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  • From: Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Curveballs
  • Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:54:04 -0800

EarthNSky wrote:

Bill Jones wrote:



I assume you are asking me..
Your description of ions in water is not exactly accurate.
I suggest you study the nature of ionic bonds vs. the nature of polar
bonds.

I realize. It's oversimplified. But what I'm really asking is whether there's a danger of chlorine gas being produced at the anode (positive pole) when electrolyzing brine.


Well, now look beyond
uranium to the first three man-made elements. They can also have a
charge of +6.



Interesting, but to me, it's just that...
Numbers are fascinating...I suppose you are going to see the movie, "23"
or whatever it's called?

I don't do fiction. Hopefully my 777 comment indicated that I don't take it that seriously, that the only 3 elements in sequence capable of having a +6 charge are precisely those produced in nuclear reactors.



Not all science was revealed publicly in journals in ancient times, necessarily. In most cultures it was connected with magic and the occult arts.


Magic...Magi...Persian (Orient) priestly men of learning...those with
"secret" or occult (hidden or obscure) knowledge..science...
Yup..



And now we seem to have come full circle, and it's hidden again, from those who give up on accessing it. What would the average person need that for?

Anyway, here are a few more questions. We grow a fascinating plant called yacon, from the Andes. There it's used to make a sweet syrup. It contains a starch called inulin that breaks down into fructose when slowly cooked. There are other similar plants. For instance, the agave is made into tequila by a process similar to malting. I've tried lots of things with yacon, and it behaves erratically. It's at its sweetest when the storage tubers, which don't have any sprouts on them to consume energy, are at the end of their storage life in late winter. It sweetens noticeably when lemon juice is added, and I managed to make some fairly sweet cookies and cakes using only yacon and fruit, since baking soda mellows the flavor. But it still seems that we're not really getting the full breakdown of inulin into fructose. I sure don't want to add hydrochloric acid to food! There are countless possibilities. I read in a journal that in jerusalem artichoke, which is very similar, the inulase enzyme that breaks down inulin increases greatly in harvested leaves left in a dark, humid place. Anyway, I'd appreciate any suggestions for wholesome ways to facilitate hydrolysis.

We're planning to build a vapor engine some day. It's going to made by someone who's all thumbs, so anyone can do it. The plan is to supply low-pressure compressed air by displacing it from a chamber where a bladder fills with heated propellant, warmed by a solar collector. Obviously water cannot be the propellant, since its boiling point is too high, and I refuse to use anything flammable. That leaves very few lo-tech options. I've acquired some fantastically expensive fluorocarbon propellant, but the need may arise someday to switch to carbon tetrachloride, which can be made from vinegar, ash, and salt. Environmental issues don't bother me, since I have zero tolerance for spills of items not easily acquired, and once the unit is filled the propellant should never break down or require replacing. Anyway, in the final step hydrochloric acid has to purified out. If carbon tetrachloride doesn't mix with water, then it's easy to do just by washing it. If not, then not. How can I find out what compounds are water-miscible?

Thanks in advance,
Bill




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