chilled_fluorine

I think chilled_fluorine should win the poll and get the coveted Trinitrotoluene award... "here let me light that up so you can get the full effect"

 

Quote from "spaced invaders"

 

Moon, I can't understand half of what you say. Oddly enough, my most off topic, stupid post yet is gaining popularity most quickly.

Hyper, stop abusing your mod powers, freedom of the press, remember? Do you even live in America?

Finally has a choice I can click, though.

 

Refresh the page, I edited hypers change.

They always say to relax, tell you that it's only natural, that everyone does it, but being polled always hurts...

 

Really?

 

Turns out mods can edit polls. Who knew?! Awesome poll, by the way.

 

Hyper, go screw with someone else's polls. You know that was just a test.

The odds of which are also quite low.

 

Agreed, but still existent.

Each time you start a new topic, there's a Manage Topic Poll button right at the top middle of the page.

 

Don't ask religious or political questions unless you're in the Religion or Politics sections. If you've read the Rules, you should be able to discern the difference between touchy and offensive.

 

I've read the rules. Thanks, I'll have to start a poll.

 

Can you see my poll?

 

Phi, it says your watching in the bottom of the screen, now vote! :chuckle:

Ramjets have the same issue illustrated above. They can't produce thrust while they aren't moving, so how do you start the vehicle moving in the first place?

 

Also, ramjets tend to need to be going above the speed of sound to operate with any kind of efficiency, which isn't really conducive to normal highway speeds for a car.

 

See Wiki - Ramjet for more details.

Thanks for answering for me. It saved a few seconds of my life.

 

We Use Air to power cars. There will be air vents on the side of the car that pulls air in while your driving.

The air will go into a small air turbine which will generate electricity.

 

When you said you use air to power cars, was that a joke? If not, please stop lying to us, not cool.

 

Perhaps it's just me but I think that a fairly obscure material, like ammonium fluoride, molten and under pressure in the presence of one of the halogens is quite hazardous, but pretty unlikely to be the cause of injury to anyone who happens across this page on the web because most people won't have the materials to try it..

On the other hand, the aluminothermic reaction of something rather hygroscopic- say calcium sulphate- to produce a few products two of which are rather hazardous is a bigger problem.

 

If we were in the business of closing threads because they mentioned something that could be dangerous I think we would close this one

http://www.sciencefo...182#entry699182

before bothering with one about NH4F.

 

John, you just can't let that go, can you? I try to enter each and every post without prejudice, a style I would reccomend to you. Why do you have to make it so hard? I was using SIX grams, ignited from many meters away. My crude tests confirmed a near anhydrous material. Does anyone here find that so terribly dangerous?John, I really want to be on good terms with you, could you please try?My main concern is not people successfully synthesizing a triiodide, the odds of that are quite low, it is them inhaling hot, gaseous HF.

What about a current pic of the calcium metal? I've got some we can compare with.

 

Hmm... You do remember that I dissolved it all, right? Guess I could make some more. I already told you that my camera's upload link broke or something, so I "couldn't, even if I wanted to". It was just a dull gray, oxidized chunk anyways, could you really tell if it was calcium or not from such a picture? Where do you get your calcium, elementcollector?

How can I start a poll on this site? I thought it might be useful to get the opinions of the community. Are there any special rules for polls? Am I allowed to ask about religion, political standing, and other sort of touchy subjects? Thanks.

Well, it's that time of year again... Science fair time. I love science fair, don't get me wrong, but sometimes it is so frustrating, thinking of ideas. Could someone try to point me in the right direction? Don't be afraid to give me a more techy idea, I'm into that stuff, and intelligent enough to grasp it. Thanks in advance for any help, this really is a wonderful community. MODS, PLEASE DO NOT DELETE, THE PROJECT IS TO EXPLORE THE IDEA, NOT TO COME UP WITH THE BEST IDEA. THEY CARE ABOUT THE PROCESS. I COULD MAKE A BAKING SODA VOLCANO AND WIN, YOU JUST CAN'T DO THAT MUCH INVESTIGATION OF A BAKING SODA VOLCANO...Ps I'm into electrochemistry and all that stuff. Chemistry is definitely my area. Last year I did a waste aluminum battery, I only took 3rd place though, I'm really hoping to do better this year.

This is sort of random, but do you think the Feds would let us try this with the statue of liberty? LOL

 

I'm going to assume that because nobody has responded, everyone thinks this is a stupid idea, right?I did have some success. With a smaller scale version of this and a little bit of 2% hcl I managed to get the solution to about 50 degrees (yes, Celsius, Fahrenheit would have sucked). Wow! I just realized how expensive copper foil is at retail. I was given a big roll a while ago, I'm going to use it much more sparingly now.

I just posted them in an album on facebook:

http://www.facebook....&type=1

 

But those pictured above are all the pieces. The washtub fits inside of the trashcan, upside down, to serve as a base for elevating the black bucket--which is also then inside the trashcan. I just center them by eye, it's a pretty forgiving system. There is one picture in the album looking down through the lid onto the fuel--before lighting.

