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Topic: Lead to Liquid  (Read 12060 times)

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Offline markhammond77

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Lead to Liquid
« on: July 02, 2008, 10:21:57 AM »
Hey  so what exactly should I do if I want to turn pencil lead to liquid and keep it in liquid form?

Thanks a lot,
Mark

Offline DrCMS

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Re: Lead to Liquid
« Reply #1 on: July 02, 2008, 10:45:03 AM »
Heat it to ~4500°C in an inert atmosphere and then keep it at that temperature.

Offline markhammond77

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Re: Lead to Liquid
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2008, 05:42:07 PM »
Ok, is that the only way to keep it liquid or can I add some kind of chemical?

Offline enahs

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Re: Lead to Liquid
« Reply #3 on: July 02, 2008, 06:12:34 PM »
Just to point out.

Pencil lead is graphite. It is not the metal lead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead

Offline vmelkon

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Re: Lead to Liquid
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2008, 11:25:39 AM »
The pencil stuff is not really pure graphite. It is a mixture of clay and graphite with various degrees. Art stores sell the full range of hardness. The very black one might be pure graphite.

I have heated a HB pencil lead with electricity to something like 2000C and bent it. I did it in 1 seconds. Of course, it loses some weight as it combines with oxygen :)

Offline Arkcon

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Re: Lead to Liquid
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2008, 02:04:32 PM »
Ok, is that the only way to keep it liquid or can I add some kind of chemical?

This is a common enough noob question on this board.  Granted, colligative properties do note that dissolving something in something else produces a freezing point elevation -- the common example, melting ice by adding common salt.  Now, DrCMS: took the time to post the melting point of graphite, ~4500 C, and you're looking for a simple chemical addition, to presumably, completely rewrite the laws of physics, and keep it in a tea kettle, or something.  And I'd like to go on record, for you and just about anyone else, that you shouldn't have expected that was likely, even if your particular expertise on the subject is not fully developed yet.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2014, 09:48:08 PM by Arkcon »
Hey, I'm not judging.  I just like to shoot straight.  I'm a man of science.

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