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Pretty Pictures (1)

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kristofvagyok - 17-6-2013 at 14:28

Someone asked a few days ago, that what is my favorite chemical reaction. So I made it:

When we place a piece of copper wire to a silver (nitrate/sulfate) solution beautiful silver crystals will start to grow on the surface of the copper, while the copper dissolves into the solution.

Squall181 - 17-6-2013 at 17:09

Copper Acetate Crystals, not sure what the light blue crystals are. I made these by dissolving copper (II) oxide in an excess of acetic acid and let the mixture evaporate in my desiccator.

Mailinmypocket - 18-6-2013 at 09:33

Phthalimide crystals that sublimed in the mouth of a reaction tube, taking macro pictures with an iPhone is ridiculous

[Edited on 18-6-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

Finnnicus - 18-6-2013 at 09:56

Quote: Originally posted by Mailinmypocket

taking macro pictures with an iPhone is ridiculous

I know that feel bro. I know that feel... Stupid apple.

Endimion17 - 18-6-2013 at 11:06

Oh great, new wallpapers for my desktop have arrived.

Mailinmypocket - 18-6-2013 at 11:21

Quote: Originally posted by Endimion17

Oh great, new wallpapers for my desktop have arrived.

Ain't this thread awesome!!?

Endimion17 - 18-6-2013 at 11:45

Quote: Originally posted by Squall181

Copper Acetate Crystals, not sure what the light blue crystals are. I made these by dissolving copper (II) oxide in an excess of acetic acid and let the mixture evaporate in my desiccator.

Dark ones are anhydrous, lighter ones should be a dihydrate.

@Mailinmypocket It makes my work on the computer much easier. Now I'm using this first copper acetate photo because it looks cold, and the weather around here is turning into a first heat wave this year.

kristofvagyok - 19-6-2013 at 13:38

Just another one, my fav from the silver crystal series:

ElizabethGreene - 25-6-2013 at 06:24

"Oops?"

Wizzard - 25-6-2013 at 07:19

My single largest Neodymium Sulfate crystal - The cleavage planes are a very harsh mistress. Such is life. Crystal was just under 1" on it's longest side, and .75" tall. It has a single zone in the larger part, which is nearly 2ccs, and is perfect, no fractures or inclusions.

I can make smaller ones all day long - The two largest ones were riddles with fractures, one remained in 2 pieces, the other became far more. There will be more to come.

larger:
http://imgur.com/BncMzL4

[Edited on 6-25-2013 by Wizzard]

[Edited on 6-25-2013 by Wizzard]

bfesser - 25-6-2013 at 08:14

Gneiss cleavage you have there, Wizzard.
<img src="http://itc.gsw.edu/faculty/bcarter/physgeol/metrx/gneiss.JPG" width="225" />

[Edited on 7/8/13 by bfesser]

tsukasa - 25-6-2013 at 09:38

I almost forgot to introduce myself. Greetings from Russian Hyperlab!

mr.crow - 25-6-2013 at 14:58

Wow, interesting nitro compounds. Be careful with the top right one

Eddygp - 26-6-2013 at 05:42

Wow those last compounds are beautiful and have a beautiful chemistry, of course. I like the light yellow one (top right) >

Eddygp - 26-6-2013 at 05:50

Quote: Originally posted by watson.fawkes

Quote: Originally posted by Adas

The lead must have contained some copper, which is known to create those rainbow colors. Or can other metals do this as well?

It's called thin-film interference and occurs with oxide layers of most metals.

(I know this was quite a while ago)
I love that effect. I have managed to get that on many metals, including iron, nickel, lead and niobium

The process is called tempering , by the way.

[Edited on 26-6-2013 by Eddygp]

plante1999 - 26-6-2013 at 05:52

I think one is phenyl 2 nitropropene, but what are the three other ones?

Endimion17 - 26-6-2013 at 06:16

Quote: Originally posted by Eddygp

(I know this was quite a while ago)
I love that effect. I have managed to get that on many metals, including iron, nickel, lead and niobium

The process is called tempering , by the way.

[Edited on 26-6-2013 by Eddygp]

Tempering might create such thin films, but not neccesarily. Tempering is simply a name for a hardening process. The appearance of thin film depends on the atmospheric conditions involved and can come as a result of other processes, too.

