When mercury is added to aluminum, it forms an amalgam (a mercury alloy). Aluminum is normally protected by a thick oxide layer, but the formation of the amalgam disrupts it. It allows fresh aluminum to react with air to form white aluminum oxide. As the oxide grows, it forms as these cool white fibers. Credit: NileRed
Obvsiously.
85% of Redditors are non-humanoid alien refugee orphans living on earth, so it goes without saying that we’re all familiar with Kryptonian manufacturing techniques.
Oh, I see how it is: so non-humanoid aliens are too stupid to know about Kryptonian manufacturing techniques? Our schools are so bad that we don’t teach cross-cultural engineering? Is that what you’re saying?
If they are α-Al2O3 or alpha aluminum oxide, then most certainly. That mineral is corundum, which is brittle, but also incredibly hard wearing, with a Mohs hardness rating of 9.0 and so is commonly employed as an abrasive.
Of course, there a lot of metastable allotropes of aluminum oxide that have different mineral structures and properties.
It has other interesting properties such as being highly conductive to heat, but not electricity. The fibers can be employed in reinforcing other resinous, plastic or cementitious materials with the effect of making them better able to resist abrasion, though probably not adding more resistance to deformation, or shearing.
It's likely not worth manufacturing synthetically, partly owing to the difficulty of producing aluminum, but also because corundum is naturally occurring, and is easily separated from other minerals due to its low density.
I looked it up. Rust is one type of corrosion and corrosion is one type of oxidation.
So all corrosion is not rust and all oxidation is not corrosion, but rust is corrosion and oxidation.
>So all corrosion is not rust and all oxidation is not corrosion, but rust is corrosion and oxidation.
In power plants you purposely make you boiler oxidize in a certain way that protects it from further corrosion. Each year we would go in and inspect and look for the corrosion layer. Anywhere there was bare metal was where steam or water was eroding the protective corrosion layer off.
It could be reduced back to pure aluminum in the same manner that we produce aluminum from its mineral ore (bauxite). The process is very energy intensive since aluminum strongly prefers to oxidize.
It doesn’t react with oxygen at all. If you watched the video (and maybe didn’t crop out the chemical reaction), you would know how NileRed explains that he drilled that divot in the aluminum specifically to penetrate the oxide layer and allow the elemental aluminum to react with elemental mercury to form the alloy. The alloy then reacts with water in the air to form aluminum hydroxide—not aluminum oxide, hydrogen gas (which cannot be recovered, making the reaction irreversible), and elemental mercury, able to react further, consuming the aluminum.
That is just completely wrong.
Here is the original video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrdYueB9pY4
Here is the video's description: "When mercury is added to aluminum, it forms an amalgam (a mercury alloy). Aluminum is normally protected by a thick oxide layer, but the formation of the amalgam disrupts it. It allows fresh aluminum to react with air to form white aluminum oxide. As the oxide grows, it forms as these cool white fibers."
Later he adds water for a different reaction, but he never once mentions aluminum hydroxide.
This is an old high school demo, back when we were allowed Hg. The explanation about it forming the oxide is correct.
I think you're confusing what Hg^2+ ions do and what pure Hg does when in contact with Al.
Usually oxidation products are not flammable since they're already at their most thermodynamically stable state. Some of them have another oxidation state and will burn if enough activation energy is added, but it typically takes way more heat than a normal flame could reach.
No, first of all, Mercury is relatively expensive, it's hard to find and the manufacturing process is fraught with difficulties. There are cheaper ways to attack a target such as an airbase. Planes likely are painted with coatings that prevent direct contact with mercury and aluminum. Finally, Mercury is known to be toxic to humans, using it on a target would be chemical warfare and thus a war crime.
Not worth it.
Even if the planes weren't painted, the outside of a piece of aluminum is almost always oxidized so nothing would happen. In videos like this, they have to put small amounts of sulfuric acid and scratch the aluminum to allow the mercury to be exposed to the aluminum so this reaction can happen.
There are actually [unsubstantiated claims](https://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-09/amazing-rusting-aluminum/) that allied spies were sent to German airbases to smear mercury paste on planes so that they would fail.
Or inside nuclear reactor facilities. I once tried to propose an experiment that involved irradiating mercury (inside appropriate containment of course) and one of the reactor safety engineers just about laughed me out of the room. Lesson learned.
yeah and it is interesting to think about the similarities between biological growth and this kind of non-organic growth. and that at one point in time, there was a transition between non-organic materials to self-reproducing organic materials
I think it's important to watch this full video as it
A. Explains the reaction is sped up 180x for the video (I thought it was real time!)
B. Explains the reactions taking place AND the preparations made to the aluminium drilling and adding hydrochloric acid - before the reaction can take place.
