When I was in high school a bunch of dumbasses broke open thermometers and were handling the mercury, passing it around to everyone. We got put on lockdown until the guys in hazmat suits cleared us, like 10 hours later.
Amateurs. In 5th/6th grade around 1982 our physics teacher poured half a teaspoon of mercury into a piece of paper folded like a bowl and passed around the class. Probably only half of it was returned and poured back into the flask. The physics room was directly above the teachers' break room and who knows how much mercury found its way through those floorboards over the years. I am sure that practice ended shortly after.
NileBlu covered this, in order to get a reaction, you would have to strip the paint, and oxidation with chemicals, and the reaction doesn't eat a lot of aluminium anyway. I'd still be more worried about the lack of bolts on doors, etc
You, uhh, haven't worked with a vibrating machine that's made of aluminum, have you? All you need is a riveted joint and you've got plenty of bare, exposed aluminum very quickly, and in a critical joint!
I'm not so sure. The massive outflow of material (aluminum amalgam/HgAl, specifically) very distinctively marks it as mercury and not gallium. As your own video shows, the gallium-aluminum reaction is not nearly so energetic and resulting AlGa superficially blends in to the aluminum, though it is just as devastating to the structural integrity of the aluminum objects.
Yeah, but then the TSA gets you to put all the dangerous scary wet things in a big bucket together a few steps away from a whole bunch of passengers. While a wrong clock might be correct twice a day, the TSA don't have as good of an accuracy rate.
non concern. Aluminum and many other things are highly toxic if ingested. Iron is extremely toxic but we need it which is why we have lot of functions to inhibit absorption. mercury is non issue unless you ingest it or have open wounds you put it in. There are many reasons not to allow it on planes, toxicity is at the very end of the list
This is actually why gallium & mercury can't be brought on flights. Toxicity is not even close to the concerning levels of what it can do to the aluminum.
The main intoxication pathway is over the vapor. And the acute toxicity isn't extremely high. But long term exposure is a problem. Hg will accumulate in the brain and in the brain of a fetus, if any. Doing funny things there.
Exposure to elemental mercury is still associated with mercury poisoning and all of its associated health problems though. Your body supplies the organic compounds to make fun toxic stuff with elemental mercury.
If your body can alkylate mercury you should talk to a doctor. the vapor pressure of mercury is so high that unless you are using it every day for years it's not a problem.
Mercury with a few carbons on it is super poisonous one drop can go thru gloves and kill you in a month. The metal isn't good but it won't kill you for years if your are exposed to it all the time.
Mercury reacts with aluminum. Aircraft are often made of aluminum. The reaction of mercury with exposed aluminum can severely weaken an aircraft's structure. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_amalgam
Well... sure, it can be used to destroy the plane, but that take a while and you need to scrape off the layer so the it can attack the fresh side again. I think it's because mercury is high toxic to people.
Under cabin pressures this is exasperated drastically. It will still take a little time, but it'll be just enough for the plane to get to height.....then it gets real
You need to scrape the surface to get a reliable reaction for a video. You do not need to keep scraping, once the mercury gets through the oxide it will keep amalgamating with the aluminium until the mercury runs out. It can take months but it will destroy the aluminium eventually.
Yeah, the gallium is actually worse, probably. The damage is not nearly as visible (just the initial scratching to get through the paint and oxidation) and given even a pretty small amount of time the Gallium will start to spread through a lot of the material. In my materials science class the professor did a demo that showed this and even with only a minute or two the degradation had spread quite a ways from the point of contact.
That's at fairly high temperature though, right? I did some tests for a different project and needed to get the aluminium up to 60+ degrees celsius to get a visibly fast reaction. Also gallium is solid at room temp so the reaction would stop.
I remember as a child, getting mercury in a chemistry set and just letting it roll around on my hand and watching it eat aluminum foil and stain other metals!
And then there was dumbass here doing a "how much energy is in one burning peanut experiment who out of curiosity decided to apply the flame directly to the thermometer, (We were heating a beaker of water). Just to see what happens. Bang and a very upset teacher.
I remember getting my mercury ball from an old thermostat and letting it roll around my hand too. I even shared the uneventful experience with some friends. I guess we all turned out alright. How about you?
