tackling a DIY COIL O2/I2 chemical laser for fun

[AnselmoFanZero]

Guess we have to find a less dangerous chemical reaction which can generate a devastating laser-beam ^^

Any ideas?

 

[Uranium]

The coil one can be done safely if the exhaust gas is bubbled through a tub of water. Chlorine will dissolve in water very fast.

 

[AnselmoFanZero]

Well....you still have to pump the gases real fast. Could be a problem.
How about short blasts of chemicals?

Guess it heats up the damn thing, so you cant run it on CW mode.

 

[Uranium]

Obviously a CW laser would be an big undertaking, but a pulsed laser shouldn't be too hard to make. The chemicals are easy enough to get, plus they're cheap. I'd try it, but I'm working on another project right now.

 

[AnselmoFanZero]

The reaction is heavy! You need expensive materials...not to mention the optics.

Would be worth a try though.

 

[nanicoar]

I don't have much experience of anything but daydreaming and reading wikipedia, but from the little information I've gathered it seems storing HF in a jar is akin to putting TNT in a milk bottle in a fridge. I don't see this as a problem, and encouraged by the fact that HF is commonly used in industrial processes I think that HF safety is a matter of sound engineering. From what I remember of high school and polytech chemistry, in light of HF the processes we used in the lab were an antique recipe for disaster. Having been molly-coddled throughout my education, I'm ill prepared to face the real world where dangerous chemicals are transported in huge trucks down perilous roads. But I have some ideas of my own.

HF has a boiling temp of 19.5C, so by for example spraying it with an LN2 mist it should by my reckoning be possible to reduce it to liquid form. This could be mixed into for example milk to form CaF2, which appears to be rather benign.
That's the end-process, but accidents could also happen before then. Accidents are unavoidable, but what you can do is prepare for them by reducing their impact. By producing HF only when it is needed, in the amount that is needed and running it all the way through the system without storing it, hazard to people is greatly contained since you probably shouldn't be in the same room when this laser fires. You shouldn't be working with a laser this powerful in a populated area, regardless of the chemicals involved, and you should be prepared to deal with a chemical spill.

This is one of those cases when you should be done with the learning process before you set out to build it. Failing that, it's likely the professionals will be called in: YouTube - CBC News Clip.....HF Acid Mock Disaster