Chemical Forums

Chemistry Forums for Students => Inorganic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: ericandrews on August 14, 2005, 07:42:16 PM

Title: Mercury interfering with Aluminium oxide coating ? wel it didn't for me
Post by: ericandrews on August 14, 2005, 07:42:16 PM

I remember reading at some crazy scientists website  if you smear mercury on aluminium it interferes with the oxide coating and the Al just oxidises away.

I tried it just now in my lab and the mercury can not be smeared, it forms balls and rolls away, no interfering of oxidising occured on the aluminium surface. I thought maybe the mercury is coating in oil of some type and washed it in solvent, still nothing. I tried sanding the aluminium surface and then putting mercury on it. still nothing !

The crazy scientists website said americans would try and smear mercury onto aircraft of the nazis. Well I sure as hell don't know how they could have, and come to think of it the aircraft would have been painted anways.

Title: Re:Mercury interfering with Aluminium oxide coating ? wel it didn't for me
Post by: jdurg on August 14, 2005, 10:05:02 PM

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how2/article/0,20967,693558,00.html (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how2/article/0,20967,693558,00.html)

All you have to do is make a fine areosol of the mercury.  It will stick.  Trust me.

Title: Re:Mercury interfering with Aluminium oxide coating ? wel it didn't for me
Post by: Borek on August 15, 2005, 05:28:54 AM

Try to put some mercury between two pieces of aluminium and rub them. Should work.

Are you using pure aluminium or some alloy? Seems pure aluminium is much more prone to this kind of oxidation.