Make calcium metal

[weiming1998]

The only proof I need is what I saw. And what I saw was a chunk of calcium. Try it yourself, but I have better things to do than explain myself to doubters. Until you've tried it (and even then you can't be sure), you can't say anything against it. Btw, I dissolved it all in hcl, 'member?

 

A chunk of calcium? I wouldn't be so sure if I was you. A chunk/chunks of molten, then solidified aluminium mixed with various sulfides and oxides can have a similar metallic lustre as a chunk of calcium. It reacts with HCl as well. Aluminium sulfide, which can form, generates bubbles of H2S and a precipitate of Al(OH)3 on contact with water, and that can be mistaken for calcium reacting in water. The only way that I know of to be absolutely sure is by attempting to light the mixture with a torch. Calcium in appreciable amounts would burn similar to magnesium, but with an orange flame. Try that.

 

Second, yes I can say something against it. All findings and discoveries in science are heavily criticised before they become valid theories/findings. Refusing people to criticise a discovery is anti-scientific. The formation of calcium metal goes against conventional chemistry. At the most, a very small amount of calcium is formed and embedded in massive chunks of oxides/sulfides. Plain faith that calcium metal is formed will not cut it, although if plain faith was your only evidence, so be it, just don't expect people to believe that you made calcium metal.

[elementcollector1]

A chunk of calcium? I wouldn't be so sure if I was you. A chunk/chunks of molten, then solidified aluminium mixed with various sulfides and oxides can have a similar metallic lustre as a chunk of calcium. It reacts with HCl as well. Aluminium sulfide, which can form, generates bubbles of H2S and a precipitate of Al(OH)3 on contact with water, and that can be mistaken for calcium reacting in water. The only way that I know of to be absolutely sure is by attempting to light the mixture with a torch. Calcium in appreciable amounts would burn similar to magnesium, but with an orange flame. Try that.

 

Second, yes I can say something against it. All findings and discoveries in science are heavily criticised before they become valid theories/findings. Refusing people to criticise a discovery is anti-scientific. The formation of calcium metal goes against conventional chemistry. At the most, a very small amount of calcium is formed and embedded in massive chunks of oxides/sulfides. Plain faith that calcium metal is formed will not cut it, although if plain faith was your only evidence, so be it, just don't expect people to believe that you made calcium metal.

 

The formation of potassium from KOH and Mg with a tert-butanol catalyst goes against 'conventional chemistry' (the reactivity series, namely), but it's been done. Have any chemical tests for presence of calcium metal (distinguished from presence of aluminum metal + sulfides + oxides)? Also, the orange flame test is not fully accurate; if there is even a little bit of sodium in the mix for whatever reason it will mask anything and everything else. Calcium metal should burn with a brick-red flame, according to the Wiki throw.

Unless anyone else has some calcium metal to spare, that leaves me to do the tests. Off to reconnect the blowtorch! >

[weiming1998]

The formation of potassium from KOH and Mg with a tert-butanol catalyst goes against 'conventional chemistry' (the reactivity series, namely), but it's been done. Have any chemical tests for presence of calcium metal (distinguished from presence of aluminum metal + sulfides + oxides)? Also, the orange flame test is not fully accurate; if there is even a little bit of sodium in the mix for whatever reason it will mask anything and everything else. Calcium metal should burn with a brick-red flame, according to the Wiki throw.

Unless anyone else has some calcium metal to spare, that leaves me to do the tests. Off to reconnect the blowtorch! >

 

The formation of potassium from KOH and Mg does not go against conventional chemistry. It only goes against simplified chemistry. I explained the reason why this reaction works, and there is no definite reason to claim that this reaction doesn't work, even in theory. The formation of calcium metal from CaSO4 and aluminium though, is a different matter. There is no reason to suggest that this reaction would be energetically favourable, and that the calcium metal wouldn't reduce the sulfate.

 

There are no chemical tests for calcium metal, but washing the sludge from the thermite in mineral oil, then pick out the metallic bits and put them in water should be good enough. Another method is to pour water onto the sludge, pass the gasses formed through some bleach, and then lighting the resulting gas.