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Etaoin Shrdlu
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[*] posted on 30-12-2015 at 10:29


The image in the Popular Science magazine shows the precipitation happening instantly as the thiocyanate is poured. I'm finding mentions that the solution should be stirred, but no indication of any lengthy reaction times anywhere. Very odd.

Nice that you got crystals.
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LifeisElemental
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[*] posted on 30-12-2015 at 13:40


Quote: Originally posted by Etaoin Shrdlu  
The image in the Popular Science magazine shows the precipitation happening instantly as the thiocyanate is poured. I'm finding mentions that the solution should be stirred, but no indication of any lengthy reaction times anywhere. Very odd.

Nice that you got crystals.


Yes very odd. I actually decanted the solution a few hours after and found that crystals formed overnight in that decanted solution even.



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[*] posted on 30-12-2015 at 22:05


Another Update

I upped the scale. Keep in mind I am doing this in a cold environment of approximately 16-18C. In a 500mL Erlenmeyer flask I dissolved 23.675g of mercuric chloride in 350mL of water with heating of ~50C. I then dissolved 11.998g of KSCN in 250mL of water and added this to the 500mL flask containing the dissolved mercury salt. As always, nothing appears to happen. Even within 10 minutes, nothing.

Within 50 minutes crystals formed in solution. I will check on this again in the morning as I know they will continue to grow. Very beautiful, needle like crystals. At some point I will certainly setup a time-lapse of this for my videos.

Absolutely puzzling. Does anyone have mercuric chloride/potassium thiocyanate that they may be willing to attempt this on a hundred milligram scale?

To anyone wishing to reproduce this in large scale as I have - keep mercuric chloride in excess and keep the thiocyanate in relatively the same molar concentrations.

[Edited on 31-12-2015 by LifeisElemental]



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