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Author: Subject: Successful experiments
Zyklon-A
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thumbup.gif posted on 27-1-2014 at 16:06
Successful experiments



I think there should be a thread on the successful experiments that are done here.
I'll start.
Today (27-1-2014) I extracted lithium from a lithium battery, I've tried at least twice before, and this is the only time it worked.

PICT0051 - Copy.JPG - 128kB

[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]

[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]




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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 16:12


i always end up with the lithium oxidizing before i can get the casing off, how did you manage to do it?
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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 16:29


It oxidized a little, but I put it in a CO2 (not really inert, but better than air I'm sure) filled vile before much happened.
With the first battery it failed considerably, I just took way to long taking it out, the second time however, I took the pliers and yanked the roll out of the steel casing, without striping the casing at all, I was really surprised at how well it worked.
It was not a energizer ultimate lithium battery, it was a duracell battery.


[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]




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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 16:50


I recently sodium via sodium hydroxide and it worked much better than I had expected. This will be the 32nd element in my collection!



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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 17:02


I have yet to even try that, I don't have NaOH at the moment, I've always thought that an complex setup is needed, to keep air out and whatnot.



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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 18:01


While congratulating you with your success, I think the topic of this thread is too unspecific.



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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 18:04


Zyklomd, the procedure is actually very simple and the one I used is a variation of this.
Everything except the magnesium can be sourced from your local homedepot.




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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 18:15


Thanks, I intended it to be for success in general, isolating elements, making compounds, ect. Not necessarily for everybody who has a successful experiment of course.
There are topics for bad days in the lab, chemist's nightmare and other bad things, why not something for good things?



[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]

[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]

[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]




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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 18:45


@Pinkhippo11, I assumed that you meant you did electrolysis of sodium hydroxide, I have seen that video before but I though the sodium quality would be very bad (contaminated). I can get NaOH, I just don't have it right now.
I guess I will try it now that you said it worked well.




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[*] posted on 27-1-2014 at 20:03


Yes, the quality is not exceptional, but I too do not have the equipment to preform such an electrolysis. However, the purification methods in the video are surprisingly effective and do not waste very much sodium metal. Give it a try if you don't have access to sodium metal, it is very useful.



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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 05:41


Did you try any methods other than those shown in the video to purify you product? (sodium)



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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 09:21


Personally, when I tried this methode 1° It was an horrible pain in the :) to make a good quantity of magnesium powder from a magnesium fire starter 2° It produced some sodium mixed with some crap but it did not survive the oil/water purification. The fact that I used a fire starter and NaOH from drain cleaner probably mixed with other things instead of pure NaOH may be the cause of the failure, but in the futur there is no doubt I will buy the sodium instead.

You can also see from the video that the sodium produced is quite a good step less reactive than pure sodium.

I must however say that the reaction was quite nice, surprisingly powerful. I was glad I put a concrete block on top of the lid.


[Edited on 28-1-2014 by alexleyenda]
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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 09:45


Here some people talked about using Al instead of Mg, I will try this as soon as I get some NaOH.
Al will react with NaOH because it's amphoteric, but if I can light it quickly it may work.




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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 10:12


Give me some news, It's been a while since I did it, I now have pure NaOH and Al powder so I might give it a try if it works.
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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 12:09


Or: Mix 20g powdered aluminum, 6g NaOH, 3g NaCO3, and 5g NaCl in a steel crucible.
Put the crucible over a heat resistant base that allows heating by flame. Cover the crucible with a steel bowl filled with water.
Heat the crucible vigorously with a blowtorch or a heavy duty bunsen burner until a reaction takes place, marked by yellow flames escaping from the crucible.
When the reaction is over and the crucible is no longer red, remove the bowl carefully pouring the water away. There should be a light grey deposit at the botton. Scrape this deposit with a spatula to a 50ml vial with some xylene in it using a funnel. Repeat this procedure four times.
Tacho wrote this, by the way.




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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 12:17


Such a thin film of sodium would react very quickly with air and moisture, I would think. Also you'd really have to heat this thing to reach the boiling point of sodium (unless the reaction is exothermic enough, I suppose).
What's the reaction equation for this process?
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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 12:38


The reaction is definitely exothermic enough, it's sometimes classified as a thermite reaction.
You can read all about this (and similar reactions) here.
This is getting rather off topic... Further discussion of such things should be continued here as well.

[Edited on 28-1-2014 by Zyklonb]




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[*] posted on 28-1-2014 at 14:49


Did a nice small scale synthesis this week, phthalic anhydride to anthranillic acid to methyl red. Might make a post on it with pictures and what not in the next week or so.
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[*] posted on 4-2-2014 at 10:09


I made about 8 grams of CuCO3 yesterday, it's very bright, rich blue-green color, I'm very impressed.



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[*] posted on 4-2-2014 at 10:37


I made cis-bis(glycinato)copper(II) the other day. The reactants combined to give a glorious dark purple-blue solution (much like tetraamminecopper(II)), but as it cooled, light powder blue needles started forming, eventually turning the entire solution into a semi-solid mass. This filtered out to a pale blue powder. Actually disappointing.



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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 4-2-2014 at 11:30


Huh, that's too bad, I've had similar disappointments, where it looked like a great product, but it turned out to be rather bland or boring.



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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 6-2-2014 at 16:42


Today I isolated a lot more lithium from a lithium battery. Yields were even better than last time, I might make a guide on how to do it. The batteries that I used are much easier to extract than energizer ultimate lithium batteries.



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[*] posted on 6-3-2014 at 12:08


Today I made some I2Cl6.
I also plan on making more from direct reaction of I2 and Cl2, as opposed to the method that I used this time.
[EDIT] Well, of course it didn't last very long, It gave off chlorine as it formed iodine monochloride, which in turn, evaporated, leaving nothing to remember all my work...:(
Oh, well.
Recently I've been trying to make lots of covalent Cl- compounds. I plan on making ICl (iodine monochloride), and a few sulfur chlorides too.

[Edited on 6-3-2014 by Zyklonb]




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[*] posted on 6-3-2014 at 14:06


Extraction of Lithium from batteries: http://spatulatzar.com/lithium/

My advice would be to do the whole process with the battery submerged in mineral oil, like in a large bowl or bucket, if oxidation is such a major issue.
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Zyklon-A
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[*] posted on 6-3-2014 at 14:46


Hmmm, good idea, best thing next to a glove box.



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