How do you make Tablets?

[Squintz]

Im working on an invention it is a toilet bowl cleaner and i know have it in a powder form. I want to make it into a Slow Dissolving Tablet form so i can drop it in the back of the toilet it it will slowly disovle over about 1 to 2 weeks.

 

I have searched the internet for days and cannot find any information on how to make tablets. I see information about making Pill Tablets using heat and pressure but i want a soulution when i can use household products such as things from the kitchen to make a tablet.

 

The prototype tablet does not need to be perfect. I can disolve in a matter of a few hours as long as i can flush the toilet and watch it work.

 

So what ingredient do i have to mix together to make a tablet?

[YT2095]

Very difficult to answer that concisely, I`de need a little more data, and surely if the tablet were to be put in the bowl to setle just before the U bend, it would flush away as a whole when it got to half volume?

traditionaly Napthalene is used (moth balls) but without knowing what the compostion of your powder is, it may react adversly! napthalene is flamable and doesn`t like Oxidising agents much

Poly Carboxylates are also used, and can be somewhat more stable, but you`de have dificulty sourcing that in the average Kitchen!

Perhaps a Soap or Stearate base maybe?

or some sort of holder that clips to the seat allowing a minimal water vortex, but sufficient enough to disperse a limited quantity of your chemical?

keep at it

[Squintz]

I does not acutally contain a cleaner as of yet. The powder is actually a glow in the dark powder. I'm not sure of what it is made of. Do you think it would react with moth balls. And how would i use the moth balls to make the tablet

[YT2095]

Calcium Sulphide then, it`ll be just fine with Napthalene, though WHY on Earth you wish to use/waste this material is beyond me?

Grind the moth balls up to a fine powder, mix with your chems, put into a muffin tin and heat it in the oven until just melted, let it cool slowly.

 

[Squintz]

Can you explain more. What do i ned to do with the moth balls. And what is calcium sulphide. And how do you know all this stuff.

[YT2095]

I though I did... but here goes,

grind the moth balls up to a fine powder, nix this powder with your chems, pour it into a a muffin baking tray, heat it gently in the oven until molten, and allow it to cool slowly, then take your tablets out.

Calcium Sulphide it your "glow in the dark" powder.

It`s my "Job" to know all this stuff

[Squintz]

Thank you for all your replys you have been a great help. I have read that napthalene produces a toxic odor when heated above 50 degrees celcius should i worry about this? Can i use a microwave or does it have to be an oven? Will it be OK to eat the food cooked in the oven after i do this or should i use some other means of heating the moth balls such as an outside controlled fire?

 

Once again thank you

[YT2095]

it`s an crystaline aromatic hydrocarbon, yes it`ll be perfectly safe, the fumes aren`t actualy poisonous rather than smelly, but sure 100% do it outside, just remember that gentle heat of a long period`s going to better than sticking it directly on a fire, Indirect heat is best

DO NOT use a Microwave!!! due the nature of how the heating is performed, the results would exceptionaly unpredictable, Ionic solids would be forced to react at imense heat!

 

and you`re very welcome, that`s why we`re here

[Squintz]

They say its a Silicate Aluminate. Is this the same thing as calcium sulphide. Whats the chemical name for Silicate Aluminate?

[YT2095]

there`s no such thing?

 

all *ATEs are the element with an Oxygen group, so it would be a Something ate, but never do the 2 occur together in the same simple compound.

and neither could in anyway be the same as calcium Sulphide

 

[Squintz]

http://www.glowinc.com is the web site i purchased it from. I purchased the color blue which is supposed to last 2 hours and says its silicate. Can you look at this site and see if you can figure out what it is made from.

[YT2095]

Ewww neat site

 

calcium and Zinc sulphides were amongst the 1`st phosphoscent materials made, way back in the day of Alchemy, new technology will include Aluminates and Silicates, amongst other peroxide based chem mixtures (glow sticks etc....)

I have to ask though, WHY flush these lovely chems away though? and WHY have a loo cleaner that glows in the dark? dont get me wrong, I often read Science journals or newspapers whilst on "The Throne", but I leave the light on

you`ll find what is posted as "Silicate Aluminate" on http://www.glowinc.com/ultra_silicate.htm page is actualy a mixture of 2 different compounds, it isn`t just a single compound

it`ll be Something Silicate powder, mixed with a something Aluminate powder.

it states compatible with water based (Ideal for your use!)

and it also states that it`ll be ok with waxes oils paints etc... so your napathalene will be just fine with it

be carefull though, some of these compounds are destroyed by heat, so melting your napthalene MAY degrade it, though I doubt it.

next compatibility problem will be your cleaning agent.....