As long as it was just plain ol elemental mercury in your hand, no problem. Ingesting it OTOH, is bad. Then some compounds like methyl or dimethyl-mercury are things you don't want to be in the same building with.
Same. When the mercury from my chemistry set "disappeared" (found out why it's called "quick-silver") I found the old home thermostat in my dad's junk box (at least I think it was a "junk box") and pulled the mercury out of that...I wouldn't say I'm "mad" but then again, how would one know?
MuffinStuffinPuffin
Why are you trying to fly with mercury?
MrHappySmiles
“I will un-mend your fabricated atrocities”. -Nature.
Rugno
That's gallium
richfieldmall101
"Hey, kids! Don't try this at home!"
DrSharkbite
Melonfish
You should see what Gallium does to Aluminium.
AndrewBrandon
https://youtu.be/IgXNwLoS-Hw?si=W9lOSOPDjbc9Opir yup. Crazy stuff. Turns aluminum into wet paper.
capitalistdecadence
IWillFigureOutAWittyNameLater
ok, but why is radioactive waste not allowed?
DarkfireDragon
I know! Some people are so unreasonable!
T3sl4co1l
Always upvote chemistry GIFs
ScatterJ0Y
Someone smart please explain?
QuigleyDownUnder
Unless it's a Boeing then they love that stuff.
Lulabel73
JohnBigboote74
This reminds me a little of those 'snakes' fireworks, and you definitely don't want any monkey-fighting snakes on a Monday to Friday plane!
v
johnvictor
Looks like cat poo.
GuitarsAndCodeAndRage
crann
Ribaldrie
Best. Dubbing. Ever.
YuffieK
Gallium also does this.
CaveCanem
this kills the iron
moolapie
also Galadriel
ssomed
So zinc and cadmium also?
SorryButMyUsernameIsUnavailable
Limitedbynonononono
You bet me too it 😁
yeahhedugit
hushpuppyextraordinaire
Gallium too
ChaoticAtmosphere
But it's less than 5 ml and stored in a proper vial. What do you mean I can't carry on?
ojisama
Look, this is an unopened can of mercury, what do you mean I can't take it with me? Have you seen the prices on the plane?
FridaMercury
When I was in high school a bunch of dumbasses broke open thermometers and were handling the mercury, passing it around to everyone. We got put on lockdown until the guys in hazmat suits cleared us, like 10 hours later.
UneventfulLover
Amateurs. In 5th/6th grade around 1982 our physics teacher poured half a teaspoon of mercury into a piece of paper folded like a bowl and passed around the class. Probably only half of it was returned and poured back into the flask. The physics room was directly above the teachers' break room and who knows how much mercury found its way through those floorboards over the years. I am sure that practice ended shortly after.
IamtheAIyoushouldfear
I just assumed it was because the mercury was used in the detonation device! They can't bring a bomb if we ban mercury! /s
tempmike
No it's more like how they got Capone for tax evasion. They can't arrest you for having a bomb, but if you have mercury... straight to jail.
mercbrit
Rusarules
And that's how you become the Last of Us zombies.
garfieldstwin
NileBlu covered this, in order to get a reaction, you would have to strip the paint, and oxidation with chemicals, and the reaction doesn't eat a lot of aluminium anyway. I'd still be more worried about the lack of bolts on doors, etc
TheBlueMuppet
You, uhh, haven't worked with a vibrating machine that's made of aluminum, have you? All you need is a riveted joint and you've got plenty of bare, exposed aluminum very quickly, and in a critical joint!
garfieldstwin
when I say the mercury doesn't do much to the aluminium, I mean, it really doesn't do that much damage to the aluminium https://youtu.be/IrdYueB9pY4?si=vt99bFDqXUHUvpNM
Khoshteep
aluminium?
DustyMcKnuckles
Im like 85% sure that's gallium:
https://youtu.be/BRW2r-ao5vg?si=6T3tJdJjy1dXx7pG
Meltemi
I'm not so sure. The massive outflow of material (aluminum amalgam/HgAl, specifically) very distinctively marks it as mercury and not gallium. As your own video shows, the gallium-aluminum reaction is not nearly so energetic and resulting AlGa superficially blends in to the aluminum, though it is just as devastating to the structural integrity of the aluminum objects.
duffman3335
Video IS sped up. Just sayin
DustyMcKnuckles
Well... there's that 15%
DaddyRobotBeepBoop
livurz
Yes, I too would hate riding on a hairy airplane.
