BG-42 Rust-O-Rama!

Doesn't the thermite reaction require sulfuric acid? I did it a few times in HS, but I don't remember it that well. Must have been all the Cl2 gas I inhaled that day the fume hood busted... :(
 
The trick with the thermite reaction is that you need to start it with something like burning magnesium. I used to mix magnesium filings with potassium nitrate (or black powder) for my igniter squib. If you couldn't find a nitrate or black powder you could just use match head filings. If you couldn't find magnesium bar stock you might be able to get by with aluminum filings or an auto flare.
 
Hi Jeff,
I think your point is vaild in principle and might occure between Ti hardware and steel if the conditions are right. TiN on the other hand is a pretty stable component and I doubed that you will get elemental Ti out of TiN. Even if the thermodynamics are right, the reaction is still likely to fail kinetically because of a tremendous activation barrier. As you say, you can oxidize Aluminum with iron oxid (the typical railroad welding). But for that to happen you have to pry the oxygen first from the iron, which requires about 1000 deg C (As you say, burning magnesia will initiate the reaction). I happen to know that you can pretty much forget about TiO2 (on which I am doing my research) as a galvanic element.

Aside from that, I hope that the manufacturere of the knife considered these things before they put the coating on the blade.
 
I'm about 99 percent certain that the TiN layer is porous on a microscopic level. In order for them to also be rust resistant the coating needs to be a multi step process with layers of some other material underneath to prevent corrosion, which the TiN is finally deposited on top of.
 
Can't light thermite with a match. Two methods I used were with a blow torch (not smart, bad to be that close when it ignites), and after smarting up, with magnesium strip.
 
bell said:
Does this mean my sebbie will rust if I go swimming in the ocean?
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Really, I have no idea. The Ti itself will definitely not rust (or oxidize). If you have a scratch that actually lays some elemental Ti blank, it will quickly oxidize to form a TiO2 layer. However in contrast to iron oxide, TiO2 is not porous, so once the oxide layer is form than thats it, no more oxidation.

Whether the S30V will survive a trip to the ocean? Beats me. And as Jeff pointed out, it is quite possible to create a galvanic cell between the handle and the blade if you have some conduction between the two (meaning no oxide layer).
 
Jeff Clark said:
DEA, My interest in chemicals goes back to trying to make fireworks
*snip*.
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heh, that's the same reason why i got into chemistry in the first place
lost my interest in 2nd yr of college because of the boring subjects
glad to know that other people like to make things go bang :)

thermite doesn't require h2so4 afaik, but if you have conc h2so4 i'm sure a drop will initate the reaction easily
i believe the titanium and nitrogen in TiN are pretty well bonded together, with N triple bonds
it'll take some doing to separate these 2

also, most metals oxidize, but only one rusts :)
iron oxide isn't porous on it's own
it's when you hydrate it to form rust that it starts flaking off and exposing the lower areas
iirc from my lessons the area that is exposed will not be the first area to rust, because it's the cathode

alright, enough random ramblings :D
 
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