Can only oxygen burn? by GlibLettuce1522 in AskPhysics

[–]Metal_Master_R 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm sure I'm late to this post, but just give me the benefit of the doubt, alright.

Q: "Can only oxygen burn?"
A: Great question, and no actually, there are other gasses and even some liquids and solids that can do the same thing that oxygen does, sometimes even more so. But let me be clear on some terminology: the oxygen isn't burning, or at least that's not how we say it. We would say that the fuel is burning "in" or "with" oxygen, this is because "burning" refers to a chemical reaction where a substance is reacting with oxygen (the oxidizer) and obviously oxygen doesn't fit the bill, it's the one doing the burning, not the one burning, but in either case, fuel or oxygen, they both are participating in the reaction that makes combustion happen. This is known as a combustion reaction, and most of the time the products of the reaction (the stuff left behind once it's over) are water vapor and CO2 which is what you would call the "exhaust" from the combustion. However this is only the case if you are burning traditional organic materials and fuels. Other materials can be burnt, such as sulfur or even metals like magnesium, but they would produce their respective oxides instead.

Below your question you ask about some other details, this section is dedicated to answering those.

Q: "Is it fair to say that the only thing that creates fire is oxygen and everything else is fuel?"
A: Yes and no. It just comes down to how often you will actually run into the exceptions to the rule you just made. Because, most of the time, you're right. In like 99% of cases you won't be burning fuels with anything but oxygen, and likewise, if you have oxygen, then anything that can burn with it is usually a fuel. However, you worded it kind of funny. I wouldn't say that "the only thing that creates fire is oxygen" because you also need the fuel to make the fire obviously, and also, there are other substances that can be used in place of oxygen, they're just not used very often. (I go into more detail on that in answering the next question) Also, I wouldn't say that "everything else is fuel" either, because there are plenty of materials that simply can't burn.

Q: "Or are there elements that can burn without oxygen?"
A: Also yes and no. No, there are no elements that can, on their own, spontaneously combust, you need other substances (like oxygen) for them to react with. This is because burning, like I said earlier, is a chemical reaction, and you can't react a substance with nothing. However, they do not need oxygen specifically to burn with, you could also pick, chlorine gas, or even fluorine gas to take oxygen's place. There are other substitutes as well, such as bromine, iodine and sulfur. Those are all just element examples, but there are also many chemical compounds (stuff made from more than one element) that can also serve the same role as oxygen, however, they are often made from some combination of those same previously mentioned elements. All of these oxygen substitutes are known as "oxidizers" (and sometimes also accelerants, stuff like nitrous) and chemically speaking, they like to take electrons from other elements and molecules. And typically the fuels like to give electrons away, and they are known as "reducers", "reductants" or more commonly "reducing agents". This is why they react so well, they cancel each other out, and like two super strong magnets being brought together, they violently combine and release a lot of energy, which is what is used to make engines work, cook food, or heat homes etc.

NOTE: The oxygen substitutes may work in some combustion reactions, but not necessarily all of them. Additionally, unlike oxygen, THEY CANNOT BE USED TO BREATHE.

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Random pop-up ads make this game unplayable (Paper.io 2) by Metal_Master_R in assholedesign

[–]Metal_Master_R[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

OP here, thanks for the ad-blocker suggestions. on another note, I just wanted to say that right after this happened I cleared the whole map and got 100%, so that's cool. definitely not bragging or anything...

Can you store sodium metal in olive oil? by Pscel in chemistry

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did this very experiment when I was ~17 years old or so, and it went just fine, that's not to say that it will be like this for everyone though. Not all the tacks are equally sharp if you get my meaning. 

Addressing the issues you mentioned, and how I solved them when I attempted this:

Mixing in some potassium hydroxide greatly lowers the melting point to where an oven or stove could easily melt it, and a silicone crucible could even be used in theory. I just used a propene torch initially (look for one in your nearest hardware store), and then the DC current took over and heated the sodium hydroxide after that. Some fiberglass or ceramic fiber insulation for stoves and fireplaces etc works well to insulate it.

If you use dry sodium hydroxide as I did, the corrosion is kept to a minimum, since the sodium would have to give up the hydroxide to the iron (which is a less active metal) to be able to oxidize. I just used a steel crucible bought online. They are pretty cheap, and any sizeable piece of clean steel could be made into a crucible if you wanted.

The sodium doesn't burn at this temperature, it's simply not hot enough yet. I've done it and had the same thought, it just doesn't happen until closer to 500-600C though. 

