Centauri's Thoughts

This is great! The more processes they find to liberate hydrogen, the better.

This one uses two sets of specially formulated aluminum, one acts as a base, and one as an acid, and they break the bonds in water molecules to liberate the hydrogen.

This process happens at room temperature and without input of more energy.

Read the full details on physorg.com here.

Chemistry has always fascinated me, and while I had it in high school, and understand the basics, the finer points of chemical reactions, specifically, why certain reactions take place over others, is something I suppose I would know better with a college course or much more reading. Specifically, as it relates to Space Sciences, things like the removal of oxygen bound to ores for purification, and reversal of systems.


Today I read about the use of Sodium Alanate (NaAlH4) As a way to carry hydrogen safely, for liberation later as fuel. Also in these articles, is the discussion of Titanium doping to make this process more efficient. In addition to Zinc and Magnesium, these are making for many ways to use hydrogen that is chemically bonded with something rather than trying to move and store dangerous H2 gas.


As I kept reading, I hit WebElements.com for some more answers. In particular, it listed the process of reducing Bauxite (A type of common ore containing Aluminum)

Aluminium is mined in huge scales as bauxite (typically Al2O3.2H2O). Bauxite contains Fe2O3, SiO2, and other impurities. In order to isolate pure aluminium, these impurities must be removed from the bauxite. This is done by the Bayer process. This involves treatment with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, which results in a solution of sodium aluminate and sodium silicate. The iron remains behind as a solid. When CO2 is blown through the resulting solution, the sodium silicate stays in solution while the aluminium is precipitated out as aluminium hydroxide. The hydroxide can be filtered off, washed, and heated to form pure alumina, Al2O3.


The next stage is formation of pure aluminium. This is obtained from the pure Al2O3 by an electrolytic method. Electrolysis is necessary as aluminium is so electropositive. It seems these days that electrolysis of the hot oxide in a carbon lined steel cell acting as the cathode with carbon anodes is most common.

I knew about the process of using an acid with metals, but I was not familiar with bases and those reactions. I suppose I will be studying more, as these refining processes would be quite useful to know for mineral refinement processes on lunar ores. With just a few of the basic elements, and some knowledge, there should be no problem in refining metals, and getting PLENTY of oxygen for breathing. (And retaining the rest of the chemicals for re-use, like the Hydrogen)

Nuclear cores and heat transfer


Back in the 1970's, when we had an energy crisis (high oil prices), my father (among many) started to seriously consider alterative methods of energy production and use. This led my dad to build a rather large parabolic dish that tracked the sun for a daytime heating element.

Although he managed to build this 12 foot parabolic dish and have it track the suns course (accounting even for seasonal variation (earths tilt), the one big problem he had was how do you get water from liquid to steam for power when the water is only in the focal point for a short time? Even with that, there was obvious pressure issues as the water became steam, it pushed back against the original supply system.


While researching something else today (mass of a small nuclear reactor) I came upon a design of a reactor in a nice, digestable, picture. In this, the heat of the reactor is absorbed in a line of liquid sodium, which is pumped through the reactor, absorbing the heat, then the other side of this flow line going through a heat exchanger, where the heat in the liquid sodium then heats the water to steam in a secondary system. Once I saw this picture, the gears were turning. I thought, Maybe my dad could have used a two stage system like this. Maybe not *exactly* liquid sodium, but the whole idea of 2 steps in the same manner intrigued me, not only for an old 1970s project, but for some of the solar power projects I have been thinking of ever since (even the big space based ones).
The real choice in material has to do with operating temps and range within that material for a given liquid or gaseous state. (Freon performs this same function in a common refrigerator)


Glass


An hour show on discovery about glass and architecture fires the mind. Not only do they discuss glass-making, history, and show some nice uses in architecture and art, but they show a few other things which catch my attention. Things like changing the properties of glass (I knew some of these already), and coating the glass to make it essentially self cleaning (like a special Titanium Oxide coating that acts like permanent Rain-X (tm)

Even though Glass is *mostly* melted sand (SiO2 or Silicon DiOxide), there are at times other small amounts of things in it. Let us look at one variation: 24% Lead crystal. Believe it or not, that is real lead melted into the molten glass, then cooled and hardened. Quartz? Almost pure natures' glass - the difference being that quartz is crystalline in form, not liquid as glass is. The structure of glass is more like Karo's Syrup.. still a liquid in structure at the molecular level.
Speaking of crystals: add a few things to quartz.. and you have a few other things which you know as gemstones: Emerald, for instance, is Quartz and copper.

Cu(CH3COO)2 * 3 Cu(AsO2)2 for those chemically inclined. If you have ever seen copper turn green over time from exposure to the elements (copper rust LOL) then the green of emerald makes even more sense.