elementcollector1

DIY from ammonium nitrate? That's my plan if I ever actually need some nitric. Funnily enough, I have never actually seen a terrorist on here. Either there are none, or they're hiding very well... *shifty eyes*

Good, but how do i wire this to a dpdt toggle switch? (This is the right track though, thanks.) Also, how would i wire this to 2 sound playing circuits?

I am trying to wire a circuit for a prop I'm making, but I have run into a conundrum. Here is our setup: Battery --------> Switch----Button-------------sound-playing device | ----Button-------------sound-playing device \------------------------------------------------------------^ How would I get rid of the two buttons in exchange for one button that can tell which sound-playing device (and thus which sound) to make depending on the position of the switch? The only temporary buttons I've seen are those that have 2 contacts.

One last thing before we can be sure what you have is calcium: Flame test? If it is, congratulations!

What of an aluminum can, then? Use the nonpainted parts and I'm fairly sure that's pure aluminum. Also, I looked up an MSDS for aluminum foil, and it said it was "95% Al with (a few different impurities)" and a layer of plastic on it. And yes, I did see the sodium thermite! I tried it myself, and I got a tiny sliver of shiny metal that wouldn't come off the slag. Also, most of it seemed to be some sort of sodium oxide / hydroxide mix. I would honestly recommend electrolysis of the molten hydroxide with carbon anodes from a welding store and a car battery, even though the molten NaOH is considerably more dangerous when you have to check on it every now and then. Initial dissolving in HCl is always rather slow, unless it's a metal like magnesium or some such.

Hello! Theo Gray was one of my inspirations to start an element collection too. First off, allow me to say that those are some HUGE bismuth crystals! Beautiful, too. Second, element collecting is a fun hobby, but it can be a dangerous one when you make the elements yourself (thermite, halogens, alkalis, transition metals, etc.) Probably worth it in the end, if you're careful. Unlike me. XD Back to this bismuth isolation, would this not be possible (and somewhat preferable over molten NaOH)?

Bismuth oxide, charcoal and NaOH? This is an interesting recipe, care to share the reaction?

The reversed image transfers when pressing? I guess I'll try it.

Sounds good, but how do I take a printed-out image and transfer it onto a rubber stamp without an X-Acto?

I don't understand. This stencil is printed out on paper, not 3-D.

I'm trying to make a simple stencil that can be placed on a plastic, plexiglass, or PVC-type surface, but the stencil I have is too small and detailed to be "cut out" the normal way. Any ideas?

Chlorine! Good ol' chlorine. Er... bromine? Iodine? Worked with them too. Anyway, radioactive cookie, it all depends on the saturation of the solution. The more saturated, the better the likelihood of producing more chlorine than oxygen. But with a small lab setup, this wouldn't be nearly enough to kill you. I, on the other hand, mixed HCl and MnO2. I really need to figure out a way to trap that gas, I do still need to ampoule it after all...

Just to be sure, your anode was (+) and your cathode (-)? With a graphite anode, when oxygen is produced in minute quantities it will actually react with the graphite to form a sort of intercalated 'graphite oxide', which will then weaken the overall structure. This was seawater brine, right? Regular salt water would produce no precipitate.

For my next project in physics, I would like to build a Levitron, similar to those spinning toys. I've seen many instructables on how to build these, but they almost always came out with next-to-no levitation, whereas a demonstration I saw recently had at least a full inch or two going, and was stable (the guy mentioned something about stabilizers on the edge of the device to knock the object back to center). Before I start this project, I need to know if the intended use is feasible, and thus have a few questions: -Is it possible to extend the reach of the magnetic field (i.e. to 5 inches or greater) without a significant loss of strength? -Is it possible to rotate the device at a perpendicular angle to the floor and still hold the object securely in place? -How low of a power source can this device run on while still working? I'd prefer a 9V battery or something, but plug-in is absolutely not an option. -Approximately how costly would it be to build a working, good version? I'm willing to sacrifice quite a bit of money for this project. I'm expecting people to say 'this is impossible', as I'm new to the field of magnetic levitation, but I'd like to see if this is a potential project.

Excellent, thanks! Is there an exact reaction between Na2CrO4 and Na2S2O5? (Just to see what impurities and precipitates I'd have to deal with).

Actually re-doing this experiment now. The SS is dissolving much slower than it usually does... still yellow from the iron, not green. Give it a few weeks... Anyway, you will get a pure solution of sodium-chromium salt, but you also have hexavalent chrome on your hands. Seeing as I plan to use this for chrome plating, this is not much of a problem, but I'd really like a way to convert this back to trivalent chrome (for health reasons). Upon further research, a potential better method is to use a stainless steel anode in an NaCl solution, as the iron will precipitate out as iron (III) hydroxide from the NaOH / NaOCl formed, while the chromium forms it's usual double-salt.

I would go for electroless plating, much easier if you have the reagents.

Distillation sets today are far too expensive. So, I'm going to build my own. Here's the ideas I have so far: -The retort will be made from a flower bulb (with the long glass part bent sideways and a glass entry tube inserted by heating a copper pipe of the same size, passing it through, and 'welding' the tube on. -The condenser will be made of a glass tube (coiled if at all possible) inside a cut-open, clear wine bottle that has had two holes melted into it with entry and exit points for water flow, which can be hooked up to a garden hose. Is there any way to improve on this? I'm looking for cost efficiency and product efficiency (though not to the extent that I'd pay for an actual setup) above most else, though I'm willing to compromise on some things. Any thoughts?

I would recommend finding a local rock or mineral shop.

Can I put something in between the two to control the impedance? I'll try to see how many amps / volts my ipod puts out.

Ha...sorry, what? I'm not much of an electronics hobbyist yet...

How much voltage do mp3's put out?

I have an 8-ohm, 0.5 watt speaker that is the perfect size for a project I am attempting. Is it possible to hook this up to an mp3, ipod, or Arduino Uno?

I live in sunny Washington, USA, near Seattle. Considering this is America, yes, my sources of water are almost certainly chlorinated. I never really noticed it before in drinking water because I work at the pool, where concentrations of chlorine are easily detectable in and out of the water - drinking water doesn't taste anything like it by comparison.

Sure, I bet that would release some of the chlorine. To release all of it is another challenge altogether. I'd recommend neutralizing the chlorinated water with sodium bicarbonate, and then, if possible, distillation of the water. Why do you need to remove chlorine from this particular tap water, anyway? Also, how did it get there in the first place?