Adas - 26-6-2013 at 08:58

Quote: Originally posted by plante1999

I think one is phenyl 2 nitropropene, but what are the three other ones?

Isn't phenyl-2-nitropropene used to make meth? Or is there a mess in my memory?

mayko - 26-6-2013 at 12:41

Cobalt nitrate crystals, clinging to a test tube...

tsukasa - 27-6-2013 at 04:51

Quote: Originally posted by Adas

Isn't phenyl-2-nitropropene used to make meth? Or is there a mess in my memory?

Not only meth. Amphetamine too. Other nitro-compounds can de reduced to PMA, DOM (STP), MDA. Monomethylation of MDA gives MDMA, and monomethylation of PMA yields PMMA. Alternative route: first make a ketone (for example, methylenedioxyphenylacetone) then react it with MeNH₂ and reduce with NaBH₄.

[Edited on 27-6-2013 by tsukasa]

Number 9 - 27-6-2013 at 05:09

Nice work done! I'am wondering in what kind of solvent and temperature you did the condensation between benzaldehyde and nitroethane?

In my case it was rapidly undergoing a polymerization and the solvent turned orange-red. Hydrogenisation is not so straightforward because the stable conjugated system.

tsukasa - 27-6-2013 at 07:20

Quote: Originally posted by Number 9

Nice work done! I'am wondering in what kind of solvent and temperature you did the condensation between benzaldehyde and nitroethane?

Microwave synthesis was used. Small amount of glacial acetic acid is used as solvent (for example, 5 mL of acid per 30 mL nitroethane). Cyclohexylamine was used as a catalyst. The RM was heated in microwave oven for 10-15 seconds, until boiling starts and then cooled to RT. This was repeated 5 times.

Quote: Originally posted by Number 9

In my case it was rapidly undergoing a polymerization and the solvent turned orange-red.

Polymerization will always take place. So recrystallization (in this case from IPA) is necessary to get product with high purity.

togipaw - 28-6-2013 at 06:21

Quote: Originally posted by kristofvagyok

Just another one, my fav from the silver crystal series:

Ridiculously beautiful

togipaw - 28-6-2013 at 06:32

Recrystallizing Acetylsalicylic acid in IPA

togipaw - 28-6-2013 at 06:56

my ghetto distillation of DCM. No goop to clean from the glassware!!

[Edited on 28-6-2013 by togipaw]

Oscilllator - 29-6-2013 at 03:01

if you heat the seals on those cans to much they do start to leak, so you might want to keep an eye on it. If the temp is <100C you should be right though

Endimion17 - 29-6-2013 at 06:20

You might also want to put two layers of gauze and keeping it wet with ice cold water, being careful not to let it drip into the receiver.
Dichloromethane is not something one should distill with and air condenser. It's extremely volatile. The losses are great, and the vapor toxicity is pretty serious.

kristofvagyok - 29-6-2013 at 12:33

I have done 5x2 parallel reactions in ampoules on a 0,5mmol (170mg) scale to see that happens if I use different solvents.

This one was in dimethyl-sulfoxide, a really universal and great solvent and this one was the only what contained only one product. The pictures was taken under UV light, this is why it looks so fantastic.

Boron Trioxide - 1-7-2013 at 07:32

Here is a macro picture of the surface of a soon to be tested magnetite anode

mr.crow - 4-7-2013 at 10:55

Want to see some GLASS BLOWING PORN? Check out this youtube channel I found

hyfalcon - 14-7-2013 at 16:21

I just can't help myself. This one has me drooling with avarice.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=15107...

ElectroWin - 18-7-2013 at 14:16

the buyer got a great deal on that one

hyfalcon - 18-7-2013 at 15:40

Reserve was never met. I could never get him to tell me how much he wanted for it.

Bezaleel - 19-7-2013 at 01:57

Quote: Originally posted by hyfalcon

Reserve was never met. I could never get him to tell me how much he wanted for it.

Not too much of a surprise -- Ir (99%) prices have been dropping from the beginning of this year from around $1000 to $850 per troy ounce (31.1034768 g), meaning that this ingot containing 458.901g of Ir next to some gold, is worth around $12k5 of Ir alone.

hyfalcon - 19-7-2013 at 02:45

Until, you take into account that iridium prices HAVE been dropping since the first of the year and that is still in "mine bar" state. It would have to be separated and purified before you could even come close to spot price and then you still wouldn't get that price for it.

