[jdurg]

I have to say that I must be a complete and total geek for being happy about obtaining another 13 grams of Uranium metal.    This past week I was able to get ahold of a nice 13 gram piece of Uranium from unitednuclear.com.  (I ordered it a while ago and was able to finally get it yesterday).  The stuff is so neat.  VERY hard and heavy.  You can feel the bulk of it in your hands.  It's also very dark as well.  The oxide coating on the outside is pretty thick.  It came shipped in oil so I took this, now contaminated, oil and transferred it to my existing Uranium sample.  It's kind of scary looking at the pictures and seeing all the black powder now suspended in the oil, but in order to prevent the sample from oxidizing away into uranium oxide on me, it had to be submerged in oil.  The oil makes taking pictures a bit difficult as it tends to magnify things and darken colors, but it will make sure that my Uranium stays as Uranium for quite some time.  

I've added the new pictures to the DU.zip file in the downloads section.

[jdurg]

Oh yeah, I was also able to obtain a better sample of Cobalt metal, and an upgrade to a significantly larger chunk of lithium metal.  (Right now I only have a few shavings).  I think the best thing I just picked up this evening, however, is a matching gas discharge tube of nitrogen gas.  I already have tubes for hydrogen, deuterium, and oxygen, but I didn't have one for nitrogen.  When that tube arrives, I'll finally be able to take a picture of it and have a visual representation of nitrogen gas.  That's going to be nice to have.  

(BTW, I am now VERY happy to have a substantial sized chunk of Rhodium metal.  The ~10-11 gram piece I bought a few years ago is now worth close to a grand thanks to the price of Rh shooting through the roof).

[Oldtimer]

Just how careful do you have to be when you descide to move to another home ? Won't there be a large degree of  caution with things like Sodium, Bromine and whatnot? Noxious stuff sometimes isn't it?

Pretty cool idea though.

Andy

[jdurg]

The samples I have of sodium, bromine, iodine, chlorine, etc. are securely sealed in vials so that if they are transported it's not really a concern.  Every sample I have is stored in some type of container so all I would have to do is put them into a box and make sure nothing moves around.

Also, if you could reduce the size of your avatar Oldtimer we would greatly appreciate it.  We'd like it if you could limit the size to no bigger than 120x120 pixels.

Thanks.

[Oldtimer]

:beer: I noticed that. I had to jump over to photoshop it and upload it again.

I know what would happen if our local Law saw something like that in my trunk. But that's what I'd expect anyhow I guess.

[jdurg]

Well everything I posess was shipped through the mail, so there really isn't a problem in terms of transporting it.  Also, the amounts aren't all that much so it's not a problem in that regard either.  

[mamaartemis]

We wanted to see the uranium picture and clicked to downloads (under Menu) to the left, but only found Chemistry Experiment Manual: For High School Teachers, Cool Organic Chemistry Stuff, and Solution Manuals.  How do we get to du.zip?  Also, can we see a picture of your new lithium chunk when you get a chance?

Many thanks!
Laura

[Mitch]

I accidentally deleted the link in the download section recently. This will get you the zip for now: http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?op=gotolink;id=38

[jdurg]

We wanted to see the uranium picture and clicked to downloads (under Menu) to the left, but only found Chemistry Experiment Manual: For High School Teachers, Cool Organic Chemistry Stuff, and Solution Manuals.  How do we get to du.zip?  Also, can we see a picture of your new lithium chunk when you get a chance?

Many thanks!
Laura

Hi Laura,
     No problem.  I see that Mitch has directed you to the Uranium photos, and I'll get that lithium photo taken care of as soon as possible.  I am still waiting for the bottle that I'll be storing the lithium in to arrive, then I'll ship the bottle over to my lithium source where he'll cut the piece and seal it into the bottle to prevent any further oxidation.  Once the picture is taken, I'll be uploading it here.

-Jdurg