The ultimate paperweight

May 17, 2017, 09:34 AM

DitchDoctor911

quote:
Originally posted by jbcummings:
quote:
One of my chemistry teachers kept a chunk of tungsten on his desk as a conversation piece. He loved to ask people pick it up. ...

I had a chemistry teacher like that. He used some sort of iodine crystals on a tin pie plate. They were unstable and mildly explosive. If you bumped the plate, they'd go off like so many little fire crackers...he just loved that. This is the guy, too, that dropped a golf ball size chunk of sodium out the window into a puddle of water during a rain storm. Yeah, that one got him in trouble for a few days.

These days he'd lose his job and get domestic terrorism charges against him

I remember lots of sodium/water "experiments " in HS. Aaahhh... The good old days!

May 17, 2017, 09:44 AM

Otto Pilot

I have a set of darts made out of tungsten. I loved those things when I was playing darts a lot. Skinny little things, but just the right heft to them.

That cube is cool.

______________________________________________
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May 17, 2017, 10:25 AM

Skins2881

quote:
Originally posted by DitchDoctor911:
quote:
Originally posted by jbcummings:
quote:
One of my chemistry teachers kept a chunk of tungsten on his desk as a conversation piece. He loved to ask people pick it up. ...

I had a chemistry teacher like that. He used some sort of iodine crystals on a tin pie plate. They were unstable and mildly explosive. If you bumped the plate, they'd go off like so many little fire crackers...he just loved that. This is the guy, too, that dropped a golf ball size chunk of sodium out the window into a puddle of water during a rain storm. Yeah, that one got him in trouble for a few days.

These days he'd lose his job and get domestic terrorism charges against him

I remember lots of sodium/water "experiments " in HS. Aaahhh... The good old days!

My teacher also dropped an alkali metal (sodium or lithium) in water in the classroom. Just a penny sized slice, pretty impressive, I want to throw a softball sized hunk in a pond.

May 17, 2017, 10:29 AM

George43

quote:
Originally posted by flashguy:
Tungsten and Gold have almost identical densities (the same to 4 significant figures). This makes it possible to create "gold" bricks that are mostly tungsten with an outer layer of gold, and worth much less than one of solid gold. Since both are very dense, X-rays can't be used to determine if the center is tungsten. Naturally, this possibility greatly worries those who deal in gold.

Beryllium is, IIRC, extremely toxic and must be handled with care (if at all). I'm told the effects are not pretty.

I think the "iodine" crystals the teacher used were probably Nitrogen Tri-iodide (NI3). They are made by dropping iodine crystals into ammonia, letting them react, then filtering them out of the liquid. While wet they are marginally stable, but when dry the touch of a feather will set them off. (No--I've never done it.) FWIW, they are discussed in the Heinlein novel "Farnham's Freehold" as a substitute for dynamite.

flashguy

I belive you are confusing Tungsten with Platinum.

May 17, 2017, 11:10 AM

Pipe Smoker

quote:
Originally posted by flashguy:
<snip>
Beryllium is, IIRC, extremely toxic and must be handled with care (if at all). I'm told the effects are not pretty.
<snip>

Finely divided beryllium (dust) is toxic. Solid pieces, not so much. Years ago, beryllium was the material used for disc brakes on Formula 1 cars. Light, rigid, and high specific heat.

May 17, 2017, 11:32 AM

P250UA5

My dad, when he was in the car business, kept an engine rod from one of Schumacher's Ferrari F1 cars on his desk. Amazing how light it is.
I think it's hanging on his workbench in his shop now.

May 17, 2017, 11:52 AM

Cliff

Now that is just too cool for school.

Your want, your money, your want satisfied. Case closed. Might look in to that myself. Preciate the heads up Jim.

"All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in single words: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."

--Sir Winston Churchill

"The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose."

--James Earl Jones

May 17, 2017, 11:55 AM

jhe888

quote:
Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
quote:
Originally posted by flashguy:
<snip>
Beryllium is, IIRC, extremely toxic and must be handled with care (if at all). I'm told the effects are not pretty.
<snip>

Finely divided beryllium (dust) is toxic. Solid pieces, not so much. Years ago, beryllium was the material used for disc brakes on Formula 1 cars. Light, rigid, and high specific heat.

I have an old Ping putter that is copper alloyed with beryllium. Copper is too soft unalloyed. That alloy was the rage in golf for a few years in the late '80s and early '90s.

It is still used when steel tools present a sparking hazard. It isn't supposed to be toxic in solid form.

May 17, 2017, 12:36 PM

ElToro

I knew a guy that was a manufacture of beryllium items, he was a defense contractor and made items for space flight and military aircraft since it's so lightweight yet and so strong in certain ways and an unbelievable heat exchanger. Lots of wasteage though. If they mess it up when making it it's ruined.

That tungsten cube sitting on my desk would be fun though.

May 17, 2017, 01:25 PM

flashguy

quote:
Originally posted by George43:
quote:
Originally posted by flashguy:
Tungsten and Gold have almost identical densities (the same to 4 significant figures). This makes it possible to create "gold" bricks that are mostly tungsten with an outer layer of gold, and worth much less than one of solid gold. Since both are very dense, X-rays can't be used to determine if the center is tungsten. Naturally, this possibility greatly worries those who deal in gold.

Beryllium is, IIRC, extremely toxic and must be handled with care (if at all). I'm told the effects are not pretty.

I think the "iodine" crystals the teacher used were probably Nitrogen Tri-iodide (NI3). They are made by dropping iodine crystals into ammonia, letting them react, then filtering them out of the liquid. While wet they are marginally stable, but when dry the touch of a feather will set them off. (No--I've never done it.) FWIW, they are discussed in the Heinlein novel "Farnham's Freehold" as a substitute for dynamite.

flashguy

I belive you are confusing Tungsten with Platinum.

No, I am not. The reference I just accessed says Gold is 19.3 gm/cm3 and Tungsten is 19.25 gm/cm3; Platinum is 21.45 gm/cm3--way heavier (and more expensive).

flashguy