Bezaleel - 19-7-2013 at 03:54

Fair enough, but do you expect to get a "mine bar" at 10% of the spot price? To me that would sound like an unrealistic bargain.

Mailinmypocket - 22-7-2013 at 11:40

Just some methyl orange... Destined to become p-aminodimethylaniline

bfesser - 22-7-2013 at 12:03

Nice bottle! How much of that ¼lb is left?

Mailinmypocket - 22-7-2013 at 12:18

It's more than 3/4 full- hence why I decided to try the reduction in vogels 5th : )

papaya - 22-7-2013 at 12:18

Quote: Originally posted by Boron Trioxide

Here is a macro picture of the surface of a soon to be tested magnetite anode

Magnetite

? Isn't this just a pitted piece of SS? If not - how you made that?

Oscilllator - 26-7-2013 at 23:21

Heres a couple of my own:
HNO3 condensing, the flask it was distilling from halfway through cooling, some CuSO4 crystals (longest is about 5cm) and finally, about 5g of nitroglycerin detonating under a pile of half-burnt thermite.

Also, I don't know how to embed images, and haven't seen a thread on how to do so. help please!

bfesser - 27-7-2013 at 06:28

Attaching images is preferred, at least while the /scipics/ FTP is down.

Mailinmypocket - 27-7-2013 at 08:39

Found a piece of calcite!! There were hundreds of small chunks but this was the biggest one I could carry home. One piece was the size of a large air conditioner!

bfesser - 27-7-2013 at 11:03

Mailinmypocket, I am so mad at you for not carrying the air conditioner sized block home and shipping it to me! :mad:

And I thought we were friends.

Where did you find such massive crystals? If you can get more, I'd be very very very intersted. PM me, with details, please.

[edit] Also, any chance you could supply a high resolution photo of that thing in full sunlight with a neutral background? That would make a damn nice desktop background. Of, if you have a UV lamp, test that sucker for <a href="viewthread.php?tid=14644&page=24#pid266048">fluorescence/phosphorescence</a>. Too bad it's not halite, then you could cleave and polish some salt plates for IR-spec.

[Edited on 7/27/13 by bfesser]

Endimion17 - 27-7-2013 at 11:38

Wow, that thing probably has fluorescent zones. It would be cool to see how they spread...
I hope you tried to find more transparent ones in the pile of smaller minerals. These things have interesting optical properties. Be sure to check it with a polarizer. Ask if you don't know how.

Mailinmypocket - 27-7-2013 at 12:59

Come tomorrow when the sun is shining in my place I will for sure take a nice picture of the big specimen on a neutral background. I found the crystals at an abandoned mine near Ottawa, Canada called "O'Brien mine". Google finds nothing related to this place though, it might be named after the owner of the abandoned property- I don't know. It used to be a feldspar mine and there are massive piles of the stuff everywhere, they make incredible yellow sparks when struck together! The calcite was found in a hole amongst some very compact sand... Digging in the hillside in that area revealed more and more. I was only able to bring what I could stuff in my pockets and carry in one hand (the large piece) as I was on a bike. Tonight I will take some pictures under UV.

Endimion, I would be interested in taking some photos with a polarizer- not sure if I have what is needed but ill try it out if I do!

They really are beautiful though

bfesser - 27-7-2013 at 13:21

Quote: Originally posted by Mailinmypocket

I found the crystals at an abandoned mine near Ottawa, Canada called "O'Brien mine".
. . .
Endimion, I would be interested in taking some photos with a polarizer- not sure if I have what is needed but ill try it out if I do!

I'm literally salivating while looking at these photos. If I'm ever in Ottawa, could you serve as a local guide to this mine? Do you happen to know who owns the property?

If you don't have a polarizing filter, just smash open your LCD monitor and peel one off. Then just slap it over your camera lens, and bingo presto, polarizing filter!

[edit] Almost forgot this! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birefringence" target="_blank">Birefringence</a> <img src="../scipics/_wiki.png" /> will blow your mind.