 

[edit]The washtub (pictured in post above) is upside down in the picture (note handles on ground), which is the way it goes into the trashcan; but any bucket about that size will work, it is just a stand to elevate the active (black) bucket.

 

This stainless bowl/liner fits inside of the black bucket (as pictured in post above): [/edit]

Note nail-holes near the bottom. Three holes on other side of this stainless steel bowl/liner also.

 

 

Blower (as pictured in the post above) has just been turned on. This is looking down into the stainless bowl in bottom of the black bucket.

~

Alright, I think I get it. For some reason I can't see the Facebook images. You really should be more specific about the hole sizes though. Are they 1 millimeter or 5 cm? Could be either, I don't have a clue. Thanks for putting up with my seemingly endless stream of questions.

I need a way to dissolve as much oxygen as I can in a saltwater solution. I was thinking of something with a tray full of saltwater on top with a tube leading to the vessel that needs the oxygen solution. The thing is, no electricity or pumps are allowed. The oxygen has to be from the air. No peroxide or bleach stuff.

I took pictures of the various pieces. They are all backyard, "found" items, except for an extra trashcan cover/lid--and a steel bowl that holds the fuel/wood chunks. I bought a 5 quart stainless drinking dish at a pet store, and punched 6 holes around the lower perimeter with a nail. It fits into the bottom of the tall black bucket, which is placed atop the shorter galvanized washtub--both inside of the trash can. This brings the sides of the (black) inner bucket up to [barely below] even with the top of the (outer) trash can.

 

The slightly domed lid (with the hole cut in center), from a larger trash can, provides enough space above the top of the inner bucket for air to escape--and a vortex to form--as the rapidly spinning blower air rises between the walls of the inner and outer buckets and exits through the trashcan lid.

 

The top inner bucket (black in this case) needs small holes around the base, like the steel liner has, to permit (Venturi) entrainment of smoke by the rising "input" or blower air... or to permit the vortex to push smoke out into the blower air. These small holes thus permit the vortex to "seal" the inner can--forming an air curtain across the top--without completely smothering the fire.

 

Note the original, tight-fitting lid in background, and the new, oversized lid (with hole cut in center) on the right. It's nice to be able to place, remove, or replace the lid easily; and to have a tight-fitting lid available for smothering the whole process during trials with different configurations/inner buckets. Note hole in side, at the base, of the trashcan.

 

Note stainless liner/bowl in bottom of black bucket.

Also, Note hair dryer/blower. It has high/low speeds and no/low/high heat options, so using the "no heat" option it is just a blower. Low speed is more than enough airflow for this setup. I don't always use the plexiglass tube, but it better shows the intended airflow--around the perimeter.

 

Hmmm. I have more pictures, but seem to have maxed out the file limit on posting.

Here are the captions for those pictures--with timestamps from the pm of Aug. 26, 2012.

 

 

4:55. Note nail-holes near the bottom of stainless liner. Three holes on other side also.

 

6:13. Aside from the one big chunk and the kindling at center, the bowl is filled with medium sized chunks like the two or three visible around the kindling.

 

6:14. All set and ready to add a lit match.

 

6:17. Match added and lid replaced, and at

 

6:18. The kindling is burning.

 

6:19. Blower has been turned on.

 

6:20. The fire grows quickly.

 

6:21. Diffuse flames still swirl after exiting, while concentrated flames swirl in a blur near the bottom of the inner bucket, above and around the fuel.

 

6:21. It's hard to get a picture looking down into the vortex, without getting scorched a bit. Yowch! Notes licks of burning smoke trailing off from dark chunks of fuel at bottom.

 

6:22. Burning the woodsmoke vigorously.

 

6:23. Most of the easily generated woodsmoke has been liberated. The fire is calming down, but the fan has been running at the same speed throughout.

 

6:24. Fire is almost out. Note lick of smoke curling around at left, which ignited a moment later.

 

6:25. Only charcoal remaining. Time to turn off the blower and quench the char.

 

6:26. Char dumped into clay dish and misted with hose.

 

 

Too bad I can't see the other photos... And I'm still not sure how I would go about making that thing. Maybe it's my ADHD acting up. I'm a very visual learner, just a picture of everything would enlighten me instantly.

If you're in the states, you can use this website to locate dealers in your state.

 

http://www.macraesbl...&region=Iowa-IA

 

None of the companies on that list are within a five hours drive of where I live. What terrible luck, as I don't want to drive 6.5 hours.

 

Try oil change companies, mechanics, or machine shops. Safety Kleen comes in steel drums, and the quick oil change shops around me get their oil and antifreeze in steel drums.

 

Mmm... Safety clean? Never heard of it. I'll look around. My schedule looks pretty tight, so it could be a while before I get to do some more serious scavenging.

