Sciencemadness Discussion Board

potassium / sodium metal

GreenD - 19-1-2012 at 10:54

Say I have 30 tons of potassium I just found in my basement and tons of random organic chemicals.

besides the overrated reaction with water, what other uses are there with this metal?

Bot0nist - 19-1-2012 at 11:04

Sell or trade it for some chems you need maybe?

or you could throw it under bridges to surprise trolls...

GreenD - 19-1-2012 at 11:10

Well I heard it is a very good reducing agent. I can understand that but the conditions at the moment are puzzling me.

I've worked with sodium hydride in the past - the reducing capabilities of that are straight forward, but pure potassium or sodium metal seem trickier.

UTFSE is a foolish idea.

Adas - 19-1-2012 at 11:13

Burn it to Na2O2 and use it for making exotic organic peroxides from organic chlorides.

GreenD - 19-1-2012 at 11:18

can i eat the organic peroxides?

Bot0nist - 19-1-2012 at 11:18

Who said UTFSE?

Eat organic peroxides? Why?


[Edited on 19-1-2012 by Bot0nist]

GreenD - 19-1-2012 at 11:21

Well I just saw you can make potassium (not sure about sodium) metal quite easily by refluxing in oil >200°C in the presence of tertiary alcohol and magnesium powder.

UnintentionalChaos - 19-1-2012 at 11:21

Acyloin Condensation
Bouveault–Blanc reduction
Make dry solutions of alkoxides from alcohols which are used in more reactions than I can name.
Drying solvents for water sensitive work.
Make Sodium amide (Chichibabin reaction, general superbase, deprotonate acetylenes and alkylate them)
Birch Reductions (similar conditions for reduction of alkynes to trans alkenes)

GreenD - 19-1-2012 at 11:22

Quote: Originally posted by GreenD  
Well I just saw you can make potassium (not sure about sodium) metal quite easily by refluxing in oil >200°C in the presence of tertiary alcohol and magnesium powder.


sorry potassium hydroxide as well.

unintentional chaos thanks. I did not know you could make alkoxides this way! TAH DAH.

Bot0nist - 19-1-2012 at 11:23

Quote: Originally posted by UnintentionalChaos  
A
Drying solvents for water sensitive work.


Yeah, make a bit of Na or K wire (utube vid on this) It's great for drying solvents, as long as proper precautions are taken of course.

UnintentionalChaos - 19-1-2012 at 11:27

Quote: Originally posted by Bot0nist  
Quote: Originally posted by UnintentionalChaos  
A
Drying solvents for water sensitive work.


Yeah, make a bit of Na or K wire (utube vid on this) It's great for drying solvents, as long as proper precautions are taken of course.


Honestly, wire may be the fancy way to make sodium fine, but I've just been taking very thin slices of the metal and it seems ti work fine. The wire might be slightly more efficient, but I have a lot of it.

Adas - 19-1-2012 at 11:56

Quote: Originally posted by GreenD  
can i eat the organic peroxides?


Dude, I must seriously ask, are you high? How old are you if I may ask?

neptunium - 19-1-2012 at 14:18

yeah i am curious to find out where that come from! what the hell man!