bismuth crystals

[hermanntrude]

Hi guys

I've been doing science again. I know, I know you told me to stop but i couldn't help it...

I bought a large chunk (one pound) of bismuth from a company in the states for $20. I then melted it, allowed it to cool till it was about half-molten, and then poured the liquid off the top. Here are a few photos of the resultant crystals:

the photos don't really do justice to the colours, but you can get an idea of the colours from the reflection in the surface of the table.

Weirdly, for anyone who knows about this stuff.. the original sample before i crystallised it, was paramagnetic. The new crystals are diamagnetic.

 

[Outta here]

**nods sagely**

very impressive Hermanntrude, impressive indeed.

... and pretty too!

 

[scratch]

Bismuth \Bis"muth\, n. [Ger. bismuth, wismuth: cf. F. bismuth.]
(Chem.)
One of the elements; a metal of a reddish white color,
crystallizing in rhombohedrons. It is somewhat harder than
lead, and rather brittle; masses show broad cleavage surfaces
when broken across. It melts at 507[deg] Fahr., being easily
fused in the flame of a candle. It is found in a native
state, and as a constituent of some minerals. Specific
gravity 9.8. Atomic weight 207.5. Symbol Bi.
[1913 Webster]

Note: Chemically, bismuth (with arsenic and antimony is
intermediate between the metals and nonmetals; it is
used in thermo-electric piles, and as an alloy with
lead and tin in the fusible alloy or metal. Bismuth is
the most diamagnetic substance known.
[1913 Webster]

 

[hermanntrude]

Seriously, why choose a 1913 source for information on bismuth? it even gives temperatures in Fahrenheit, which for all intents and purposes is an obsolete scale in every country except the USA

 

[hermanntrude]

i'm gonna make some more of these this afternoon

 

[AmberEyes]

Much prettier than the 2nd year physics experiments I'm stuck doing every afternoon...

 

[hermanntrude]

beauty is the eye of the beholder. If you see no beauty, perhaps you should alter your eyes

 

[DurkaDurka]

pretty interesting looking in crystal form, almost looks like compacted circuit boards.

 

[Twila]

Hermann, can you make jewelery with those crystals? It's so beautiful..you have to be able to do something with it to show it off...or can you make statues or something?

 

[hermanntrude]

unfortunately it's very brittle. It'd make crappy jewelry. People sometimes sell lumps of it as novelties.

 

[hermanntrude]

I made 3 new crystals last night. interestingly, the new ones are smaller and much darker colours. the predominant colours in the first batch were blue and green. Now the predominant colours are purple and gold. I think it's due to a lower purity after repeated meltings.

 

[Tonington]

That's neat. It has some of the colligative properties of water.

Why does melting produce different magnetism?

 

[darkbeaver]

see ferromagnetic I think

 

[darkbeaver]

No that's not it, I was reading it the other night, by the time I find it