Grinding Al foil

[Chromic]

Thanx Os, I'm relieved to know that it's not just my bad lab techinque.  

[RoundBottom]

what about the aluminum powder used in pyrotechnics?  i know this would be off the scale for surface area, creating really fast reactions.

ALUMINUM POWDER - (granular) 20 to 200 mesh $7.95/lb
ALUMINUM POWDER - Alcan 7100 (dark pyro aluminum) American dark $12.95/lb

[Trenchcoat]

If one were to use powdered foil and add it very slowly you wouldn't have to worry about some of the aluminum not reacting cuz the nuggets were to tight or whatnot. I'm a chem lackey. Made me wonder, though.
Better loving through chemistry.

[sunlight]

Using too thin aluminium foil, the rxn is not very controlable. Using aluminium powder will be worse, so really it will be good for kitchen pyrothecnics. Or add the Hgl2 to the solution and then put in small portions the powder. Having that the foil works fine, there's no reason to buy powder, IMHO.

[chem_123]

where would a bee get powdered AL?
Don't eat yellow snow!, unless you know it's honey!

[Rhodium]

Pyrochem/fireworks suppliers.

[noj]

Wow, I recall this thread.

Chaque un à son gout

[chem_123]

thanks, also found that some big paint suppliers sell it for addition of a metallic fleck look in paint.
Don't eat yellow snow!, unless you know it's honey!

[MMM]

Scissors can get a bit tiring on flashing (Ouch). If your a lazy wimp like Swim, you could get a paper guilotine. Cut off about a foot (a bit shorter than the blade) cut strips nearly all the way through, the rotate the joined strips through 90 degrees. and cut off the squares.  Swim found this about 5 times faster than scissors. The joining strips were kept aside, and fed through later in groups.

Of course if you like menial tasks , stay with scissors.

Swim found overhead stirring was fine, but did consider making a custom guillotine that would bend each square as it was cut for easier stirring {so they look like /\ instead of --}

MMM


MMM
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CHEER UP!!! Tomorrow may be Worse!!
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[Vibrating_Lights]

If Al powder is used then is 27.5 gms still the required ammount for a complete reaction?  also it is obvious that the al powder must be amalgamated prior to addition, could water in the solvent possibly eat up the alumnium before it got to the reaction. solvent levels could probably be reduced drasticly with a controlled addition.
VL_

[SiLiCoN7]

Just Tear the stuff up in big pieces and jam your COFFEE GRINDER about 1/3 full and wizz for  10 seconds or so. The Al will bee chewed up good and proper. It is easy, SWIM dose not think it is too critical as long as it is all ground up for stirring.
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[ScuzZ]

Isn't it that the foil is rolled into small balls to stop it all reacting at once and creating an inferno?
Something to do with the amount of surface area to acid..

[noj]

I don't believe the surface area can be changed unless it were melted into form. Either way, it will be exposed somewhat. Swim just did an experiment with the Al, in which he took the 1 inch x 12 inch strip and balled it up to the size of a peanut with shell. Did this to all 56 grams and it worked like a dream. Al floats on top and the bar only has to stir the MeOH and precipitate sludge as it forms. It also seemed to react for 4 hours without heat added (It stayed warm so I didn't interfere- exothermic reaction without added heat must mean reaction is still taking place. Will see yields in a few hours.


VL- I think it would have to be experimented abit. Powder will have ALOT more surface area, meaning more Al2O3 per gram of Al.


Everyone falls down. It's how fast you get back up that is important.

[LaBTop]

Like adding the Aluminium powder with a powder addition funnel, into the solution with the HG salt slowly. LT/
WISDOMwillWIN

[SiLiCoN7]

(ScuzZ)It's not scid, the Al is being amalgamated by the mercery salts.
SiLiCoN7 has never had a reaction go out of control. even with finely ground thin foil. It is mostly the rate of addition of the ketone that controls the speed of the reation.
The Earth is 40% quartz crystal....

[chem_123]

SWIM found a place that has Al powder, good price too.  But it's aluminum oxide not al powder can this bee used instead? what aboot the ever so popular t-h-e-r-m-i-t-e...can the aluminum oxide bee used for that?
Don't eat yellow snow!, unless you know it's honey!