April 19, 2024, 06:27:03 PM
Forum Rules: Read This Before Posting


Topic: Fun with Alkali Metals  (Read 31752 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Kenichi

  • Regular Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 70
  • Mole Snacks: +6/-2
  • Gender: Male
Fun with Alkali Metals
« on: May 13, 2006, 08:24:40 AM »
This is great. Ka-friggen-boom!  No wonder we couldn't play with that stuff in lab.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2134266654801392897&q=alkali+metal
Honor is what you know of yourself. Reputation is what others think they know about you. Live by honor and let your reputation lie where it may. And outlive the bastards.

One day I will rule the world with my army of a mole of moles!

Offline Alberto_Kravina

  • Assault Chemist
  • Retired Staff
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 608
  • Mole Snacks: +70/-15
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2006, 08:43:18 AM »
:o I would NEVER EVER play with Rubidium and Caesium... THAT COULD HURT A BIT (and maybe not only a bit...)

Offline mrdeadman

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 262
  • Mole Snacks: +23/-39
  • I got a 5. Hooray!
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2006, 12:53:21 PM »
that was such a cool video. a little piece of Cs caused an outrageous explosion  ;D Y.E.S. YES! MAG-nificent
AP Chemistry Squad Member [001]

Offline constant thinker

  • mad scientist
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1275
  • Mole Snacks: +85/-45
  • Gender: Male
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2006, 01:15:44 PM »
That's sweet.

I want to see Fr. It must be a HUGE explosion. To bad it's a radioactive metal.
"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' " -Ronald Reagan

"I'm for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, tranquilizers, or a bottle of Jack Daniels." -Frank Sinatra

Offline Mitch

  • General Chemist
  • Administrator
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5298
  • Mole Snacks: +376/-3
  • Gender: Male
  • "I bring you peace." -Mr. Burns
    • Chemistry Blog
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2006, 03:58:35 PM »
It would be a mess to clean up all the radioactive hydroxide that splashed everywhere.
Most Common Suggestions I Make on the Forums.
1. Start by writing a balanced chemical equation.
2. Don't confuse thermodynamic stability with chemical reactivity.
3. Forum Supports LaTex

Offline Alberto_Kravina

  • Assault Chemist
  • Retired Staff
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 608
  • Mole Snacks: +70/-15
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2006, 04:02:45 PM »
It would be a mess to clean up all the radioactive hydroxide that splashed everywhere.
That sounds interesting, I've never made a RADIOACTIVE mess so far... ;)

Moreover, here is only 20-30 g of the element present in the earth's crust at any one time (Source: Webelements )

Offline Mitch

  • General Chemist
  • Administrator
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5298
  • Mole Snacks: +376/-3
  • Gender: Male
  • "I bring you peace." -Mr. Burns
    • Chemistry Blog
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2006, 02:47:41 AM »
The longest living Francium isotope is 3 minutes, I somhow doubt there is 30grams of it in the Earth's crust.
Most Common Suggestions I Make on the Forums.
1. Start by writing a balanced chemical equation.
2. Don't confuse thermodynamic stability with chemical reactivity.
3. Forum Supports LaTex

Offline Equi

  • chef de cuisine
  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 151
  • Mole Snacks: +20/-11
  • Gender: Male
  • Und nach mir die Sintflut
    • miketionary
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2006, 05:15:24 AM »
Wondering how much they paid for the Caesium.
I'm not suffering from a mental disease - I'm enjoying it.
miketionary

Offline Borek

  • Mr. pH
  • Administrator
  • Deity Member
  • *
  • Posts: 27652
  • Mole Snacks: +1800/-410
  • Gender: Male
  • I am known to be occasionally wrong.
    • Chembuddy
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2006, 08:22:18 AM »
Stupid :) But fun :)
ChemBuddy chemical calculators - stoichiometry, pH, concentration, buffer preparation, titrations.info

