Disposal of Mercury

[Tim Streater]

Nitrogen tri-iodide. And if can be triggered by alpha particles, that means essentially spontaneous, as alphas have no penetrating power. Thus it would have to be an alpha generated by some radioactive impurity within the mixture.

[Alan Braggins]

With exceptions:

"As noted, the helium nuclei that form 10-12% of cosmic rays are also usually of much higher energy than those produced by nuclear decay processes, and are thus capable of being highly penetrating and able to traverse the human body and also many meters of dense solid shielding, depending on their energy."

(The reference on the NI3 page isn't talking about that, but if it can be triggered by an alpha from an accelerator, then perhaps it can be triggered by a much higher energy one.)

[Reentrant]

This thread prompted me to check my "stash" from my schooldays (40+ years ago).

I still have a 100cc bottle full of mercury. Some was pinched from school but most was given to me by my gran - she had it from the days when you bought your own to take to the dentist for amalgam fillings. I really ought to dispose of it through the right channels.

There's also a half-full 500cc jar of iodine crystals (labelled "A N Beck, Stoke Newington"). The rest must have, over time, been mixed with Scrubbs Cloudy Ammonia, carefully dried on blotting paper, and left in places my sister frequented.

There's also some potassium permanganate which ISTR spontaneously ignites with glycerine (or is it brake fluid?).

Sadly no zinc powder - that makes great cigar-tube-rocket fuel when mixed with sulphur, or any (pre-fire-retardant) sodium chlorate which goes up nicely with sugar, or ammonium dichromate for a "volcano".

After "A" levels we were allowed to make ethyl mercaptan at school. That was fun.

[docholliday93]

There's probably someone who restores barometers who would be happy to take= this - the poblem is finding them...=20

I remember buying things from them. Eventually we decided that was too expe= nsive and found a local chemical supplier who would deliver. Those were the= days when you could order concentrated sulphuric acid, nitric acid, and th= e like and have them delivered to your house. If I remember right we were a= lso able to buy some things through the school chemistry lab. I still have the remains of a bottle of HF in the cellar...

[Lobster]

So are any of the yarns "improving" with the telling?!

David

[DJC]

I remember them.

glycerine.

[geoff]

I think I've refined the story ...

[Terry Casey]

I was told this tale by someone who went to a school not far from mine of the Speech Day in their last year when they made a large quantity which they painted down the centre aisle of the school hall.

The entire school filed in as usual, splitting left and right and filling the rows of seats from the side aisles.

When everybody was seated, the headmaster entered, accompanied by the Mayor and Mayoress of West Ham, who then commenced their walk up the central aisle ...

[whisky-dave]

I'm not sure that is true as cola cans can take up to 90 PSI and I'm not su= re the can would stretch, in fact I have held mercury in a jam jar in a phy= sic lab years ago and it didn;t come through the bottom of teh jar.

[Tim+]

It's not the weight that's the problem. It's the corrosive effect.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Jam jars are not made of aluminium.

I think you rather missed the point here.....

[Martin Brown]

the can would stretch, in fact I have held mercury in a jam jar in a physic lab years ago and it didn;t come through the bottom of teh jar.

But then it doesn't destroy the protective coating on a glass jam jar whereas aluminium is completely at the mercy of atmospheric oxygen once it has come into contact with mercury and is rapidly corroded away (typically within 24 hours).

The only thing protecting it would be the internal food grade lacquer and the slightest defect in it would doom the can. A steel beverage container would be fine but ISTR Coke cans are aluminium.

Regards, Martin Brown

[Martin Bonner]

Cola-cans are made of aluminium. Mercury eats through aluminium. (Alumini= um is a very reactive metal. The only reason it doesn't burst into flames = in air, is that any exposed surface forms a protective coating of aluminium= oxide. See

said all that, the inside of a cola can is lined with a varnish - th= at might actually be sufficient to protect the aluminium.

[docholliday93]

It's not the stretching of the can that's the problem, but the effect of mercury on aluminium if there is a scratch in the protective coating and oxide layer... e.g.

[whisky-dave]

t sure the can would stretch, in fact I have held mercury in a jam jar in a= physic lab years ago and it didn;t come through the bottom of teh jar.

Quote "> My calculations work out that a cola size can (330ml) will cost ab= out =EF=BF=BD450"

But that doesn't matter, my calculations were for a coke can size not a ca= n of coke which you empty and then try to fill with mercury. Which is why I= included teh size as there;'s more than one size of coke can. It's only DIY in theory not in practice here ;-P

Doesn't matter the idea was to form an image of quantity and wieght, but ev= en the weight is suspect as it wouldn't weigh that much on the moon.I belie= ve it could also be held in a coke can on the moon where there is no oygen = to desolve the can coating.