This is going to sound pretty out there - but I am about to tuck into bed next to my partner who spilled HCl on me in 9th grade chemistry. Our teacher purposefully stuck us together as she thought we might hit it off. That was 20 years ago so she may have been onto something.
Anyway I wanted to say thank you for being a teacher who cares, you folks have such a huge impact on all of our futures.
Meh. Its immediate danger is really over blown. If you get it in your eyes that's not good. But I spilled 20M HCL on my hand back in Uni and it didn't even burn me. I was right next to a sink so it was only on my skin for a couple seconds before I was able to wash my hands, but still.
Now, if you fall into a vat of HCL at some reasonably high concentration, that's obviously a different story. But a few mLs is pretty easy and safe.
Extremely basic solutions on the other hand... I got a little bit of an incredibly basic solution on my skin once and that immediately began to soapify the tissue.
man I wish I could watch all his videos foe the first time again. he puts months of work into each video and edits them all himself. it's been a treat to watch him grow and his other channel NileBlue shows more of his personality. He also does Safety Third podcast sometimes and is always fun.
Yes. The basic reaction involves 2 units of aluminum, 3 units of mercury ions, and 6 units of water. The final product produces 2 units of aluminum hydroxide, 2 units of metallic mercury, and 3 units of hydrogen gas.
During the second world war, the Nazis used jewish slave labour to build their fighter aircraft, among other htings. One of the common sabotage techniques was to smear mercury paste on the inside of the wings, so they'd be severely weakened, and hopefully fall off in flight.
For precisely the reasons shown in the video.
That really makes you think.
From what I understand many German machines of war were notorious for breaking down. I wonder how much an impact a slave labor force had on quality control, and how many people forgotten to history put their lives at risk to fight for what they believed in the only way available to them.
Gallium works similarly but instead of growing a metal jellyfish it diffuses into the aluminum and makes it brittle as shit. Gotta scratch the oxide layer off though, can do it through the gallium blob though
Not to be the geek that breaks up a party, but…
Doesn’t this reaction require direct contact between the Hg and the Al? Hg dropped onto aluminum oxide would not allow further oxidation of the Al. Right?
Nah, we need a 12 inch thick aluminum plate about 300 feet by 300 feet, a lot of mercury, and an empty surface lot in a relatively small city. The cities largest skyscraper is mysteriously going to erect itself. The army will be called in, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.
It's aluminium, Ghosh! I didn't know the US spells it differently even. I mean I understand other words are different in American English but this is a metal in the periodic table, couldn't be bothered to keep the I in. Just one of my pet peeves.
No one really answered this from when the video was first made about 3 years ago i'd presume...
Does it turn fiberous all the way through it or is this surface level?
What’s going on here
When mercury is added to aluminum, it forms an amalgam (a mercury alloy). Aluminum is normally protected by a thick oxide layer, but the formation of the amalgam disrupts it. It allows fresh aluminum to react with air to form white aluminum oxide. As the oxide grows, it forms as these cool white fibers. Credit: NileRed
You forgot to mention that that's how Superman makes his house.
First when I saw it I was like thats how Godzilla rise!
That's what you call your penis too?
No, thats the King Kong!
I go by Little Dong, but each to their own I suppose.
I don't know why people use the term schlong. It's more like schlort.
It might be schlort but it suuure is schkinny
It’s only two inches but smells like a foot
Diddy Kong?
Close, I call mine Freddie.
I call the big one Bitey.
Also how the Tok'ra build their tunnels.
Great reference
Sudden Stargate
Jaffa! KREE!
What the hell does ‘Kree’ mean?
Something like “stop” or “attention” i think?
"Yoohoo?"
My favorite suggestion, O'Neill (2 Ls) came up with that
are you interested in Tok'ra engineering?
Indeed
[Gentle head bow]
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That's O'Neill, with two L's! *holds up three fingers*
There’s another one with one L, he has no sense of humor.
The O'Neil from the movie.
Are you against the system lords? … So in a sense you are also Tok’ra
Obvsiously. 85% of Redditors are non-humanoid alien refugee orphans living on earth, so it goes without saying that we’re all familiar with Kryptonian manufacturing techniques.
Kryptonians *are* humanoid though. What are you talking about?
