Homestead mailing list

[Bill Jones <billj AT harborside.com>]

Karen L. Black wrote:

> I'm not a chemist, but I've had some training along those lines. Besides, a
> physicist is supposed to have the 30,000-foot view of chemistry (and all
> other sciences), so I'd be happy to take a stab at Bill's questions.
>  
>
> Bill Jones writes:
>  
>
> > 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.
> ***********************************************************************
> Looking at my CRC manual (doesn't *everyone* have a _Handbook of Chemistry
> and Physics_ laying about her house? :-))
Bev probably does.

> , I see that chromium's columnar
> neighbors, molybdenum and tungsten, also have a +6 oxidation state. So do
> technetium, rhenium, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. It's unusual, but not
> all that rare. Now +7, that is rare -- only iodine, technetium and rhenium
> achieve that lofty level of ionization.
>  
You're bending the truth quite a bit.  I meant horizontal neighbors.  
Only in the higher elements does the shell structure achieve the size 
necessary to support three elements in a row with the same valance.  The 
first time we notice it is in the transition metals, where lots of 
horizontal neighbors have valance of 2 or 3.  Columnar neighbors always 
tend to have similar oxidation states (it's what makes halogens 
halogens, for example).  Further, neptunium, plutonium, and americium 
(the 3 sixes in question) became known as elements roughly in order 
shortly after transmutation of elements first occurred (by human 
intervention) in a reactor.  In case you're not familiar with that 
process, samples of elements are bombarded with a stream of deuterium 
nuclei.  Obviously it's quite unnatural, and these three elements have 
much more in common that your post would indicate.

> Bill continues:
>  
>
> > 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.
> **********************************************************
>
> I don't quite follow. Are you saying that the "number of the beast" is a
> warning not to stack bricks of uranium metal too closely?
>
> > From what I've seen, it might as easily be a warning not to inhale sulfur
> fumes, eat locoweed, or try synthesizing technetium.
>
>
>
>  
Maybe just not to go there at all.

And if it were true, what would be your number of the beast to leave to 
future generations to ponder?  93, 94, 95 (their atomic numbers)?  It's 
just not as catchy!

Bill