[macgeek2005]

I have a chemistry assignment to bring a piece of a pure element to class. The teacher used Aluminum as an example, and therefore said that we can't bring that.

I have a cast iron frying pan, but there is like, 2% Carbon in it. Does anyone know of some thing that i'm not thinking of, that is made of a pure element? A common object that is made of pure iron, or copper or something?

Thanks

[Dakarʒ]

You don't have fire, water, earth or wind anywhere around the house?

[nonhuman]

How about a pencil. The 'lead' is pure carbon (well, I can't guarantee that it's pure, but I think it is).

[Edit: nevermind, it's got clay in it to control the hardness.]

[nonhuman]

Jewelry's a good source of Ag, Au, or sometimes Ti. Shouldn't be hard to find some Al either, actually, foil might be elementally pure.

[peeb]

Elements at Walmart (31)

This is a list of elements that most grocery and hardware stores sell.
This is a good site:
How to Get Your Own Element Collection

[Sealobo]

[Andrew Stephens]

Grab yourself some platinum from your dad's cars catalytic converter!!

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Take apart a smoke detector, you might find some thorium! (or is it technetium?)












(don't actually do that, both elements are radioactive)

[ghporter]

Gold jewelry is almost certainly NOT "pure" as the purest gold used in jewelry (Bhat jewelry) is only 23 karat (and thus only 23/24 pure). Pencil lead is far from pure anything; it's a mixture of a variety of clays and carbon. A diamond IS pure carbon, though depending on the instructor's definition, you'd have to present a damnfine diamond as pure carbon. Graphite is also pure carbon, and is sometimes a "household" chemical used in lubricating locks and certain hinges. Copper, as in plumbing tubing and fittings, tends to be pretty much the real deal.

Dissolving salt in distilled water would give you four pure elements: sodium (ions), chlorine (as chloride ions), oxygen and hydrogen. But you'd have to convince the instructor of the dissociation of the two ions in your solution. Talk well on your feet?

[nonhuman]

If you've got any old thermometers around you could get some Mercury.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

A 10oz bullion bar? Yummy.

[dcmacdaddy]

old window glass, shouldn't that be pure silica (Si)???

lead (Pb=Plumbium) "Johnny Seal" from an old toilet.

old copper (Cu=Cupric) pipes/connectors or flux used to solder them.

mercury (Hg=??) in an old thermometer. This might cause a HazMat scene at your school, though.

[design219]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

If you've got any old thermometers around you could get some Mercury.

I wouldn't bring mercury to school, you could cause a lot of trouble should it spill, and probably get in trouble even if you don't spill it. Mercury is fun to play with, but it is toxic.

[CharlesS]

Do they still use tin in cans or foil, or are the terms "tin can" and "tin foil" merely anachronisms?

If the former, you could use that.

[wallinbl]

Light bulbs use tungsten for the filament. Not sure if it's pure or an alloy.

[Rumor]

Tin foil doesn't have tin in it, IIRC. It's aluminum.

[PER3]

How pure is the tungsten filament in light bulbs?

[peeb]

See the link I posted above - pretty pure.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

Tin foil doesn't have tin in it, IIRC. It's aluminum.

I believe tin foil is made of tin, and aluminum foil is made of aluminum.

Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy 

old window glass, shouldn't that be pure silica (Si)???

Silica/Quartz is silicon dioxyide (SiO2), silicon is Si.

[peeb]

Tin foil made of real tin has not been available since the 1920s. It is all aluminium now.

[Rumor]

I meant that it is a common misconception of what people think tin foil is.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by peeb 

Tin foil made of real tin has not been available since the 1920s. It is all aluminium now.

Yeah, that's what I figured. How about tin cans?

[pinenuts]

this might be more difficult than you think. water is most certainly not a pure element. water is h20, which is H-O-H, with electron lone pairs on opposite sides of the O.

good question....hmmmm.

[macgeek2005]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses.

I think I could get away with bringing an old thermometer and just saying that I brought the mercury in a "safe package".

There are 15 people in this class.. i'm really curious what other people are gonna come up with. Keep giving me ideas, I might find something better than the thermometer.

[SpaceMonkey]

Gummy bears are pure deliciousness.

