Sodium anyone?

[Benm]

Oh I have had LOTS of fun with sodium. something very similar to this http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2158222101210607510

That looks like what happened to our pond

Interesting series with the common alkali metals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft4E1eCUItI

 

[Hemlock_Mike]

Guess I missed something here. I never elected a lawgiver who said he was going to regulate the periodic table of elements. Guess I better read again the Constitition. You want salt on those fries ??

MIke

 

[Benm]

It probably is a US legal thing, since elementenal alkali metals can be useful reductors in the synthesis of narcotics (and in tonnes of other reactions too).

Apart from that, elemental sodium is just very hazardous to transport, and i can imagine why courriers would refuse to ship it. Realistically, it DOES ignite upon contact with water, which could be a big problem for say firefighters controlling a transport that landed offroad.

 

[joniverson]

A perhaps safer, better regulated, alternative may be found here:

http://www.unitednuclear.com/chem.htm

Sodium, plus just about any other chemical you can think of. I have dealt with these folks before. They are *slow* to ship, similar to DX with lasers, but they do deliver as promised.

HTH,
Jon

 

[pseudonomen137]

Lots of laughs, lots of fun... now who's gunna buy my dang sodium! I can't use all 5 lbs myself (... or could I ). Hey Greg, you got a pool?

 

[millionaire]

drop it over a plan when your flying over the ocean right beside like a disney cruiser or something. lol they would think the iraqis are attacking or somethign it would give them a scare anyways ;D

 

[xgeek]

Oh I have had LOTS of fun with sodium. something very similar to this http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2158222101210607510

That looks like what happened to our pond

Interesting series with the common alkali metals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft4E1eCUItI

LOL cool. Looks like Cesium is the one.

 

[pseudonomen137]

Update: Sodium + cheese grater = not so good

 

[Benm]

Why not? Given protective gloves and all, i think it'd grate just fine. The fresh chips might give you worries in moist air though ;p

We used to use sodium to dry solvents for organic chemistry experiments. There is a cool vice-like device where you drop in a block of sodium, and press it through a small hole. It's so soft a shiny sodium 'wire' comes out that you drop in the solvent you want to dry.

I can't use all 5 lbs myself

You can... if you now have a small pond and want a very large one later ;p

 

[Aseras]

Update: Sodium + cheese grater = not so good

use a butter knife. best thing to cut sodium with. If you need smaller, get a garlic press.

 

[pseudonomen137]

Haha, I was just joking around. Yeah, I usually use a knife because its so soft, but I figured I'd try seeing what shredded sodium was like. Wasn't very interesting - just produces large quantities of that horrible smoke. It grated pretty well though.

 

[Daedal]

LOL

I'm sure I could have lots of fun with this stuff... ;D I'm not going to though :

--DDL

 

[Frosty]

I didnt even know it was a metal, lol. Learn something new everyday. Now thermite looks like a good time, lol.

 

[Aseras]

thermite is fun.. tannerite is more fun.

Liquid nitrogen and helium are really fun to play with. Liquid oxygen is the ultimate though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBLr_XrooLs

Sparkler bombs are freaking awesome. Especially on a remote beach in the middle of nowhere at night. I heard from another crew that they could see the light almost 20 miles away over the horizon.

I've kinda calmed down now but I used to have lots of fun when we were private. Now we are part of the state univeristy system and I've had to scale back a bit.