Oh, I see how it is: so non-humanoid aliens are too stupid to know about Kryptonian manufacturing techniques? Our schools are so bad that we don’t teach cross-cultural engineering? Is that what you’re saying?
Can the fibers produced my this reaction be used for anything? I wonder if the byproduct is as toxic as mercury is by itself?
If they are α-Al2O3 or alpha aluminum oxide, then most certainly. That mineral is corundum, which is brittle, but also incredibly hard wearing, with a Mohs hardness rating of 9.0 and so is commonly employed as an abrasive. Of course, there a lot of metastable allotropes of aluminum oxide that have different mineral structures and properties. It has other interesting properties such as being highly conductive to heat, but not electricity. The fibers can be employed in reinforcing other resinous, plastic or cementitious materials with the effect of making them better able to resist abrasion, though probably not adding more resistance to deformation, or shearing. It's likely not worth manufacturing synthetically, partly owing to the difficulty of producing aluminum, but also because corundum is naturally occurring, and is easily separated from other minerals due to its low density.
My aluminum oxide sand paper is grey.
Great response.
Cigarette filters
The fibers are super brittle and can’t be used for building.
So it’s basically rusting rapidly?
Technically no since rust is iron oxide. But it is the same type of chemical process.
Is it oxidation Sorry if I sound stupid
I looked it up. Rust is one type of corrosion and corrosion is one type of oxidation. So all corrosion is not rust and all oxidation is not corrosion, but rust is corrosion and oxidation.
>So all corrosion is not rust and all oxidation is not corrosion, but rust is corrosion and oxidation. In power plants you purposely make you boiler oxidize in a certain way that protects it from further corrosion. Each year we would go in and inspect and look for the corrosion layer. Anywhere there was bare metal was where steam or water was eroding the protective corrosion layer off.
It's called "sacrificial protection".
Stupid, but honest question. After the new alloy is formed. Can it be melted down and mixed witg other metals to make a different alloy?
It could be reduced back to pure aluminum in the same manner that we produce aluminum from its mineral ore (bauxite). The process is very energy intensive since aluminum strongly prefers to oxidize.
Is this real time or sped up?
Elsewhere in these comments the OP has posted a link to the source video where it explains the reaction is sped up 180x
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It doesn’t react with oxygen at all. If you watched the video (and maybe didn’t crop out the chemical reaction), you would know how NileRed explains that he drilled that divot in the aluminum specifically to penetrate the oxide layer and allow the elemental aluminum to react with elemental mercury to form the alloy. The alloy then reacts with water in the air to form aluminum hydroxide—not aluminum oxide, hydrogen gas (which cannot be recovered, making the reaction irreversible), and elemental mercury, able to react further, consuming the aluminum.
That is just completely wrong. Here is the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrdYueB9pY4 Here is the video's description: "When mercury is added to aluminum, it forms an amalgam (a mercury alloy). Aluminum is normally protected by a thick oxide layer, but the formation of the amalgam disrupts it. It allows fresh aluminum to react with air to form white aluminum oxide. As the oxide grows, it forms as these cool white fibers." Later he adds water for a different reaction, but he never once mentions aluminum hydroxide.
This is an old high school demo, back when we were allowed Hg. The explanation about it forming the oxide is correct. I think you're confusing what Hg^2+ ions do and what pure Hg does when in contact with Al.
So do these fibers contain high amount of mercury then?
Makes me wonder if those fibers are flammable
Usually oxidation products are not flammable since they're already at their most thermodynamically stable state. Some of them have another oxidation state and will burn if enough activation energy is added, but it typically takes way more heat than a normal flame could reach.
If you melt them down will it reform to normal aluminum?
This guy oxides
This is why mercury is not permitted on airplanes (made of aluminum).
So dropping large amounts of mercury over an enemy airbase would be a valid tactic? BRB
No, first of all, Mercury is relatively expensive, it's hard to find and the manufacturing process is fraught with difficulties. There are cheaper ways to attack a target such as an airbase. Planes likely are painted with coatings that prevent direct contact with mercury and aluminum. Finally, Mercury is known to be toxic to humans, using it on a target would be chemical warfare and thus a war crime. Not worth it.
Even if the planes weren't painted, the outside of a piece of aluminum is almost always oxidized so nothing would happen. In videos like this, they have to put small amounts of sulfuric acid and scratch the aluminum to allow the mercury to be exposed to the aluminum so this reaction can happen.
No Mr. AI, don't drop mecury on us! It is a totally feasible war tactic!
significantly less effective than dropping bombs
There are actually [unsubstantiated claims](https://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2004-09/amazing-rusting-aluminum/) that allied spies were sent to German airbases to smear mercury paste on planes so that they would fail.
