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Re: [Phys-l] A Silver Spoon.



If its a science fair project (generally, if the son is under 16 (18?) the maximum exposure set by OSHA and Fed regulations for any radioactive substance is **ZERO**.

Now, that's kinda funny, since the Texas Legislature meets in a granite building with background levels enough to explain some of their decisions... Remember, GW was not the first radiation enhanced president to come from Texas...smile...Karl

Quoting Bernard Cleyet <bernardcleyet@redshift.com>:

I remember an exercise in Frosh chem. to separate the Ag from the Cu in
dimes (this dates us). All I can remember is first dissolving it in
acid (HCl?) and at the end throwing in salt to force completion of the
precipitation (common ion effect). I'm certain Michael can tell all or
any old inorganic text.

You could try irradiating it w/ gammas from a smoke detector or nearly
dead Mössbauer (Co-57) source, and looking at the fluorescence w/ a
prop. counter tube and MCA. (even better a SS detector)

bc

Brian Whatcott wrote:

My son brought me a silver spoon and asked me to identify the material.
It weighed 23.1 gm dry, and 20.5 gm submerged in water.

The markings were "International Silver Co" and DAL
and we supposed that this was part of an airline setting for the
first class service. The density is on the borderline for
cupronickel or Britannia metal or German silver I suppose.
I know that a "metallometer" would identify the constituents,
but I don't have one.
I do have a Star project spectrometer, and various power supplies,
so that I could sustain a spark to the spoon.

I wonder if I could distinguish copper, tin, zinc, lead, nickel
or bismuth in this way? Perhaps there are easy chemical color tests?


Brian Whatcott Altus OK Eureka!


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_______________________________________________
Forum for Physics Educators
Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l