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=tlud

 

I already tried google, could you give me a specific link?

Mining companies have to use some kind of oil or grease for equipment. That might come in 55 gallon drums.

 

No, I asked around. They get their lube in 5 gallon cans. They do have other 55 gallon drums, but all are plastic. Stainless steel IS one of those metals that doesn't go off and amalgam with mercury, right? If it was, well that makes me chuckle and cringe at the same time.

Well, off to pour sulfuric acid on my printer. XP

Anyway, couldn't do any tests for you because that drain cleaner is not available where I live. Rooto, right?

 

I'd like it if you use technical grade or otherwise pure sulphuric acid, that way I have a standard by which I may compare my acid. And no, it's not Rooto.

so the pathway would be battery(lithium)&water -electrolysis-> hydrogen -combustion-> kinetic energy

the problem is that the pathway for electric cars is more direct, and therefor more energy efficient. It does away with the extra step of hydrogen production, and funnels the electric energy directly into the electric motor. There is considerable loss in just this one extra step, making it not fit for the electric car competition.

 

This is supposed to be a replacement for conventional hydrogen powered cars, not electric ones. People are often more than willing to sacrifice a few percent of efficiency for practicality. Hydrogen powered cars have exactly the problem you mentioned, but people still use them. Most people's complaints about them is the crappy range, therefore a highly plausible idea for solving that issue must have at least some marketability. Electric cars must carry around very heavy batteries of very limited capacity, reducing efficiency and practicality/range. Lithium is very light, and has a much higher energy density than a car battery.If this idea doesn't sound good to you now, wait 20 years, and dwindling fossil fuel reserves and increased prices will make this sound like a wonderful idea. I should run down to the patent office right now.

I would recommend coarse gravel on the bottom, getting progressively finer as the filter goes up, and that should filter out the stuff just fine (if the sand is relatively free of reactive impurities). Alternatively, glass grit?

 

I soaked that sand in every corrosive thing I had on hand, it is quite pure. Remember, glass grit and sand are essentially the same thing, just crushed up sio2. The gravel really is quite a good idea. The issue is stopping the filtration media from coming out the hole in the bottom. How do they do that in commercial units? I'll soak some gravel in waste h2so4, to make sure the batch to be purified doesn't get screwed up with solubles. Would anyone mind trying the char test for me?

 

I have some sulphuric acid, supposedly 98%, that I bought as drain cleaner. Anyways, it is really muddy brown / black in color, and I think it might have an inhibitor of some sort to reduce its corrosiveness. How would I go about filtering the acid? I was thinking of using some sort of sand filter, but I can't think of a way to contain the sand and allow the acid to go through. Would anyone here with some pure, technical grade acid mind using a pipette to put a single drop on a piece of standard printer and timing how long it takes to start charring? Tell me the results of course. It will help me decide if it has any inhibitor, if it does, I'll just throw the stuff away.

 

I meant to say printer paper, sorry.

Ebay or a local feed store, perhaps.

 

This must sound so ignorant, but is a feed store a place that has feed for animals, such as grain? Farming isn't so big here. Mining is, however. At the center they had a big drum supposedly full of mercury, I wonder how they would move that thing. They don't have any other drums, althought they offered to sell me 100 ccs of the mercury for 5 dollars. Sounds like a pretty good deal, but I don't need to refine any gold, and if I did there would be safer ways.

Hi, I'm Gilded, SFN veteran and Finnish person extraordinaire.

 

Pine trees are boring even for evergreens and basically the a-holes of the forest. Cutting them to pieces to make furniture and houses doesn't do much to change that. The whole acid thing indeed stems from a really old thread (like from 2005 or something) where I was curious about acids that could potentially burn their way through a pine table. The song/poem is a reference to The Simpsons, particularly

 

Gilded! I remember you now... And I remember the post you were talking about. I have read this forum for quite some time, just decided to sign up a few days ago. It seems like you stemmed some sort of anti-pine propoganda campaign. Why do you hate pine so much? Here we have lots of oak and other nice hardwoods, so I guess I could never fully understand the pine filled monotony of a Finnish forest. But still, I like pine almost as much as oak, it must sound really stupid for me to have such strong opinions about wood. Anyone like aspen? How about cedar? It's sort of creepy that you found this post...

I think you will find that a "top lit up draft" (TLUD) stove is exactly what you are looking for. Designs are abundant on the internet

 

Really? I can't find any, just videos of people using them.

chilled_fluorine,

 

Firstly, if you want to debate mod note, do so via the report feature or PM.

 

Secondly, you've had two experienced chemists tell you that this thread presents no obvious danger to a passer by. We are mindful of people's safety here and you can rest assured that if anything in this thread did present a serious risk to inexperienced readers, we'd deal with it.

 

I already said I agree with you, I just prefer not having to see another Jack. If you think this is safe, fine, but there are people out there who will go out of their way to do dangerous things. The road to a dangerous place is occasionally more dangerous than the place itself.