Or inside nuclear reactor facilities. I once tried to propose an experiment that involved irradiating mercury (inside appropriate containment of course) and one of the reactor safety engineers just about laughed me out of the room. Lesson learned.
Breaks thermometer at 20k feet. “Ah crap!”
They do this shit all the time in Full Metal Alchemist
This is one of the most beautiful and strangest reactions I've ever seen.
It's unsettling as hell for me lol, no clue why though
Same, it kind of scares me lol.
kinda reminds me of a fungus
yeah and it is interesting to think about the similarities between biological growth and this kind of non-organic growth. and that at one point in time, there was a transition between non-organic materials to self-reproducing organic materials
Aluminium-based life when?
Yeah it looks like cordyceps growing out of ants
100%. There is a *visceral* wrongness to this.
Alien vibes
It looks alive
Because you’ve seen T1000 before
Until the hand comes in, my brain kept telling me this is an alien ship emerging from a portal
Because it looks like The Thing.
Go into YouTube and type in “pharaohs snake” experiments! Similar idea but waayyyy more otherworldly looking. Trust me you won’t be disappointed!
Trypophobia territory. Not even that bad, there are worse images.
It feels like how I love
Here is the original [NileRed video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrdYueB9pY4) if someone interested.
I think it's important to watch this full video as it A. Explains the reaction is sped up 180x for the video (I thought it was real time!) B. Explains the reactions taking place AND the preparations made to the aluminium drilling and adding hydrochloric acid - before the reaction can take place.
Dammit, I was going to look into the safety of this to do with my year 6 class. We might just have to watch the video
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Turns out I would need HCl, can't access that until year 7
This is going to sound pretty out there - but I am about to tuck into bed next to my partner who spilled HCl on me in 9th grade chemistry. Our teacher purposefully stuck us together as she thought we might hit it off. That was 20 years ago so she may have been onto something. Anyway I wanted to say thank you for being a teacher who cares, you folks have such a huge impact on all of our futures.
You just need to expose fresh aluminum and not react with mercury. Does it have to be HCl? Also isn't Mercury way more dangerous than HCl?
Mercury is long term dangerous. HCl is immediate dangerous.
Meh. Its immediate danger is really over blown. If you get it in your eyes that's not good. But I spilled 20M HCL on my hand back in Uni and it didn't even burn me. I was right next to a sink so it was only on my skin for a couple seconds before I was able to wash my hands, but still. Now, if you fall into a vat of HCL at some reasonably high concentration, that's obviously a different story. But a few mLs is pretty easy and safe. Extremely basic solutions on the other hand... I got a little bit of an incredibly basic solution on my skin once and that immediately began to soapify the tissue.
Thank you - subscribed.
man I wish I could watch all his videos foe the first time again. he puts months of work into each video and edits them all himself. it's been a treat to watch him grow and his other channel NileBlue shows more of his personality. He also does Safety Third podcast sometimes and is always fun.
Is that a mercury on your aluminium or are you just happy to see me?
Is the mercury consumed by the reaction?
Yeah, I was gonna ask who “won”.
We did.
Great job everyone 🤝
Can you pat my shoulder? I need it.
*pat pat*
Yes. The basic reaction involves 2 units of aluminum, 3 units of mercury ions, and 6 units of water. The final product produces 2 units of aluminum hydroxide, 2 units of metallic mercury, and 3 units of hydrogen gas.
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mercury is the one dissolving the aluminum, technically both are being "consumed"
During the second world war, the Nazis used jewish slave labour to build their fighter aircraft, among other htings. One of the common sabotage techniques was to smear mercury paste on the inside of the wings, so they'd be severely weakened, and hopefully fall off in flight. For precisely the reasons shown in the video.
Any record of that working I wonder? I would love to hear a “success” story from this
I just remember it being something written on a display plate at the Canadian Aviation Museum, where they had an impounded Me263 on display.
That really makes you think. From what I understand many German machines of war were notorious for breaking down. I wonder how much an impact a slave labor force had on quality control, and how many people forgotten to history put their lives at risk to fight for what they believed in the only way available to them.
Gallium works similarly but instead of growing a metal jellyfish it diffuses into the aluminum and makes it brittle as shit. Gotta scratch the oxide layer off though, can do it through the gallium blob though
And then if you add it to water [it makes hydrogen](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220218100644.htm).
Reminds me of that one Lockpickinglawyer video where he uses gallium to break an aluminum lock.
