes'. Are there any others you would recommend I keep around?
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[*] posted on 8-3-2018 at 23:05


Another thing: I am working on a book looking at the science behind everyday objects as a project at school and at home. Given all the obvious expertise available on this site, I was wondering whether one of two of you might be able to mentor me through this process, maybe with a monthly skype call? And if anyone has any ideas as to how I might track down other people with expertise in areas of physics and maybe electronics specifically that would also be appreciated.:)
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Melgar
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[*] posted on 8-3-2018 at 23:15


Quote: Originally posted by elliephant  
I'm interested by this idea of 'antidotes'. Are there any others you would recommend I keep around?

Make a water solution of ammonium ascorbate. Ascorbic acid, neutralized with ammonia, but go heavy on the ammonia so you can still smell it well. It's a weak acid and a weak base, so if you squirt it on a strong acid, you'll get an ammonium salt of that acid, plus ascorbic acid. Squirt it on a strong base, you'll get ammonia gas and the ascorbate salt of that base. Also, ascorbic acid is an antioxidant, which takes care of oxidizers like chlorine.

Really, water is good for a lot, and acetone or cheap alcohol for whatever that doesn't dissolve.

Ammonia is actually really good to have handy, because it'll neutralize a lot of invisible vapors that can be really harmful, and in doing so produces visible "smoke" looking vapors. I have a mostly-empty 28% ammonia bottle that I'll squirt air around from trying to see if chlorine vapors or HCl vapors are leaking somewhere.

Re: science of everyday objects

Learn your polymers! PETE is polyester aka polyethylene terephthalate. Polyester fabric is made from the same stuff as plastic water bottles. HDPE and LDPE are high and low density polyethylene, which are straight-chain hydrocarbons and not unlike wax. Others are significant too, like polystyrene, ABS, polypropylene, polycarbonate, etc. Polystyrene is stiffer than most plastics, but has an unfortunate tendency to dissolve in a bunch of different organic solvents, like acetone. The "S" in "ABS" stands for styrene, and so ABS has many of the same weaknesses. But it's a plastic that stays more or less the same size and shape when it's melted and then hardens. This means that parts can be molded without doing any calculation for what the shape will be once it cools. So it's used in 3D printing, and also for making a lot of stuff that has to be rushed to market. So a lot of electronics enclosure cases are ABS.

[Edited on 3/9/18 by Melgar]




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diddi
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[*] posted on 11-3-2018 at 01:19


elliephant what country are you in



Beginning construction of periodic table display
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[*] posted on 11-3-2018 at 01:32


Quote: Originally posted by diddi  
elliephant what country are you in

She said Aistralia.
https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=81...




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[*] posted on 11-3-2018 at 18:29


well there you go. thanks supermod!



Beginning construction of periodic table display
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