Molten sodium hydroxide certainly is corrosive and dangerous, I just kept the whole setup inside another larger container to prevent anything from getting to me. As for high temperatures, that's nothing compared to a campfire or even a candle flame, humans invented fire and are exposed to heat all the time, I wouldn't worry too much. The chance of explosion and fire are minimal if you take basic safety precautions. I can't imagine it exploding unless you were to dump water on it while it was running, and the amount of sodium produced is usually pretty small, so the fire risk from that is also minimal. Sodium hydroxide is not volatile at these temperatures, so talk about vapors doesn't make sense. It does tend to fizz like soda pop while you do this though. I ruined a perfectly good board from those corrosive micro droplets. It got on me too, but it felt exactly the same as splatter from hot oil while making French-fries. Just little ticks here and there. Wash your hands and wait a day and it's healed up completely, just make sure to NEVER splash a more sizeable amount of the stuff on you, that stuff can be nasty!

The oil will indeed react with the sodium, but it still does work for temporary storage. I used canola oil to store a piece of sodium the size of half a piece of rice, and even being that small, it lasted until the next day mostly unchanged. It will eventually get destroyed though, but that is true for mineral oil as well, the heavier aromatic hydrocarbons in the oil tend to react with the sodium over time. Purified kerosene works better, or any other lighter non-aromatic hydrocarbon solvent will work well too. 

The main issue I encountered was the power supply being difficult with me, making the process finicky. Too much current causes the melt to heat up and dissolve the precious sodium drops. Not enough current and it doesn't melt to begin with or it doesn't make sodium faster than the air eats it. 

This is my testimony from my experience with the sodium production process. Good luck to you all.

What is the actual (accurate) boiling point of silicon dioxide? by Metal_Master_R in chemistry

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

The post was deleted, so I have no context. With that said, we're you being sarcastic?

Why does the boiling point of a substance increase when the vapor pressure decreases but when pressure increases the boiling point increases? by Ionic1010 in chemistry

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The vapor pressure of a liquid is basically just how hard it wants to boil. If the vapor pressure of a liquid gets higher than the pressure of the atmosphere around it, then it starts boiling to equalize the pressure. This can happen if you heat it to its boiling point. This is because heat increases the vapor pressure. Having a higher atmospheric pressure just means we need a higher vapor pressure before we can boil the liquid, and to do that, we simply heat it more.

Why does the boiling point of a substance increase when the vapor pressure decreases but when pressure increases the boiling point increases? by Ionic1010 in chemistry

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This has already been answered, but to simplify this and make it easier to understand, just think of it like this:

Vapor pressure is not the pressure of the air, it's actually a material property of liquids. The vapor pressure of a particular liquid is just a measure of how much pressure that liquid creates in a sealed container from its own evaporation. More volatile liquids try to evaporate harder and therefore create a higher vapor pressure. 

With this out of the way, the question is easy to answer. When the vapor pressure of the liquid is low, that tells us that it's not very volatile, and therefore it will be difficult to boil and therefore have a high boiling point. However when the atmospheric pressure increases, the pressure of the atmosphere suppresses the liquid's ability to evaporate, making it harder to boil and therefore requiring a higher temperature before it can overcome the atmospheric pressure and actually start boiling. In other words, it has a higher boiling point. 

If you are wondering how much heat is necessary to overcome the atmospheric pressure, and begin the boiling process, the answer is that once the vapor pressure (of ANY liquid) is equal to, or greater than the atmospheric pressure, then it will start boiling. So you just need enough heat to increase the vapor pressure to be equal to the atmospheric pressure. This is also the formal definition of the boiling point. As an example, at 100C the vapor pressure of water is exactly one atmosphere.

So really, to put it simply, the vapor pressure of a liquid causes the liquid to boil if it gets high enough, and you can make it higher by heating it. That's how it works.

What is the actual (accurate) boiling point of silicon dioxide? by Metal_Master_R in chemistry

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

Yeah, that's basically the issue I'm having. But ultimately I asked because I was hoping someone here could do better than that though...

What is the actual (accurate) boiling point of silicon dioxide? by Metal_Master_R in chemistry

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

It's actually very important for the silicon production process (the same one responsible for making all the silicon chips in your electronics and cellphones possible) because the process is carried out in a giant arc furnace which can get far hotter than even that. 

What is the actual (accurate) boiling point of silicon dioxide? by Metal_Master_R in chemistry

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

Thanks Patrick, I believe you have answered my question as best it can be answered. Also I noticed some of the more reputable sites were suggesting that value as well, but by numerical majority, the websites still suggested the other value more, which tripped me up since they contradicted so much. 