I think this will call for some experimentation on your part!

[Squintz]

Once again thank you. You are right the idea is very silly and i do not plan o getting rich from it. But i think it would be a funny thing to have in my own house and to give to friends as christmas presents. Im not even sure if i will ever add cleaning agents to it. But if i do i will be sure to look you up.

 

I hope that it will iluminate the toilet enough so that someone could aim at the glowing water and make going to the bath room fun. Maybe my unborn son who will be here in january would like to make hitting the glowing water a fun thing while trying to potty train him. I got the idea from a radio talk show and i plan to send him a sample of his idea and maybe he will give me a nice shout out over the radio or something. I dont plan on buying thousands of pounds of this stuff and just flush it. But here is another question. And this is hypothetical... If every american baught one of these things and used it in their toilet would water treatment plants be able to remove it or would our water eventually glow as its comming out of our fausets.

 

Thanx for the help and ill let you know how it goes after i try it. If it works well ill send you pictures

 

Would it be better to melt the moth balls and then stir in the glow powder so that the power doest get too hot?

[YT2095]

the treatment plant would certainly be able to remove it without worry

although the slurry may look quite interesting aftewards

Don`t give up on the idea, your potty training idea`s WELL COOL! I`de have loved that as a kid (I think I`de still find it entertaining now actualy, it beats playing sink the cigarette end LOL).

Yes certainly melt the Napthalene 1`st (I`m not sure of the MP of it, but if it IS below 100c then you could do it quite safely in a hot water bath, (a hot oil bath for above 100c). just make sure you weigh out all the ingredients 1`st so comes "cooking time" all will be in the correct proportions, and you`ll have no distractions. a bit like Chinesse stir-fry, preparation is the key

all the best with it!!! and if you have any further questions please ask us

[Squintz]

melting point is 80.5C according to "Chronic Toxicity Summary" i found searching google.

[YT2095]

water bath it is then

Ideal in a way, because now you can do it on the stove top in a bath of water and use an ordinary thermometer

I`ll look forwards to seeing the pics

[Squintz]

O.K. I got the glow podwer in the mail yesterday and i took a small amount in put it into a glass of water. Then i stired the waterfor a few seconds. I held the glass to the light and sat it on the table. I ran around the house and turned of all the lights and came back to the glass of water and looked inside.

 

I found that the glow powder did not dissolve and make the water glow as a expected. The powder simply sank to the bottom of the glass and when i turned off the light only the powder was glowing and not the water.

 

Now im very disapointed. So i thought i come back here and ask for another solution. Is there another glow powder i can use which will dissolve and make the water glow? Is there a way i could make the glow powder i have float? Or is there a way i can dissolve the powder i have by adding another chemical?

 

I poured a very small amount into the toilet and all it did was sink to the hole and light the hole not the entire bowl water.

 

HELP!

[YT2095]

Not without an emulsifier, and would make your water a gell. as for making it float, you`de have to coat each spec with something of a lower density than water, maybe a wax or some sort?

I know of no such powder that will dissolve and still retain its properties, you may try Luminol, but it`s VERY expensive!

it might be worth trying "glo-sticks" and carefully opening one, then see if the liquid inside will dissolve in water, then crack the little glass vial inside and mix that in with it.

the green liquid I`m uncertain if that can be obtained as a powder though, I doubt it somehow, and the clear liquid in the glass vial you certainly can`t as it Hydrogen Perxode, however, there are MANY other metal peroxides that ARE a powder that should work as well.

[Sayonara]

They just mentioned this on Radio 2.

 

Coincidence...?

[Radical Edward]

chris moyles is a regular poster here, but he didn't want to reveal this on radio 1 as he would seem like a nerd.

[Radical Edward]

glo sticks I believe use a mix of luciferase and something else, possibly ATP (this is how fireflies do it). it might be interesting to seed a bog with luciferase as there would probably be stuff it could catalyse and make glow.

[YT2095]

ok, here`s another idea to try whilst still using your glow-powder.

you`ll need to goto a health food store an buy something called Xanthan gum, it`s used for making bread for those with intolerance to gluten.

you`ll need less than half a T spoon to make up 250ml of suspension gell with water, that will stop your glow-powder from sinking to the bottom

also, if you add some vodka to the mix (10ml will be fine) it`ll never go mouldy either

[fafalone]

Just remember one thing about tablets: polyethylene glycol and polysorbate 80 are the most evil tableting agents ever created.