[Edited on 27.7.13 by bfesser]

Mailinmypocket - 27-7-2013 at 13:43

Of course, provided you don't mind biking! The mine itself is extremely old and I have no clue who owns the property. The path to get there is essentially an old horse and wagon trail, grown in with small trees and whatnot- impossible to drive a vehicle on. Next time I will take some photos, it is beautiful in the summer provided you stay clear of the "bottomless pits of death", in the winter they fill with water and freeze... Just an idea of it, in the winter(photo below). These are friends of mine btw, not me. I have an old LCD monitor but I'm hesitant to tear it apart... Hoarding at its best

Endimion17 - 28-7-2013 at 17:59

I think LCD monitors have somewhat blurry filters that show clear background only when something is directly behind them.
Polarizing filters can be found for a couple of euros online and are transparent. Every chemist should have one. You can use linear or circular polarizers, it doesn't matter, but you have to check the proper side for the CPL.

You can put an object between two crossed polarizers, but then you can't look at anything larger than the polarizers themselves. The solution is to use a polarized light source - an LCD screen. Use a pure white photo file or something, then stretch it to fullscreen, place the object between your camera/eye and the screen, and put a CPL filter on your objective/eye and turn it until you make the background light disappear.
If you know the basics of stereochemistry, you know what I'm talking about.

This is essentially a photoelasticity test. Your calcite should look very different. Try to rotate it and you'll see how parts of it change transparency.

Zwitteron - 30-7-2013 at 13:00

Today i just made nice new coating for batery cover on my HTC HD2. Cover was from steel (aproxx 78iron, 18chromium, and tiny bits of other).

It was made in solution of 200g copper sulfate, 50g conc sulfuric acid and 0,4g thiourea.
Current 2 amps from regulated source for 20 minutes (voltage was around 1,3).
It isnt as shiny as i wish, but i would try some very fine sand paper.

<a href="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/812/f6kv.jpg/" target="_blank"><img src="http://imageshack.us/a/img812/6812/f6kv.jpg" width="500" /></a>

[<a href="u2u.php?action=send&username=bfesser">bfesser</a>: fixed broken image(s)]

[Edited on 30.7.13 by bfesser]

bfesser - 30-7-2013 at 13:56

Zwitteron, I fixed the image/link for you—I hope you don't mind. Also, I'd recommend polishing the surface by progressing through sandpaper to the finest grit you can find, then finishing off with a polishing compound and a buffing wheel (if you want a mirror finish, that is). That's how I polished my favorite lock picks.

Zwitteron - 30-7-2013 at 14:36

Yes, i was trying to polish it but my sand paper was to coarse... I tryied to polish it with fine silica gel but with only little effect.

Endimion17 - 31-7-2013 at 03:54

Copper on cell phones. I like it. This is a good way to keep the numbers of bacteria on the low side.

Mailinmypocket - 31-7-2013 at 10:18

Some thymol- nice icey looking clumps that smell peculiar, something like listerine.

watson.fawkes - 31-7-2013 at 10:28

Quote: Originally posted by Mailinmypocket

something like listerine.

Since thymol is one of the active ingredients in Listerine, it's not all that surprising.

Mailinmypocket - 31-7-2013 at 10:52

I know, when my roommate uses Listerine and speaks to me shortly after he always acts puzzled when I say he has thymol breath

*edit* regarding the fluorescence of the calcite samples pictured above, nada. I tried with both a blacklight and a shortwave (256nm) UV lamp and neither produced a noticeable fluorescence. These things are like blocks of ice.

[Edited on 31-7-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

smaerd - 3-8-2013 at 18:21

Nothing particularly special about this. Was just degassing some methanol for HPLC use.

And an NMR being filled with liquid helium

kilowatt - 7-8-2013 at 17:54

Solid N2O4 condensing in a dewar condenser with a dry ice/ethanol bath.

Mailinmypocket - 8-8-2013 at 16:08

What happens when you mix Tollen's reagent with a Heineken bottle?

bfesser - 8-8-2013 at 16:29

I'm not a fan of Heineken, but that's beautiful! You should sell those.

Lambda-Eyde - 8-8-2013 at 16:33

I despise industrial pale lagers, but thanks for the idea, MIMP

Mailinmypocket - 8-8-2013 at 16:54

Oh god! Pulling a Tollen's is the best party favor ever! Making a silver beer/wine/whatever bottle seems to be a hit with lots of people. Rightfully so!- They look really neat!! Other types of bottles make cool effects too, if you don't like them just dissolve the film off with HNO₃ and re-start!