BrockEffingSamson
BixbyConsequence
Worse than that; given enough time that plate will have the strength of a potato chip.
obarey
I'd be more concerned bout weakening of the structure and eventually opening a hole in body like fucking xenomorph blood.
Gerokeymaster
A hairplane, if you will.
purgruv
Feathers are made of similar stuff that hair is made of. How about a feathery airplane?
livurz
See, this is the kind of thinking our company needs
-Boeing
OldGrudges
https://i.imgur.com/1T8FqC3.null
hiyesthisissatan
On a hairplane you might say.
Gerokeymaster
dammit, comments didn't load, and I thought I was being original, but you beat me by six whole hours...
drunkbs
I wouldn't say that, no sir.
BackgroundCharacter
isn't that what's going on in Turkiye?
Sanotassard
brougth you you by our sponsor manscaped :P
ps238principal
I mean, that as well. It's also HIGHLY TOXIC and it probably falls under that "no liquids" thing the TSA is always griping about.
xlr82xs
Yeah, but then the TSA gets you to put all the dangerous scary wet things in a big bucket together a few steps away from a whole bunch of passengers. While a wrong clock might be correct twice a day, the TSA don't have as good of an accuracy rate.
edasm
No. It's not.
DaddyRobotBeepBoop
sh17picker69000420
Thats why you want to bring Gallium. Cause it is a solid at room temp but is twice as corrosive.
TK421isAFK
It's not "corrosive" (as in "alkaline"), it forms an alloy with the aluminum that ruins its structural integrity.
htapoicoS
But I could carry 100ml in a transparent bottle, right? /s
zenoshogun
Just keep it at below -40C and you can avoid the no liquids rule.
ScootiePuffJrSucks
Yeah, I can't bring water.
ToasterDent
But I want to drink my Starbucks Mocha Mercury Latte Venti on the plane!
HzZbVYAx77aoiuN9Zy
non concern. Aluminum and many other things are highly toxic if ingested. Iron is extremely toxic but we need it which is why we have lot of functions to inhibit absorption.
mercury is non issue unless you ingest it or have open wounds you put it in.
There are many reasons not to allow it on planes, toxicity is at the very end of the list
MasterMookie
Also most aluminium would have a protective layer of paint. unless you scratch it up it's not gonna do much.
HzZbVYAx77aoiuN9Zy
This is actually why gallium & mercury can't be brought on flights. Toxicity is not even close to the concerning levels of what it can do to the aluminum.
SalmonTheWise
Unless it's Boeing.
IAmTheBadW01f
Then it doesn't need any help to fall apart!
Khornight
Not just paint, al has a protective layer of al oxide that forms with contact to the air, that’s why you can see scratches on the surface.
MasterMookie
Yupp that as well.
ExTechOp
You can see the sample here was sanded just before applying the mercury.
StevieTheAussie
Thanks for the tip, I’ll do that first.
paynoattentiontousernames
kimst
So as long as I don't bring more than 3.4 ounces (100 ml) it's fine right?
mmontour
The elemental liquid isn't particularly toxic. Its the organic compounds which get you.
Hammerwell
The main intoxication pathway is over the vapor. And the acute toxicity isn't extremely high. But long term exposure is a problem. Hg will accumulate in the brain and in the brain of a fetus, if any. Doing funny things there.
neufala
I was just about to post this, dimethyl mercury is a super scary substance.
diezl97
Exposure to elemental mercury is still associated with mercury poisoning and all of its associated health problems though. Your body supplies the organic compounds to make fun toxic stuff with elemental mercury.
Carl99
Sort of, it's problematic if it can get into the blood, so mercury vapours are really dangerous, but the liquid isn't.
neufala
If your body can alkylate mercury you should talk to a doctor. the vapor pressure of mercury is so high that unless you are using it every day for years it's not a problem.
neufala
If I had to work with that in a job I would straight up walk out and quit.