Offline rctrackstar2007

  • Full Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 265
  • Mole Snacks: +18/-40
  • Gender: Male
  • I need scoobie snacks and a 5 on the test!
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2006, 12:40:10 PM »
i wonder what the explosion would be like when they double the amount of cesium  :o
AP Chemistry Squad Member [002]

The world is like an atom. The not-quite-as-intelligent people are the nucleus all packed together sharing a common...everything. We, we are the electrons. Granted we're not as smart as these engineers and what-not so we're most likely in the first orbital, but we're the electrons of this giant atom. We all have differing intelligences and ideas and we are separated from the nucleus which makes us better because no one really cares about how a nucleus acts. It's the electrons that make chemistry, except for nuclear chem, of course, which I am a big fan of.

-Your's truly, 2006;
  written to describe the HS chem student apart from the average being

Offline Will

  • Organic Dude
  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 400
  • Mole Snacks: +58/-2
  • Gender: Male
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2006, 12:46:28 PM »
Wondering how much they paid for the Caesium.

I know a website where they you can buy Caesium and Uranium! ;D
Caesium:
1g about £240
5g about £350
10g about £540
Shame I don't have a Visa/Mastercard yet :(

My 100th Post  :)

Offline Alberto_Kravina

  • Assault Chemist
  • Retired Staff
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 608
  • Mole Snacks: +70/-15
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #11 on: May 14, 2006, 12:51:19 PM »
Quote
1g about £240
5g about £350
10g about £540
I thought it was more expensive :P

Quote
The longest living Francium isotope is 3 minutes, I somhow doubt there is 30grams of it in the Earth's crust.
On the isotope table it says that 87223Fr has a half life of 22.00 +0.07 minutes ???
« Last Edit: May 14, 2006, 12:54:41 PM by Alberto_Kravina »

Offline jdurg

  • Banninator
  • Retired Staff
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1366
  • Mole Snacks: +106/-23
  • Gender: Male
  • I am NOT a freak.
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2006, 02:27:31 PM »
I question the validity of those Rb and Cs explosions.  Me thinks that there was more than just rubidium and cesium in the bottom of those bathtubs.   ;) ;D
"A real fart is beefy, has a density greater than or equal to the air surrounding it, consists

Offline Borek

  • Mr. pH
  • Administrator
  • Deity Member
  • *
  • Posts: 27652
  • Mole Snacks: +1800/-410
  • Gender: Male
  • I am known to be occasionally wrong.
    • Chembuddy
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2006, 02:49:47 PM »
Can't remember if they named amount of metals used - something like grams? 1 gram of Cs is able to produce 84 mL of H2 (at STP). Not much.

Anybody here knows how amount of hydrogen translates into kaboom size?

But that's not the only problem. I wonder if the reaction speed really depends on the reactivity here? Perhaps transport of water to the metal surface becomes limiting factor, as metal is covered with the cushion made of hydrogen; it have to move away to make place for more water, this requires time.

I think that explosion power in such a system should be a (partially) random thing and I doubt in the easily observable dependence between power and reactivity. Amount of energy should depend on the amount of hydrogen released but left close to the ignition point. That i turns depend on how long reaction proceeds - and I don't think one can predict how fast hydrogen will get ignited. With all that fizzling and splashing speed at which metal gets hot is not constant, so sometimes ignition point is reached sooner, sometimes later - and that in turns means different explosion size.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2006, 02:53:17 PM by Borek »
ChemBuddy chemical calculators - stoichiometry, pH, concentration, buffer preparation, titrations.info

Offline Will

  • Organic Dude
  • Chemist
  • Full Member
  • *
  • Posts: 400
  • Mole Snacks: +58/-2
  • Gender: Male
Re: Fun with Alkali Metals
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2006, 02:52:50 PM »
I question the validity of those Rb and Cs explosions.  Me thinks that there was more than just rubidium and cesium in the bottom of those bathtubs.   ;) ;D

Could there have been concentrated acid, eg 15M Nitric acid in the bath tub? I assume that would be a faster and more violent reaction ???.

Sponsored Links