We decided to use foil for our experiments.

[NNadir]

I'm reading a cute old paper in the literature on molten lithium perchlorate (J. inorg, nucl. Chem.,1971, Vol. 33,pp. 2688 to 2690).

Rhenium foil was added to molten LiCl04 at a temperature between 250°-300°C. The resulting reaction went smoothly with a slow evolution of bubbles. However, with the addition of powdered rhenium metal to the melt, the reaction was much more energetic, producing small flashes of light. We decided to use the foil for our experiments.

Can't you just visualize them? "Oh shit! Don't do that again! Use the damn foil! Use the damn foil!"

Later on in the paper they vaporized some radioactive elements and they have no idea where they went.

However, because of the radioactivity and the volatile heptoxide, greater
care had to be used. The attempted reaction was carried out in a hood with due precautions taken...

...no more flashes of light...please...please...

and some activity is carried out of the reaction tube. This loss of activity was either caused by the volatile oxide or perhaps mechanical carry over by the evolution of oxygen.

They may not know where the radioactivity went, but I'd like to hazard a guess. It went up the hood and out into the Illinois sky (the scientists were at Argonne National Laboratory.) There it roved, like a bunch of vagrant bikers, finding small children and white families to kill. After wiping out all of Missouri, it vandalized huge sections of Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada before settling into California, kill brazillions of people everywhere it went.

Later it was captured and made to work in a solar pool light, where it lit the festivities at a big dinner party - dinner for 10,000 - with locally grown vegetables and Allen's coffee brandy for all. After dinner there was voting for the Prom Queen of the Maine Sustainable Chainsaw High School, and voting for the People Magazine buried placenta of the year, and then voting for the most popular "Us Magazine" poll for the most popular energy fantasy of all time. (Giant space based solar cells beat out several perpetual motion machines barely, with the maglev mile high wind tower nearly winning the game.)

The scientists were all killed except for one, who went on to become a mutant will superpowers that he tried to use for good, until the escaped radioactivity made him turn into a Republican.

What the hell...

The paper was cute, if only because it captured something of the fun that science should be and used to be, before the world was taken over by ignorant paranoid yuppies with useless educations in business schools.

[jpak]

1. Off the meds again??

:rofl:

[wtmusic]

2. "space based solar cells beat out several perpetual motion machines barely"

PMM technology is falling behind

:rofl:

[NNadir]

3. Well, you have to admit that space based solar cells have grown by a brazillion percent.

The sky's the limit.

Once this gets launched, prices will come down.

Popularity is rocketing.

PMM technology is promising, of course, but since it wasn't mentioned in Paris Hilton's energy video, I'm not sure it will get the People Magazine stamp of approval.

[wtmusic]

7. A modest federal subsidy of $52 brazillion would allow

photovoltaics and PMM technology to merge, creating PV cells which generate more energy than they take in.

Think of the possibilities! People in all walks of life, liberated from mundane chores, and free to litigate nuclear plant construction to their hearts' content.

[NNadir]

9. I'm for that. Who could be against it?

[madokie]

4. Interesting no doubt

so that is what happened to you that made you you. One thing about it I don't think anyone here would have ever guessed it.



The scientists were all killed except for one, who went on to become a mutant will superpowers that he tried to use for good, until the escaped radioactivity made him turn into a Republican.

[NNadir]

6. Well, it's not quite as bad as the radiation from a solar pool light.

The solar pool light radiation makes one into a super powered hero - but only behind the walls of yuppie gated communities.

Although the super heros in this case demonstrate enormous power and strength when patting themselves on the back, they are completely stripped of any ethical consideration for any human being living outside the walls of the gated communities.

[madokie]

8. at last we are in total amazement

I knew from the start the solar pool light was a mistake but you know me being me and all, I totally ignored it.:shrug:

[NNadir]

10. Well, it has to be pretty tough for you.

I mean having to talk about subjects you know nothing about all the time and all...

I'm deeply sympathetic, of course, and I'd love to stay and chat but I only stopped by here for a break.

I'm reading about conformal ionic solution theory.

As much as I am a fan of the intellectual spittle that goes into wondering about some anti-nuke actress's baby's placenta, I really should be focusing on what I'm doing and can't stay long. I'll come back in a week or two and check up on you.

Lovely to chat with you again. You missed a spot on your back by the way. You don't want to get a burn. If I were you I would take the locally grown coconut based sun tan lotion and pat it all over my back. Don't break your arm doing it though super hero.

[phantom power]

5. For some reason that reminds me of this...

http://www.periodicvideos.com/index.htm#

In particular, it reminds me of the entry for uranium. I haven't yet tried rhenium.