PibbleZoomies
As someone with no experience in chemistry; what?
neufala
Mercury with a few carbons on it is super poisonous one drop can go thru gloves and kill you in a month. The metal isn't good but it won't kill you for years if your are exposed to it all the time.
2074red2074
If you get a drop on your skin, you will die. Not burn yourself, not lose a hand. You will die. It is basically not used for anything anymore.
avillageshort
Drops of Death: The Tragic Death of Karen Wetterhahn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UWhBROhp48
Anlurai
This pretty much explains it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ7M01jV058
paynoattentiontousernames
If you have it in a container that holds less than 100ml inside of a resealable plastic bag they would need to allow the liquid.
boblives
Does anyone know if a Mercury nail bomb would hurt ?
guardianzero
yellwfever
foreverinchains
Mercury reacts with aluminum. Aircraft are often made of aluminum. The reaction of mercury with exposed aluminum can severely weaken an aircraft's structure.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_amalgam
guardianzero
HandsomePenguin
https://youtu.be/IrdYueB9pY4
cytherians
This was a much better demonstration. 👍
Nacon
Well... sure, it can be used to destroy the plane, but that take a while and you need to scrape off the layer so the it can attack the fresh side again. I think it's because mercury is high toxic to people.
SlightChungus
It makes an alloy that is significantly weaker than the original aluminum. Same thing with gallium
sean0284
Under cabin pressures this is exasperated drastically. It will still take a little time, but it'll be just enough for the plane to get to height.....then it gets real
2graves
It's not instantly toxic or anything
TK421isAFK
Elemental mercury isn't particularly toxic; it's the mercury salts and oxides that are highly toxic, but those generally won't attack 1/2
TK421isAFK
aluminum very quickly, or at all without a solvent (such as water). Mercury quickly forms an alloy with aluminum. 2/2
Ghlargh
You need to scrape the surface to get a reliable reaction for a video. You do not need to keep scraping, once the mercury gets through the oxide it will keep amalgamating with the aluminium until the mercury runs out. It can take months but it will destroy the aluminium eventually.
GOAE
This. Can also see a somewhat similar reaction with gallium and aluminum, gallium just makes it super brittle instead.
GWJYonder
Yeah, the gallium is actually worse, probably. The damage is not nearly as visible (just the initial scratching to get through the paint and oxidation) and given even a pretty small amount of time the Gallium will start to spread through a lot of the material. In my materials science class the professor did a demo that showed this and even with only a minute or two the degradation had spread quite a ways from the point of contact.
Ghlargh
That's at fairly high temperature though, right? I did some tests for a different project and needed to get the aluminium up to 60+ degrees celsius to get a visibly fast reaction. Also gallium is solid at room temp so the reaction would stop.
BlastyMcBlastblast
the problem is that it can get into areas that can't be easily inspected, and roll around indefinitely doing damage the whole time
Nacon
Personally, I'd be more worried about flying on a Boeing than this.
SalmonTheWise
You're assuming they don't have mercury spills at their factories already.
Nacon
That's my point. 🧐
OrkenMork
I remember as a child, getting mercury in a chemistry set and just letting it roll around on my hand and watching it eat aluminum foil and stain other metals!
mohavewolfpup
Kids at my former junior high not once but twice brought Mercury to it and the EPA got involved
Carl99
And then there was dumbass here doing a "how much energy is in one burning peanut experiment who out of curiosity decided to apply the flame directly to the thermometer, (We were heating a beaker of water). Just to see what happens. Bang and a very upset teacher.
whoatherebigfella
I remember getting my mercury ball from an old thermostat and letting it roll around my hand too. I even shared the uneventful experience with some friends. I guess we all turned out alright. How about you?
ardtay
As long as it was just plain ol elemental mercury in your hand, no problem. Ingesting it OTOH, is bad. Then some compounds like methyl or dimethyl-mercury are things you don't want to be in the same building with.
m1niman9
https://cen.acs.org/safety/lab-safety/25-years-Karen-Wetterhahn-died-dimethylmercury-poisoning/100/i21 in case anyone was wondering
OrkenMork
Same. When the mercury from my chemistry set "disappeared" (found out why it's called "quick-silver") I found the old home thermostat in my dad's junk box (at least I think it was a "junk box") and pulled the mercury out of that...I wouldn't say I'm "mad" but then again, how would one know?