Honestly, this sounds like an almost impossible assignment. I would come in with a chart of how many commonly-thought-of-as "pure" elemental items really aren't (ex: pencil lead, your cast iron pan) and wow 'em with your moxie.

[Sealobo]

can you fart right at the lab? you will produce sufficient amount of nitrogen to make a fire. not only will you present a pure element, you will also transform it!

[besson3c]

Gummy bea....

*shucks* already been suggested.. I was too slow..

[macgeek2005]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Gummy bears are pure deliciousness.

Honestly, this sounds like an almost impossible assignment. I would come in with a chart of how many commonly-thought-of-as "pure" elemental items really aren't (ex: pencil lead, your cast iron pan) and wow 'em with your moxie.

That's a good idea. I think i'll do that, as well as bring an old thermometer.

Any other ideas?

[peeb]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

can you fart right at the lab? you will produce sufficient amount of nitrogen to make a fire. not only will you present a pure element, you will also transform it!

Nitrogen is not flamable.

[peeb]

Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey 

Honestly, this sounds like an almost impossible assignment. I would come in with a chart of how many commonly-thought-of-as "pure" elemental items really aren't (ex: pencil lead, your cast iron pan) and wow 'em with your moxie.

Outside of some pretty extreme lab type conditions, we're always talking about more-or-less pure though, 95% should be ok for these purposes.

[Chuckit]

Bring in a computer. The processor is made with pure silicon.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

can you fart right at the lab? you will produce sufficient amount of nitrogen to make a fire. not only will you present a pure element, you will also transform it!

Farting is methane, not nitrogen.

[peeb]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

Farting is methane, not nitrogen.

And methane is, of course, not an element.

[Sealobo]

Originally Posted by Person Man 

Farting is methane, not nitrogen.

fart is mostly nitrogen... that's what i was told. wiki suggested the same.

[macgeek2005]

Hey, if you guys could help me come up with the list of things that are commonly thought of as "pure" element, that would be great!

I can't think of any others besides pencil lead and cast iron frying pans.

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by macgeek2005 

Hey, if you guys could help me come up with the list of things that are commonly thought of as "pure" element, that would be great!

I can't think of any others besides pencil lead and cast iron frying pans.

This seems to be bordering too much on doing your work for you.

[Chuckit]

Think of things that actually have an element in their name — odds are, they're exaggerating.

[Doofy]

A Windows install disc? It's pure sh*t.

Oh wait. Sh*t isn't an element. At least not the ones you normal people come out with.

Don't tell me, next lesson your bore of a chemistry teacher is going to say "Ha, nobody bought a pure element, and that's because elements are the building blocks to all the materials around you". You watch.

[peeb]

Originally Posted by macgeek2005 

Hey, if you guys could help me come up with the list of things that are commonly thought of as "pure" element, that would be great!

I can't think of any others besides pencil lead and cast iron frying pans.

If you read the link I posted above, there are plenty.

[ort888]

[Doofy]

I don't know if they're pure. I guess you'd have to ask their priests.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by Dakarʒ 

You don't have fire, water, earth or wind anywhere around the house?

You forgot about heart!

[Dakarʒ]

Thank god I never watched that show.

[CharlesS]

Originally Posted by macgeek2005 

I think I could get away with bringing an old thermometer and just saying that I brought the mercury in a "safe package".

Problem is, lots of thermometers use alcohol instead of mercury for safety reasons.

[Peter]

[nonhuman]

What happened to the aluminum foil idea? It's pure alumnium. They take a giant slab (2 tons, I believe) and run it through a press until it's .02 mm thick. One of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[Person Man]

Originally Posted by Sealobo 

fart is mostly nitrogen... that's what i was told. wiki suggested the same.

Nitrogen isn't flammable.

[macgeek2005]

Originally Posted by nonhuman 

What happened to the aluminum foil idea? It's pure alumnium. They take a giant slab (2 tons, I believe) and run it through a press until it's .02 mm thick. One of the coolest things I've ever seen.

I can't use aluminum because the teacher said we can't. He said "Since I mentioned aluminum, and gave away that idea, you can't use that."

[peeb]

Dude. Have you read the link to the household elements I posted?

[Railroader]

Buy a box of wheaties, run a magnet through it, pure iron filings.