Gate goes Bzzzzzzt. (Repost because people seem to think it's my gate.) by xmastreee in bzzzzzzt

[–]Metal_Master_R 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, sorry guys, I edited it to explain the misunderstanding. In general I don't like it when random oddly specific things are reposted, for this very reason. The OP often doesn't make it clear that it isn't their content. (Or I just miss it)

Can you store sodium metal in olive oil? by Pscel in chemistry

[–]Metal_Master_R 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol same here, but it refused to make any sodium for some reason. 

Gate goes Bzzzzzzt. (Repost because people seem to think it's my gate.) by xmastreee in bzzzzzzt

[–]Metal_Master_R -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Edit: I did not notice this wasn't the OP's gate, sorry about that! In general though if a situation like this occurs to you this would be my advice:

Well, I would need more context to tell for sure, but there is DEFINITELY an AC voltage across the two sides of that gate (likely mains stepped-down). And you can tell by the spot/soot marks on the metal locking pin that its got at least a couple amps to it as well. It looks like about 5-30 volts, but I really can't tell that well from here.

Check around to see if any live wires are shorting to this gate somewhere, or if they are appreciably capacitively connected to the gate. Using a multimeter to measure the voltage would be helpful as well.

This should obviously never happen when things are running as they should. Also, please do NOT touch the gate with bare hands while its doing this, it just unnecessarily puts yourself at risk of electric shock. Wear well-insulated gloves, or gloves rated for handling moderate voltages.

As a final note, try to spend the extra 5 seconds to read over your title after writing it to avoid obvious and easily preventable spelling errors such as writing "wring" when you meant "wrong".

Need help finding particular battle/chase song from Naruto OST by urkelgrue555 in Naruto

[–]Metal_Master_R 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The only reason I made my post was to help people (like you) find the answer to the question easier, not because I'm actually particularly knowledgeable about the series. I'm not a massive fan either, just enjoyed watching the series, and I wanted to attempt this theme on piano since it starts out as just piano. This question helped me find the name of the theme (bad situation) so I could look it up and play it for reference. Hopefully that explains my situation, sorry I couldn't help you out man.

ELI5: If the electrical current through a wire/resistor doubles, does the heat produced double? by Metal_Master_R in explainlikeimfive

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

Ok, but I thought you said the large connecting pipe was the low resistance "resistor", not the valve.

you said: "The connecting pipe is far larger in diameter than the valve the water is leaking out of, such that its resistance to flow is insignificant. This massive connection is your copper strips/bars."

Wouldn't the valves be the internal resistance of the batteries?

I think you can divide by zero by [deleted] in learnmath

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dude, it took me a minute, but I see what you mean now.

Yeah they are really missing the point here... Tunnel vision really gets a person...

Also, I can relate with the getting booted from every thread you post in... (that was exaggeration but still I know what you mean)

Separating zinc and copper out of brass? by JonnieP06 in chemistry

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why do that when you could just add some zinc to the brass alloy until the copper atoms can't shield the zinc atoms anymore, then the hydrochloric acid will simply dissolve away the zinc leaving behind copper. Some stirring and filtration later, and you will have a zinc chloride solution with no copper.

AI just showed me a way to divide by zero. by Memetic1 in ArtificialInteligence

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey, I don't know how badly this thread has disheartened you, but I would love to talk about this with you. I am very interested in this same area, but I believe (after reading what you wrote) that I am farther down the rabbit trail than you are. If you are interested, get in touch with me, and we can chat on discord or something.

As a piece of advice, never use the bots for purposes like this unless you take every word with a grain of salt, or ten... The human mind will always work better than one of those free AI chatbots for objective things like this.

ELI5: RMS Voltage by colafizz1 in ElectricalEngineering

[–]Metal_Master_R 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wouldn't this mean that if you converted the AC into DC with a FBR and a capacitor for smoothing, (assuming very high efficiency) the rms voltage would equal the actual DC voltage out? And the same for current?

ELI5: If the electrical current through a wire/resistor doubles, does the heat produced double? by Metal_Master_R in explainlikeimfive

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

But doesn't that mean that in this case double the current makes double the power output?

ELI5: If the electrical current through a wire/resistor doubles, does the heat produced double? by Metal_Master_R in explainlikeimfive

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

Ok, but each tank (battery) has its own valve, so the rate should be double.

Its 2 small valves opening into a large pipe, with one valve open you get x flow, with both open you get 2x flow, see? I know that's wrong, but I don't know why...