Harlan
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Melting sodium metal into solid blob
I'm trying to melt sodium metal for a project. What I've tried so far is melting it in a pyrex based double boiler (mineral oil in both) and I worked
well for melting the sodium. The problem is the sodium formed little balls instead of a single mass. I think it's the oxide layer preventing the
individual balls from coalescing.
Is there an easy solution? I did see someone use isopropyl I think to dissolve the surface layer and get it into a single mass, but I haven't tried
that method yet, and I only have 90% on hand.
Oh and the goal of the project is to make a sodium spoon sorta like a gallium spoon and use it in the same classic manor.
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PirateDocBrown
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IPA is the classic way.
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Harlan
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Thanks! Any suggestions for tinning sodium to copper wire? (Separate project)
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j_sum1
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I would be extremely hesitant to make a sodium spoon. That would be foolhardy.
It is likely to corrode in air which would reduce its effectiveness as a prank. But more importantly, if someone was to drop it in a hot cup of tea
the resulting explosion could have dire consequences.
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Harlan
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It's not intended as a prank, just a demonstration. I have a YouTube channel where I do various projects and it seemed like something
different/interesting to do. I plan on releasing the spoon remotely.
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Morgan
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I wonder if you could mold a spiky sodium shape with a lot of surface area or just a large flat/thin pancake, if it would go bang on the surface of
the water more energetically?
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Harlan
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Considering the fact that it's a coulomb explosion the easier it is to get blanketed by hydrogen and electrically insulate itself the more likely it
is to explode
http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/web/2015/01/Sodium-Potassium-...
[Edited on 24-4-2017 by Harlan]
[Edited on 24-4-2017 by Harlan]
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PirateDocBrown
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There's a video out there of a guy skipping a disc of sodium on water, like a skimming stone. Google it, it's quite a show.
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