DailyDirt: Metallic Royalty
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
Noble metals, such as gold and platinum, get their name from their rarity in occurrence and because they don’t easily oxidize or corrode when exposed to the atmosphere. It takes a highly corrosive mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid (aka, “aqua regia”) to dissolve gold or platinum. In fact, Aqua regia (which is Latin for “regal water”) is named for its ability to dissolve “noble” metals. Due to their desirable properties, noble metals have found use particularly in jewelry making as well as chemical catalysts. Here are a few examples of some recent findings related to noble metals.
- Researchers at Northwestern University have figured out how to use cornstarch instead of toxic cyanide to selectively extract gold from raw materials and electronic waste. Apparently, alpha-cyclodextrin (a cyclic starch fragment made of six glucose units) works best for isolating gold. [url]
- University of Helsinki researchers have concluded that silver nanoparticles aren’t any more toxic than silver ions for aquatic ecosystems. Since silver nanoparticles have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, they are used in many consumer goods like clothing, cosmetics, food storage containers, and medical devices. However, there have been concerns about the increased amount of silver being washed into the environment. [url]
- Scientists at Hokkaido University have developed a platinum nanoparticle catalyst that can keep fruit from ripening prematurely while in storage. Ripening fruit releases ethylene gas, which then accelerates the ripening of other fruit. The platinum nanoparticles were able to effectively oxidize ethylene even at zero degrees Celsius, which is the temperature required in cold storage warehouses. [url]
If you’d like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
Filed Under: catalyst, chemistry, cornstarch, cyclodextrins, fruit, gold, nanoparticles, noble metals, platinum, silver
Comments on “DailyDirt: Metallic Royalty”
will there be a run on cornstarch..?
when the price of gold goes up again?
Re: will there be a run on cornstarch..?
If so, will this link the price of food to the price of gold? That would be weird (especially for those who proponent a gold-backed currency). Not sure if it would be good or bad, but definitely weird.
Of course, they probably don’t use up all that much corn in the process, so it’s a moot point.
Prolonged Silver consumption or exposure causes Argyria.
If people start turning blue due to a contaminated environment that could be cool or horrible depending on your own views(bias) of the world.
Personally I don’t mind, is not like is deadly or anything is just different, but some people do care and they probably scream bloody murder if they turn blue.
About the ethylene thing, I wonder when someone will try to collect those gases that occur naturally and start stocking them up, they are useful, now that would be something cool.