Platinum

Beatsy · Post by **Beatsy** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:33 pm

I recently found a small (31 x 3.5 x 0.05mm) strip of platinum in a random bits box. Roughly a tenth of a gram or so. It's the straightened-out heating element from a needle puller. Not worth chopping in for bullion, my left sock is probably worth more, so I kept it. But now it just sits there being irritatingly boring, nonreactive platinum and I can't think of anything interesting to do with it, or use it for.

Surely, there must be *something*!

Any ideas...?

mawyatt · Post by **mawyatt** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:09 pm

Cold Fusion

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=ht ... egUIARDJAQ

Best,

Sym P. le · Post by **Sym P. le** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:26 pm

Heavy!

JW · Post by JW » Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:27 pm

Form it into a loop with handle, and use the looped end as a holder to burn stuff in a flame

Stick it in hydrogen peroxide (must be clean) and make some H2 and O2 bubbles - may be a slow reaction, though

Smokedaddy · Post by **Smokedaddy** » Wed Mar 04, 2020 9:11 pm

... isn't platinum radioactive?

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 7:46 am

Smokedaddy wrote:... isn't platinum radioactive?

I think that would be plutonium, Jim

Smokedaddy · Post by **Smokedaddy** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:18 am

Six naturally occurring isotopes of platinum exist: platinum-190, platinum-192, platinum-194, platinum-195, platinum-196, and platinum-198. Of these, only platinum-190 is radioactive. ... These isotopes are produced when very small particles are fired at atoms. These particles stick in the atoms and make them radioactive.

Smokedaddy · Post by **Smokedaddy** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 9:22 am

I was thinking you could make a Cloud Chamber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJjJ_FCI7Uc&t=1s

-JW:

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 10:56 am

Smokedaddy wrote: platinum-190 is radioactive
...
was thinking you could make a Cloud Chamber

Right, but check the half-life and abundance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_platinum says 6.5E+11 years and 0.012% .

I'm also seeing atomic weight of 195 gm/mole and density of 21.45 gm/cm^3 .

From there, my spreadsheet works the sums as...

mass of Beatsy's sample = (31mm x 3.5 mm x 0.05 mm) * (0.001 cm^3/mm^3) * (21.45 gm/cm^3) = 0.116 gm
moles of Beaty's sample = 0.116 gm / 195 gm/mole = 0.000597 moles of mixed platinum
moles of Pt-190 = 0.000597 * 0.012% = 7.16E-08
atoms of Pt-190 = 7.16E-08 *6.02E+23 (Avogadro's number) = 4.31E+16
disintegrations/year = 4.31E+16 * 0.5 / 6.5E+11 = 3.32E+4
disintegrations/second = 3.32E+4 / 3.15E+07 = 1.05E-03
seconds/disintegration = 1/1.05E-03 = 950

So, roughly 1 disintegration every 16 minutes, for Beatsy's sample?

That's more than I expected, but might be a little boring anyway.

--Rik

Bob-O-Rama · Post by **Bob-O-Rama** » Thu Mar 05, 2020 3:33 pm

I have some 1oz platinum crucibles my dad used in grad school. He kept the original receipt from the Syracuse U bookstore c. 1962 in his papers: they were $12 each.

There are a lot of catalytic reactions you can demonstrate with a small piece like you have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsIhjinuBYA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBBy4-0uUC4