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  • From: Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Curveballs
  • Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:51:05 -0800

EarthNSky wrote:

Bill Jones wrote:


Does this mean you can answer little questions I may have, as a result of teaching myself general chemistry? I find it more difficult than most subjects.


Maybe or maybe not...if I can't, then I'll be ashamed.

I've been told I come up with "good" (hard) questions. I'll try to screen them first, and do my best to keep it simple. BION, they're all homestead related.

Most people think electrolysis is hair removal. But in chemistry it means the separation of substances like water into their components (H and O) using electricity. Likewise, if you do that to molten salt (which ain't too easy to make) it separates into sodium and chlorine. In general metals collect at the negative pole, and the non-metal at the positive one. Anyway, some folks were talking about making their own hydrogen with home-generated electricity. To get much current to flow, you have to add a little salt or some ionic compound to get any current to flow. So I'm wondering, when brine is electrolyzed, a mixture of 4 different ions, what determines which metal or non-metal accumulates at its pole? Obviously neither sodium nor chlorine can accumulate in water, because both react with water. But is there some deeper reason?


Did you know that 6-6-6 shows up ominously in the Periodic Table? No joke, really! Actually it makes more sense than all the other kooky interpretations put together.


ROTFLMAO! Well, I also have 6-6-6 on a bag of fertilizer out in the greenhouse...I don't put much stock in the 666 thing.

Bev


I prefer the luckier 7-7-7 myself.

OK, I've put you in suspense. Here's a hint: uranium (a metal) has a hexa*fluoride. IOW, six atoms of fluorine (the non-metal) and one of uranium can form a "salt" together. If you look inside the cover of your CRC manual, you'll see that this is pretty rare among the elements. I think only chromium can do this. Well, now look beyond uranium to the first three man-made elements. They can also have a charge of +6.

Now, I've been asked to accept on faith that the _first_ sustained nuclear fission occurred at the U. of Chicago during the early 20th century (other than those which have occurred spontaneously in nature, a fascinating but extremely rare event). If you simply question this notion, it leaves open the possibility that someone long ago found this signpost and sent a warning to future generations. No belief in any supernatural ability is required.

Not all science was revealed publicly in journals in ancient times, necessarily. In most cultures it was connected with magic and the occult arts. For instance, the conversion of many a Teuton to X-ianity was apparently facilitated by a little saltpeter magic, as the secret of gunpowder was gradually revealed to Europeans. There has also been speculation that some Egyptian glass maker learned the secret of making phosphorus out of bone long ago, and that this "magic" was the underlying secret behind the Eleusinian cult. So it's not entirely implausible.

Bill
S. Oregon coast




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