jdurg

I don't know borek. NaOH doesn't seem all that covalent to me.

Hey guys. How long do the typical effects of food poisoning last? On Thursday I went to McDonalds for lunch and got some chicken nuggets. About an hour later, I started feeling VERY nauseous and the intensity just progressed at an alarming rate. About 2.5-3 hours after eating the chicken, I began throwing up quite violently and without any way to stop it. My ribcage and chest muscles are now killing me from all that throwing up, and I've felt VERY weak. So weak, in fact, that I've fallen down twice just trying to walk a few feet towards the bathroom. I have NEVER felt this ill before. Only now, about 26 hours after eating the tainted food, have I gotten enough energy to get out of bed. Still, I cannot keep any food in my stomach and my chest muscles still hurt like crazy. I know this might sound really gross, but the gas I've been passing has reeked MUCH moreso than it typically should. I fear that if I try and take a crap, gallons of lava will come pouring out. My question is, do these symptoms cry out food poisoning or some other random bug? If this is food poisoning, how long will these symptoms last? I just want to return to a normal sense of being and not worry about throwing up or passing out at random moments.

nomadd22 is correct. As the density of the gas decreases, it's ability to conduct sound decreases. This is because the gas molecules are further away from each other so sound can't travel as well. As you increase the density of the gas, the ability for the gas to amplify and transfer sound increases. This is why popping a balloon filled with carbon dioxide sounds a LOT louder than a balloon filled with normal air or helium. For an optimal gas, try Sulfur Hexafluoride. It's an inert gas and is incredibly dense, so it will transfer sound very effectively.

Thank you for putting the meanings behind those numbers in there. It was starting to drive me nuts trying to figure out what they were.

Yeah, the claim to have discovered element 118 has been retracted because the group that submitted the discovery realized that they misread their data. They were also unable to reproduce their results, so they have retracted all statements about the discovery.

With black phosphorus, the P atoms are bound to each other in a manner VERY similar to carbon. Hence Black-P is able to somewhat conduct electricty, and has physical properties similar to that of graphite. The thing is, if the crystal structure that makes up Black-P is disturbed, it can fall apart into an amorphous structure which is what Red-P is made from. Over time, this slowly happens due to temperature changes, physical stresses, pressure changes, etc. etc. So the pure Black-P starts to break down in certain areas and the black-gray color shows a little bit of red in it, and the 'sheen' of the Black-P becomes a bit different. Violet-P is kind of a homogenous mixture of the crystalline structure of Black-P and the amorphous structure of Red-P. It's mixed quite evenly so the entire thing looks like a VERY dark red/black color. The conversion process takes place VERY slowly, and generally speaking isn't that noticeable unless there are constant changes in temperature and pressure. (It's certainly not as long term of a change as diamond changing back into graphite is). As a result, most people would state that Black-P is 'stable'. (This is kind of a problem when the term 'stable' is used to describe something). Black phosphorus will definitely convert over into other allotropes if subjected to drastic changes in temperature. (Most notabley an elevation in temperature).

But even the daughter nuclei have relatively short half-lives in the grand scheme of things.

Neat! This one should be stickied.

Over time, NaOH will corrode glass and eat away at it, thus weakening anything in the system made of glass. Also, NaOH and NaOH solutions will absorb carbon dioxide from the air to form solutions of NaHCO3.

Did you also notice how the Curies died from their radiation poisoning? I'm also pretty certain that the health of their 'friends' after being exposed to the eerie glow didn't turn out so well. If you're thinking about getting pure radium metal, you can't unless you have a license. One gram of the stuff is INTENSELY radioactive in terms of disintegration rate and energy emitted during the decay. As a result, massive NRC and other licenses are required to obtain a sample of the pure metal. In the watch hands, microgram quantities of radium are used. Fleetingly small amounts are enough to make the watch glow for centuries.

In order to get nuclei of that weight, you need to fuse very large atoms together. A star only produces atoms of any appreciable weight when it is collapsing into a supernova. So I am fairly confident that even in the far reaches of space, elements >115 don't exist.