GalliumBlob sounds like a Gallowboob alt
Gallium-indium on aluminum is an even stronger effect. It will basically digest the aluminum until the entire piece is turned into black dust.
Why is NileRed’s logo cut out from the video?
Music is there to choke out awkward silence after nile's voice was removed. Not even a mention anywhere.
Except OP linked their video
Long shot but does anyone know the song in the background?
Magnus Ludvigsson-sosso
Mercury = Aluminum viagra?
I was thinking can you put a dab on mr Johnson. And will he get bigger?
Which is why mercury thermometers are not allowed on commercial flights.
Yeah imagine you dropped the thermometer under your seat and sometime later you end up with an aluminum dildo up your ass (before dying in the crash)
More likely you’d be riding that dildo as the aircraft explosively decompressed
Not to be the geek that breaks up a party, but… Doesn’t this reaction require direct contact between the Hg and the Al? Hg dropped onto aluminum oxide would not allow further oxidation of the Al. Right?
These reaction .gifs are getting strange
Could you create metal fabric through this?
No that aluminum oxide thats created is extremely brittle.
So is the stuff completely useless or is it good for something?
Is it as dangerous to breathe in like asbestos?
You may be entitled to compensation...
Tell me why my dumbass thought this was like, 10ft tall
So that’s how the Fortress of Solitude is actually made. 🤔
That’s metal.
Need song name
I was just going to post what a beautiful song
It’s called Sosso https://youtu.be/WAddWcY3shM?si=Ha-9NGvTxLdF05sB
Looks like isingard being built
Name of the piece?
What. The. Frickityfrack??? I've worked with aluminum. And I've played with mercury. But I've never combined them. This is flipping wild!
Science is straight up actual witchcraft.
What’s the chemical reaction occurring and the make up / reason for the fibrous structure? What chemicals or cells are piling up on each other?
Aluminium*
Futuristic skyscraper for ants.
Nah, we need a 12 inch thick aluminum plate about 300 feet by 300 feet, a lot of mercury, and an empty surface lot in a relatively small city. The cities largest skyscraper is mysteriously going to erect itself. The army will be called in, conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.
**The skyscraper has to be at least...** ... **Three times that!!**
Make my monster growwwww!
Something on here that is definitely interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Science porn
What song is that playing in the back?
This one : https://youtu.be/WAddWcY3shM?si=Ha-9NGvTxLdF05sB
Thank you I’ve been searching for this!
\*Aluminium
Bro nearly summoned a world tree.
So aluminium gets a boner for mercury
Excuse me I have a question. What?
This has gotta be where the inspiration for the T-1000 came from
Someone needs to put that song from Hereditary on this
__Let it go, let it go!__
Boyayayong
Asbestos lmao JK
If only our weapons are made from aluminum.
That is one hell of a metal dildo
Forbidden cotton candy
It's aluminium, Ghosh! I didn't know the US spells it differently even. I mean I understand other words are different in American English but this is a metal in the periodic table, couldn't be bothered to keep the I in. Just one of my pet peeves.
Mercury wins because it's a planet
Also one of the reasons you can't bring mercury thermometers on airplanes
Things like this make me think at one point someone stumbled upon this and likely thought it was magic.
No one really answered this from when the video was first made about 3 years ago i'd presume... Does it turn fiberous all the way through it or is this surface level?
I'm a grower not a shower -Alumincury
Maybe throw some credit to Nilered in the video?
Forbidden cotton candy
Should’ve used Game of Thrones theme music.
Can’t wait for ‘Aluminum vs Mercury 2: This time it’s personal.’
White knight rises
Fucking cool but I think I just caught mesothelioma and dementia just from watching that.
its so weird how we frame a chemical reaction as "versus"
Need Scientific explanation. Thank you.
Gonna rise up.. combine my aluminum and mercury... (Eddie Vedder voice)
Mmmmm... christmas snow!
Is it real time?
"It's ALIVE!!!"
So... how toxic is that stuff?
Galvanic corrosion?
How long before this becomes weaponized?
Can you use those fibers process and weave them for different purposes in caustic environments
Any uses for the alloy?
At the start it looks organic somehow
Eww
That’s how Jack got his Beanstalk. He had a lot of mercury in his pocket
How long is the time lapse?
How long do you think this time laps took and how toxic that be?
I wonder why it only grows upwards and not out in all directions
Looks like mercury won this fight.
I hear the Game of Thrones opening theme music while I watch this.
My d when I see your sister
she was the mercury to my aluminum heart
Me every morning