**edit** not my favorite either but, ya know.... Beer is beer, silver the f*cker**

[Edited on 9-8-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

[Edited on 9-8-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

cyanureeves - 8-8-2013 at 17:12

heineken was dinner,dance and a movie at one time but that green silver is very cool indeed.

Lambda-Eyde - 8-8-2013 at 17:18

Quote: Originally posted by Mailinmypocket

**edit** not my favorite either but, ya know.... Beer is beer, silver the f*cker**

Excuse me, but what the heck is that supposed to mean? I must remind you that you're speaking with a connoiseur* of fine beers - a double IPA, citra single hop APA, a west coast style American IPA, an English ESB, a German Weizenbock, a Oud Bruin from Flandern, or an imperial stout loaded with massive amounts of hops, demerara sugar, finely roasted coffee beans, espresso coffee and fermented with an American ale yeast for the primary stage and a Spanish red wine yeast for secondary fermentation, then forgotten in a Scotch whisky barrel from the Lowlands is something very different from a mass-produced, tasteless, bland industrial beer consumed solely for the purpose of intoxication, my good sir!

*I prefer that label over "high-functioning alcoholic"

bfesser - 8-8-2013 at 17:31

<a href="viewthread.php?tid=25541">[ahem]</a>

mr.crow - 11-8-2013 at 07:12

Quote: Originally posted by Lambda-Eyde

....
*I prefer that label over "high-functioning alcoholic"

I prefer the label "Engineer" haha

I approve of silver beer bottles. To be fair Heineken bottles are green, brown bottles might not show up as well.

Maybe they could use it as a marketing stunt?

bfesser - 11-8-2013 at 07:31

Since when are engineers high-functioning? They're just failed scientists.

The true high-functioning alcoholics are archaeologists and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q29578ZF_7o" target="_blank">geologists</a> <img src="../scipics/_yt.png" /> (there's a long-running dispute over who's more <a href="http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Geologist#Geologists_and_Alcohol" target="_blank">alcoholic</a> <img src="../scipics/_ext.png" />

.

To keep this thread on topic, here are some photos of something interesting I stumbled across in the basement of an antique shop yesterday. Sorry, they're not exactly pretty (poor lighting).

<table><tr><td>

</td><td>

</td><td>

</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Hmm…</td><td align="center">Okay.</td><td align="center">Wait, what‽</td></a></table>

One of the other interesting items. It still contained a clear <del>colorless</del> solution and some <del>clear to white</del> crystals settled on the bottom.

[edit] Removed dubious observations—brown glass.

[Edited on 11.8.13 by bfesser]

mr.crow - 11-8-2013 at 09:06

Antique sales are really great. Enjoy your CCl4.

I found a really old bottle of formalin at a sale. The methanol was long gone (sealed with a cork!) leaving it 1/3 full of water and 1/3 full of solid paraformaldehyde.

bfesser - 11-8-2013 at 09:37

I didn't buy it, mr.crow, I just saw it in the shop a few weeks ago and went back yesterday to take photos for you guys. Since the can is pressurized by a propellant, and I don't have one of those aerosol can piercing tools (<a href="http://www.americangasproducts.com/aerosol-can-puncture.htm" target="_blank">example</a> <img src="../scipics/_ext.png" />, depending on the diameter, perhaps a refrigerant can tapper would work), I don't want to mess with it. I also saw some great old pharmacy bottles of boric acid, which I might go back for.

[Edited on 11.8.13 by bfesser]

Mailinmypocket - 15-8-2013 at 14:27

Zinc plated pennies, thanks to Woelen for the experiment idea!

bfesser - 15-8-2013 at 15:13

Those are the nicest Zn-plated pennies I've seen. Have you tried heating one over a Bunsen to turn the surface to brass? Also, could you give some details of your procedure, please?

I feel like I have to post an image any time I reply in this topic, so here's a photo of some radiating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourmaline#Schorl" target="_blank">schorl</a> <img src="../scipics/_wiki.png" /> (tourmaline) crystals I found in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harney_Peak" target="_blank">Harney Peak</a> <img src="../scipics/_wiki.png" /> granite, Custer County, South Dakota.