I think an 'unrespected' element is Thallium. Being surrounded by mercury and lead, Thallium doesn't get the respect it deserves as a toxic, heavy metal. Arsenic always seems to get the labels as 'touch it and die' type of stuff, but in reality thallium is actually quite a bit more toxic, I believe. It's a moderately soft metal which rapidly oxidizes away in the air, but oddly enough it can be stored under water without any problems at all. Thallium oxide/hydroxide is quite soluble in water, but the metal itself doesn't react with water. Therefore, a heavily oxidized chunk can be stored in a vial full of water and all the oxidation will just dissolve away leaving you with a clean, oxide free metal surface. (Of course the water it's stored in then becomes a very lethal poison). But I don't think Tl gets all the attention and respect that an element of its nature deserves.

Ya gotta love that Cobalt Blue coloring.

The heat and appartus required to melt the salt is expensive, however. You need a very hot flame and a container that can withstand the heat, as well as something to prevent the sodium from reacting.

Think about what you're saying there Mendelejev. What are the physical and chemical properties of sodium metal? What does electrolysis of an aqueous solution mean? Now you tell me how sodium metal can be formed at all based upon those conditions.

Technetium, radium, and the vast majority of radioactive elements are 100% completely solid. There are only a few rarities like radon which is a gas, and francium which is possibly a liquid due to the trends seen in melting points of the alkali metals.

I also should add that Tellurium is another amazing little element that tends to get overlooked. It is the classical metalloid in that it looks like a metal; is reflective like a metal; but is nothing like a metal. It's brittle; doesn't conduct electricity all too well; it forms negative ions; and its oxides tend to be acidic. Tellurium can also form wonderful looking ingots if cast properly, and in the same form it can show off its metallic and non-metallic traits. Plus, Te can also give you some of the worst B.O. you will ever experience. Just a tiny bit of Te or Te compounds are all you need to have weeks of nasty body odor. Kind of a neat trait, isn't it?

Indium is softer than gold. Indium is about as soft as lithium metal is. Bismuth is 'technically' not 'stable' as it has a half life in excess of a few hundred trillion years, I believe. So for all intents and purposes, it's stable. The only two elements with atomic numbers less than 83 which have ZERO stable nuclei are Technetium (43) and Promethium (61).

Storing your elements is perhaps the MOST important part of an element collection. Each element needs to be stored in containers and in conditions that will result in the lowest amount of 'tarnish' or 'loss' of the element. Elements which oxidize readily should be stored in a glass container under mineral oil in order to slow down the oxidation. (This includes elements like lanthanum, europium, calcium, sodium, potassium, neodymium, cerium, etc). Still, you must realize that over a long period of time oxygen WILL find its way into the container and oxidize your element. Therefore, for some of these elements the BEST method of storage is in a sealed glass ampoule filled with argon. This will keep them oxidation free for an eternity. In fact, for some elements that's the ONLY way you can store them. (Rubidium and Cesium come to mind. Any other method of storage will result in instant reaction and/or fires). For anything that's a gas, the ONLY way to store them is in fully sealed glass ampoules. For gaseous elements, they WILL find their way out of any openable container. Hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, the noble gases, and the halogens should be stored in a glass ampoule that is sealed shut so that it cannot be open. This is particulary true for the halogens as those buggers can and will escape from nearly every container you can think of. Fluorine can barely be stored at all, and chlorine being a gas will eventually leak out of any capped container. Therefore, it must be stored in a sealed glass ampoule if you want to keep it. Bromine is particularly nasty. There's a reason why it's called the 'Houdini' of the elements. It will leach out of any container you can think of. If there's a plastic top to the container, it will eat right through it. If it's a screw on top, it will eat through the cap and leach out into the air around it. I had a few containers for my bromine before I finally found a way to keep it together. (I initially had a glass vial with a screw top cap. In about a week, the Bromine had eaten right through it. Kind of a scary experience. The supplier then sent me an amber glass bottle with a tight fitting, Teflon lined cap. The bromine didn't eat through this one, but it leached out slowly and corroded anything in the area). So with the Br2 eating through any method of storage, I finally decided to put in a glass test-tube and then melt the tube shut, thus sealing the bromine inside. The Br2 has been in that tube for a good long while now and has not leaked out one iota. Iodine is kind of like bromine in that it will find its way out of most containers over a period of time, but it won't eat through them like Br2 will. Instead, it will leach into and through the cap and corrode what's in the area. You can store I2 in a vial with a teflon lined lid, but the I2 will eventually leach through that lid. Therefore, if you are going to use that method of storage you need to have yet another container to store the I2 in so that any which leaches out won't corrode anything of value. I have a jar of I2 crystals (I think. Though I can't remember where I put it) that is surrounded by vermiculite and stored within a large metal container. This is the Iodine that I use for experiments. The rest of my iodine is sealed into a glass tube like my bromine is so that it can be put on display and will not corrode everything in the area. So the best way to store Iodine for long term storage, and display purposes, is in a glass test tube which has been sealed shut on one end. (What's nice is that if you have the sealed tube laying against a white background, you can see the beautiful purple vapor of I2).

