March 28, 2024, 09:36:34 AM
Forum Rules: Read This Before Posting


Topic: Help identify lanthanum product?  (Read 12928 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Limpet Chicken

  • Guest
Help identify lanthanum product?
« on: August 25, 2004, 11:17:57 PM »
Ok, one of my rare posts outside the citizen chemist forum ;D

Could anyone help identify the product from this experiment?

This was done with both lanthanum and cerium metal.
I had to use a spoon, as this was done in my bedroom as it is late at night;D
I liquify some pure ammonium nitrate prills, and while the nitrate is liquid, add in some small pellets of both lanthanum and cerium metal (in different spoons;D)

Continued heating the spoon, resulting in copious gas evolution (N2O I think)
the lanthanum was viciously attacked resulting in sparking and a small fire BENEATH the pool of liquified AN which quickly stopped.

*** Stop talking about eating Chemicals**--Mitch

Any ideas what this is? I don't see how an oxide of a metal could have a taste, as they are insoluble, maybe lanthanum nitrate via metal reduction of the AN?

Nitrous oxide was also a product I think, I ended up accidentally inhaling quite a bit of the fumes, and I feel kinda spaced out now as I type this :D
« Last Edit: August 26, 2004, 12:46:10 AM by Mitch »

Offline Mitch

  • General Chemist
  • Administrator
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 5298
  • Mole Snacks: +376/-3
  • Gender: Male
  • "I bring you peace." -Mr. Burns
    • Chemistry Blog
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2004, 12:48:57 AM »
If you continue discussing eating unknown chemicals we're going to have to ban you for a week. We take serious responsible Chemistry especially responsible Citizen Chemistry.

Now stop tasting chemicals, geesh. At least don't tell us if you do.

Mitch
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 Donaldson Tan

  • Editor, New Asia Republic
  • Retired Staff
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3177
  • Mole Snacks: +261/-13
  • Gender: Male
    • New Asia Republic
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2004, 01:02:20 AM »
eeewwww..

 :footinmouth: :footinmouth: :footinmouth:
"Say you're in a [chemical] plant and there's a snake on the floor. What are you going to do? Call a consultant? Get a meeting together to talk about which color is the snake? Employees should do one thing: walk over there and you step on the friggin� snake." - Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO of Glaxosmithkline, June 2006

Limpet Chicken

  • Guest
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2004, 09:36:28 AM »
It was certainly accidental, I must have got some on my fingers, the fused ammonium nitrate got pretty messy, I dried it out by using a conc. aqeous solution of ammonium nitrate, added the lanthanum, and boiled dry, the damn thing kept flash boiling, in smll spots and spitting dirty brown sludge everywhere :-\

Tetrahedrite

  • Guest
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2004, 08:46:30 PM »
NO3- = oxidising agent, will not form La(NO3)3, will form La2O3 + nitrogen oxide (as observed). Both Ce2O3 and CeO2 also theoretically possible. Most rare earth oxides are grey or white, where as the nitrates range from colourless to bright green (Ce(III) nitrate) or even purple (Nd nitrate).

Tetrahedrite

  • Guest
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2004, 08:46:39 PM »
NO3- = oxidising agent, will not form La(NO3)3, will form La2O3 + nitrogen oxide (as observed). Both Ce2O3 and CeO2 also theoretically possible. Most rare earth oxides are grey or white, where as the nitrates range from colourless to bright green (Ce(III) nitrate) or even purple (Nd nitrate).

Offline jdurg

  • Banninator
  • Retired Staff
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1366
  • Mole Snacks: +106/-23
  • Gender: Male
  • I am NOT a freak.
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2004, 02:48:40 PM »
Lanthanum oxide is a nice deep blue color, while cerium oxide and praseodymium oxide are nice deep green colors.  I should know this as I have a good oxide layer on top of my rare-earth metals.  Neodymium actually has a pinkish colored oxide to it.  I'd have to say that it's the heavier rare-earth elements (Those past europium) that have the grayish-white oxides.  
"A real fart is beefy, has a density greater than or equal to the air surrounding it, consists

Limpet Chicken

  • Guest
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2004, 03:49:25 PM »
What's left of the reaction looks like a smear of dark brown, whatever it is forms a hydrate it seems, as it refuses to dry out, even in very thin layers. The astringent effect of the brown reaction product is strong enough to make the fingers feel dry and cracked on picking up the spoon.

I would do further tests, with acids etc. but I unfortunatey don't have access to my lab at the moment due to problems with *Ignore me, I am a weenie* parents putting padlocks over the doors of my lab >:(

Oh well, all that will be solved a soon as I get more KMnO4 ;D

Tetrahedrite

  • Guest
Re:Help identify lanthanum product?
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2004, 01:39:46 AM »
The "oxides" that occur on the surface of the metal most likely contain hydrated REE complexes, giving them their various colours. The true oxides I use to produce various copper REE arsenates are white (La2O3, Ce2O3, Pr2O3) or grey (CeO2).

Sponsored Links