[Edited on 15.8.13 by bfesser]

elementcollector1 - 15-8-2013 at 15:23

That's pretty good - how do the crystals themselves look? I have a glossy, although not very crystalline specimen of schorl.

Mailinmypocket - 15-8-2013 at 15:24

I have never seen anything like that tourmaline before, hopefully you took some samples? Really cool!

The zinc plated penny experiment came from Woelen's site. I used zinc sulfate in my example, but apparently any soluble zinc salt works (I was debating on sulfate, nitrate and chloride- haven't tried the latter two). The experiment was stopped at the zinc stage, I had heard of the "Alchemists Dream" demo where the coins are placed on a hotplate and become brass colored but thought silver was cooler

***Oh and this is nicer in person but what the heck, I like adding pictures too. This is some bis-chloro bis-triphenylphosphine nickel which is slowly crystallizing out of the mother liquor. Very glittery, iPhone cameras do no justice

[Edited on 15-8-2013 by Mailinmypocket]

bfesser - 15-8-2013 at 16:11

elementcollector1, in my experience, the tourmaline component of the Harney Peak granite tends to be heavily fractured perpendicular to the main axis of the crystal (sorry, I don't know the technical terminology yet). Other than that, it's crystalline and shiny, as expected. I have a few loose specimens from other locations in the area, but didn't disturb the outcrop in the photo. I'll post photos if they turn out (still waiting for that geology forum...).

Mailinmypocket, I have some similar pennies that I plated about 10 years ago, and after a few years of sitting on a shelf, the surface became brass on it's own. I see that woelen observed the same process. If the Zn layer is thick enough, you won't have to worry about this.

[Edited on 16.8.13 by bfesser]

Varmint - 15-8-2013 at 17:42

OK, probably not pretty to some, but I like the way my 2nd Chlorate cell electrode assembly came out.

The top contains all of the carbon rod (lantern dry cell anodes) connections, insulated by a generous amount of 100% silicone rubber. The translucent tube contains the anode lead which passes through the cell lid with a good friction fit.

The central rod is stainless in the picture, used to hold everything in place while the sealant cured. Just prior to going into service this was replaced by a Titanium rod.

The Titanium cathode was kept purposefully small in order to discourage excessive reduction reactions on the cathode surface.

DAS

[Edited on 16-8-2013 by Varmint]

[Edited on 16-8-2013 by Varmint]

Mailinmypocket - 23-8-2013 at 11:29

Ethylene diamine dihydrochloride, freshly prepped and out of the fridge. Fun procedure to do(outdoors!), impressive amounts of white fumes.

nezza - 1-9-2013 at 23:46

Here's a few pretty pictures of mine and a video of white phosphorus.

1. Cobalt III complexes
2. Selenium dioxide crystals
2. Bromine in Infra red

Attachment: White phosphorus.mp4 (101kB)
This file has been downloaded 925 times

phlogiston - 2-9-2013 at 03:52

Is that white phosphorous just the light it emits itself? Seems pretty bright!

Put a movie of the Heineken bottle silvering process on youtube and they may send you a few free beers in return

Gooferking Science - 2-9-2013 at 14:12

An ampoule of bromine in my element collection.

DrSchnufflez - 3-9-2013 at 05:02

Here are a few mineralogical photos that I just took.

The first two are of crystalline azurite on malachite with some native copper from a mine in Vietnam.
The third is bornite or "peacock ore" as far as I can tell which is from outback Queensland, Australia.
The fourth is boulder opal from outback Queensland Australia again.

I hope they are appreciated

Cheers
DrSchnufflez

bfesser - 3-9-2013 at 06:36

Mineral <del>porn is</del> photographs are always appreciated. Keep 'em coming!

A drusy calcite vug in dolostone (Big Horn Mts., WY) and a few meteorites (the third is a slice of the <a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=52755" target="_blank">Hyattville L6 Chondrite</a> <img src="../scipics/_ext.png" />

These are the best quality I could coax out of my point-and-shoot... and yes, I seem to have 'a thing for' rocks/minerals/meteorites from WY.

elementcollector1 - 3-9-2013 at 21:14

Quote: Originally posted by bfesser

Mineral <del>porn is</del> photographs are always appreciated. Keep 'em coming!