I also can't forget to mention Indium metal. The stuff holds its shine for a near infinite amount of time as it really doesn't oxidize all that much, and it's as soft as clay. It has a low melting point so you can easily cast items with it on a typical hotplate or stovetop, or you can make your own little ingots of the stuff. (If your mold is nice and clean, you can wind up with a beautiful mirror finish on it). To top it all off, it's radioactive! (95% of all naturally occuring Indium is In-115 which is a radioactive isotope with a VERY long half-life. As a result, Indium could be considered radioactive, but the radiation is so low and of such a low energy level that it really poses no danger and can barely be detected).

Congrats guys! Don't poo-pooh sulfur. It's actually pretty neat stuff that you can have some fun with. (Melting the stuff is pretty neat as long as you don't breathe in the fumes coming off of it). As for the size of the samples, don't worry, you'll eventually upgrade. I didn't start out my collection with massive sample sizes. Nearly ALL of my elements started out as tiny little specimens which I eventually was able to get larger sizes of. Every now and then I'd just be looking around and find a great deal on an element, and pick it up right there. That was how I got my Rhodium. I found an auction for nearly 20 grams of the stuff on E-Bay. I just said 'I want it' and kept bidding until I had it won. It was only afterwards that I realized just how much money I was going to be dishing out. Thankfully, the seller agreed to just sell me the one large 10+ gram button of it and he'd sell the other smaller pieces elsewhere. (I then came to find out that the deal worked out great for him since he was able to get more by selling the other pieces separately). So just be observant and you'll find that elements will seem to find you and not the other way around. Another big thing to remember is to make sure you know what you're buying. When I first got into this strange hobby, I purchased on instinct thinking that every element out there would soon be gone and I could never find it again. As a result, I probably spent a good deal more money than I actually needed to. If something gets out of your price range, don't worry, you'll eventually find it again. Also, make sure you don't buy too much. When I bought my sodium, I kind of forgot how the metal is VERY not dense. I had been buying some PGMs which tend to be quite dense, so when I saw the Na for sale I quickly bought two ounces. I didn't realize that two ounces of Na is a LOT until it arrived and I had to find a way to safely store it. My neighbors have been giving me weird looks as I 'get rid of' the excess Na by throwing it on the lawn and turning the water hose onto it. (What was really neat was throwing small chunks out there during the winter onto the snow piles. Boy does Na give off a bright yellow color when it catches fire). Still, even with all the time I've spent chucking the stuff, I have a great deal of it yet to get rid of. So make sure that you have your head on when doing purchases, and don't worry about the sample size. You can always upgrade later.

To electrolyze sodium chloride you need to melt the salt which requires a temperature of around 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. (Or if you mix in some calcium chloride it can reduce the temperature required to melt the mixture by nearly 600 degrees). The sodium and chlorine will form once the current is put through the molten salt. At the elevated temperature, any sodium formed will be a liquid and will react VERY violently with water vapor in the air and oxygen. Therefore, you need to make sure that there is an inert, argon atmosphere over the electrolysis apparatus. Also, you have to make sure that the chlorine gas which is formed at the opposite electrode doesn't come anywhere near the molten sodium, otherwise a violent reaction will ensue. Chlorine gas is a poisonous war gas too, and it doesn't take a whole lot of it to ruin your day. Don't take this personally, but based upon the title of your post and the nature of your questions, you really should not be trying to make sodium metal anyway. It will just result in bad things happening as it does not seem as though you have enough of a background in this to perform the procedure safely. (We'd hate to see a curious chemist get hurt or injured because they tried something that they weren't really prepared for).

Actually, UF6 is a solid at STP, but becomes a gas when heated above 134 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Well, if you have a dry box to prevent any and all moisture and oxygen from touching the molten sodium, and if you have an electrical heating source to melt the salt since an open flame would go against the dry box requirement, then yeah.