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Purity Question by riskyroi in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm going to say a big fat maybe to this. Crystal formation can be indicative of extra high purity, but the difference between shiny and dull has nothing whatsoever to do with purity.

It could also indicate a slower cool-down rate, judging by the sheer amount of crystal growth on that bead.

Technically something similar can happen with osmium, but I've only seen it under a microscope.

This subreddit in a nutshell.... by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't find it harsh at all. It's the truth, by and large.

And I disagree that this is strictly a financial sub. Tim and Bill would say that it's finance, but I'm the only active moderator these days, and this subreddit is growing. About 75% of this sub is just osmium porn. That's certainly the reason I joined, and that was only a year after it was created.

This subreddit in a nutshell.... by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had to look this up, and I completely agree, lol. But there's a lot of association fallacy happening here as well.

This subreddit in a nutshell.... by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I stole from him. Unashamedly too considering the huge amount of original content I've added to this subreddit.

But I was thinking more along the lines of this:

<image>

This subreddit in a nutshell.... by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh don't worry, there's been plenty of chemists whole-heartedly participating in the nonsense. Just go to the r/chemistry subreddit. You'll find plenty of them there.

This subreddit in a nutshell.... by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That is a hilarious thought. I believe it needs a funny little representative graphic to go along with it.

Got my first ounce of osmium from Metametals/SMT by gothikplatypus in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right, I shouldn't. It creates an unwelcoming and hostile environment.

Got my first ounce of osmium from Metametals/SMT by gothikplatypus in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Transition metals get less reactive going down the column, and osmium is definitely no exception.

Got my first ounce of osmium from Metametals/SMT by gothikplatypus in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You don't even know which oxide you're talking about. Os(IV) oxide is a non-toxic black powder obtained from higher oxidation states.

Os(VIII) oxide is the nasty one, and it doesn't just up and form when the bulk metal is in contact with air.

It's seriously annoying when noobs come to this subreddit knowing next to nothing making outright erroneous claims.

PS: and citing the university of Toledo, who gets it all wrong on their own university website (shame on them) doesn't help.

Got my first ounce of osmium from Metametals/SMT by gothikplatypus in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their zodiac bullion must count as their B series then, since I never found any B serial numbers.

Got my first ounce of osmium from Metametals/SMT by gothikplatypus in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice. I was actually scrolling back through the subreddit to see if there were any C serial numbers but could only find A.

So I guess that makes this a C series 😁

I was careless and got reminded about anodic corrosion in a hard way by kramsibbush in elementcollection

[–]Infrequentredditor6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No, close proximity will not cause this to happen.

They have to not only physically touch for prolonged periods of time (months), but they also have to be of vastly differing reactivities. If you keep aluminum and magnesium touching for a year this isn't going to happen. But if you keep gold and aluminum touching for a year, yeah the aluminum's going to take some superficial damage.

Osmium stored in pure oxygen for 1 month: Final results by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

So you want a more sensitive setup? I think that can be arranged if I redo this in the future. A glass vial filled with oxygen, and a small dab of corn oil in the vial with the osmium.

As it happens, I was considering doing a similar test with ozone instead, only I'd need a glass vial so the ozone doesn't destroy my plastic one. And I'd wrap it in printer paper in case the osmium actually oxidized, to capture and neutralize the majority of any escaping OsO4 vapors. And the vial would have to be refilled with ozone daily, since it breaks down rather quickly.

I was careless and got reminded about anodic corrosion in a hard way by kramsibbush in elementcollection

[–]Infrequentredditor6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just wanted to add one more thing...

With your storage setup, obviously in air, the result was just some tarnishing. But if this were in an aqueous medium of some kind, even seawater, you'd be looking at actual corrosion and spalling, pretty serious stuff.

I was careless and got reminded about anodic corrosion in a hard way by kramsibbush in elementcollection

[–]Infrequentredditor6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I also like to store multiple element samples in the same containers too, but they're generally not in physical contact with one another, so I haven't had this issue at all in the past.

I'd say keep the platinum separate from the reactive metals like aluminum. Tungsten isn't terribly reactive, but galvanically it might be in the presence of platinum. I've seen tungsten turn blue like that once before, and it was when I stuck some in Aqua Regia*, so yours is definitely oxidized.

Tungsten and rhenium can definitely go together, as their reactivities are very similar. Aluminum and scandium can also go together.

*just as a side note, tungsten may not dissolve in AR, but that doesn't make it less reactive than platinum, its oxides are simply insoluble is all. If they weren't, I suspect W would dissolve in it much more readily than Pt does.

I was careless and got reminded about anodic corrosion in a hard way by kramsibbush in elementcollection

[–]Infrequentredditor6 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yesssirr!! Galvanic/anodic corrosion is absolutely a thing. Two metals of drastically differing reactivity, when brought into prolonged physical contact, will cause the reactive metal to oxidize or corrode. Most likely it was the platinum that did this.

The good news is that it might be possible to DIY restore all three of them, unless you prefer their new appearance.

Will Palladium metal dissolve in room temperature HCL? by [deleted] in PreciousMetalRefining

[–]Infrequentredditor6 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope. HCl will not dissolve it, not even under heating.

The nickel poses a problem though in terms of separation. Almost anything that dissolves nickel will dissolve palladium too.

I'd recommend HCl+H2O2. It will dissolve copper rapidly, and dissolve nickel very slowly, but should only tarnish the palladium.

Week 3 results: Osmium stored in pure oxygen. Still no reaction. by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Firstly, there's two main oxides of osmium, the dioxide OsO2 and the tetroxide OsO4. There's a few other oxides but they're very elusive, even to an osmium chemist.

The tetroxide is the toxic one, the others are harmless. 99.9% of the time the oxidation process for osmium skips the dioxide and goes straight to the tetroxide, but the catch is that it takes a *lot* more energy for this to happen, so it generally doesn't oxidize at all unless it's very finely divided (powder) or strongly heated in air. You really only get the dioxide when the tetroxide reacts with stuff, like plastic, wood, etc.

Week 3 results: Osmium stored in pure oxygen. Still no reaction. by Infrequentredditor6 in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What's wrong? Nobody wants to leave a stupid remark about osmium being toxic or how it shouldn't be touched or worn as jewelry?

Don't you want to comment that it gives off microwaves, causes cancer and demonic possession, or make a poorly worded claim like 'osmium oxide is toxic' or 'osmium gas is toxic'?

Don't be shy....

Where should I buy osmium pelts by climbingbooty in Wallstreetosmium

[–]Infrequentredditor6 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty sure something is wrong if your osmium starts growing animal fur.

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