A drusy calcite vug in dolostone (Big Horn Mts., WY) and a few meteorites (the third is a slice of the <a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=52755" target="_blank">Hyattville L6 Chondrite</a> <img src="../scipics/_ext.png" />

:

These are the best quality I could coax out of my point-and-shoot... and yes, I seem to have 'a thing for' rocks/minerals/meteorites from WY.

Hmm. I always thought 'druzies' were much less granular - almost a powder-coating on the wall. At least, that's what I've seen from experience...

Those meteorites are making me drool.

bfesser - 4-9-2013 at 03:28

Maybe I'm using the term incorrectly. The actual specimen is smaller than the photo makes it appear, though. I suppose I should have included something for scale. I have other meteorites, but they're not on fancy stands. I'll try to get decent photos sometime.

Varmint - 4-9-2013 at 04:04

bfesser:

When I was a very young boy I was captivated by mineralogy.

The spark was ignited by finding a geode before I knew they even existed (rock felt light for it's size so being a kid I smashed it open and was frankly awe-struck).

Another source of ignition was finding a premium example of "fern" chalcedony. Of course I knew nothing of it's existance either, and the somewhat plastic apperance yet weight of stone had me convinced this was some sort of undiscovered "fossil".

Somewhere along the line (still under age 6 I'd guess) I found a very heavy "stone" that had textbook ablation, pock-marked from the searing heat of entry. It was about small potato sized, maybe 2 inches by 3.5 inches, extremly heavy, and a magnet stuck to it quite well.

Remember, I was a dumb curious kid...

So I mentioned my rock collection to an older kid at school, and mentioned the heavy potato (still not knowing what it was, I had only then started going to the library for more info). He came over one day after school, and I didn't recognize it then, but he was practically crapping bricks when he saw my premium quality nickel-iron meteorite.

He was in a rush to own it (steal it really) so he offered up a very nice piece of amethyst that looked to have come from a very large geode or other concretion. The main crystal was about 3/8" by maybe 2 inched or so, and had a clear tip gradually shifting to very deep purple at the base.

So, I "traded". And as you probably know, I ended up trading perhaps tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of meteorite for a garden variety sample of amethyst.

To be fair to the "thief", I didn't know what I lost for another year or two, and didn't recognise the value for perhaps another 2 decades.

That one is at the top of the list of "things you'd like to go back in time and change if you could."

My emotions on the subject are a fine balance between feeling like the world's stupidest kid, and loathing the other fellow for being a scam artist.

Ughhh.

DAS

[Edited on 4-9-2013 by Varmint]

bfesser - 4-9-2013 at 04:31

That's a sad story, Varmint. I wonder what became of the meteorite. My father just purchased a stereo microscope, and if I can figure out a way to attach a camera to it (I don't think it's quite designed to handle one) I'll try to get some photos of my smaller meteorite fragments, including my <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor" target="_blank">Chelyabinsk</a> <img src="../scipics/_wiki.png" /> fragments (<a href="viewthread.php?tid=23380">Meteor Over Russia, Feb. 15, 2013</a>

. Perhaps it would be best if we split this discussion out of Pretty Pictures and into a new topic on meteorites. Would that be alright with you?

Varmint - 4-9-2013 at 05:33

Do what you need to do. I have little to add, so I'm not sure it's worth the effort.

DAS

bfesser - 4-9-2013 at 05:41

Oops. Wrong selection. Maybe I'll just start a new topic after I get some more photos...

nezza - 12-9-2013 at 14:01

Phlogiston - the video is white phosphorus by its own light. It is speeded up to get the glow to show up, ie each frame is a 1-2 second exposure at a high ISO and the frames are put together to play as a video using jpgvideo.

kristofvagyok - 15-9-2013 at 12:03

The most hated method of purification: column chromatography. It is really efficient, but it takes a lot time and a lot solvent:

The yellowish stuff is the not yet reacted benzoquinone, the red phase is what I need and the black at the top is the gunk. The column was pressurized with a few bar of nitrogen gas for a bit faster separation.

elementcollector1 - 15-9-2013 at 12:34

How do you get the red stuff and nothing else, via pipette once the layers separate?

kristofvagyok - 15-9-2013 at 12:56

Almost.

Column chromatography for beginners.

40 Page Retirement

bfesser - 26-9-2013 at 12:22

This topic has become so long that it's nearly unmanageable through the forum software. Time for a <a href="viewthread.php?tid=26378">new thread</a>!

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