Thread: Periodic Table Display Case

Simpler to display the original and ancient periodic table, current when I was a boy in ancient Egypt.
Earth, Fire, Air and Water.

I finally got the display case installed. We had to clean the wall first.
I added a 3mm polycarbonate cover for obvious reasons.
Still a few more elements to install.

Originally Posted by Greyhawker16

Simpler to display the original and ancient periodic table, current when I was a boy in ancient Egypt.
Earth, Fire, Air and Water.

You were "a boy in ancient Egypt"? Wow!

Good points..... Capturing and displaying fire is a bit tricky tho'

Originally Posted by jack620

I finally got the display case installed. We had to clean the wall first.
I added a 3mm polycarbonate cover for obvious reasons.
Still a few more elements to install.

Looks fantastic!! well done, love it.

Which elements are you missing? (assuming you gave the gases a miss)
Where did you get the metallic elements from? I believe most can be bought nowdays except the radioactive ones.

Euge

As a retired chemist, such a project has always appealed to me as a display

Originally Posted by Euge

Which elements are you missing? (assuming you gave the gases a miss)
Where did you get the metallic element from?

Thanks Euge. Some of the gases are in the display in small vials. Some are just empty vials (who's going to know?).
Most of the metals have been in the lab for years. Titanium and zirconium are missing, but I have those in my workshop so I'll donate a small piece of each. The radioactive ones are mostly empty jars with a radioactive symbol in them.

Since you're a retired chemist I'll let you work out which ones are missing from the photo!

Assumed the gases would be empty vials. Chlorine may just be visible in a larger vial and Bromine would be nice with a little liquid.
Yes, best to leave the radioactive ones alone. I would even omit thorium. Are you displaying salts or oxides of elements?

I've bought a few elements over the years out of curiosity so that's why I thought it would be nice to display them. If I have some as spares I will let you know.
Previously I just looked at the thumbnails but now I'm am drawn to have a closer look at the symbols.

I was a organic chemist so this interest in the elements goes way way back .... to my childhood, but resurrected when I retired and found elements were available from various sources and was curious.

Cheers

PS: I note the curious anatomical symbol on the wall behind the first image
Had a quick look but could not see symbols for elements. I hope one day a woodworker may be will to make a similar item for me as Im not a woodworker

Originally Posted by Euge

Had a quick look but could not see symbols for elements.

Euge,
the symbols are on stickers which are stuck to back of each jar.

Jack, with the tools I have, I can just see the stickers but not well enough to discern the symbols.

I don't think I can help you Jack as you have so many. Here is one supplier I found that provides them in a nice form
https://www.rwmmint.com/
Alex, yes that a nice song but too much for me to absorb now.

If you can't or don't want to use some toxic radioactive elements using an common item that has some of that element in it would be of some value.
EG
TIG tips could go into the Tungsten and Thorium boxes.
Incandescent Light globes have Ar in them.
A very old luminescent watch might have Radium paint in the numbers.

Somewher in the collection of specimens that I've inherited from 5 generations of miners is some uranium or from Rum Jungle. Also, a small sample piece of Tungsten, smelted from ore from King Island Scheelite. Dad was there for start-up of the mine.

Thanks everyone. There are some nice metal samples on that website Euge. I might give the Iridium a miss at US$1895/ounce!

Bob, I was thinking of doing what you suggest. For tungsten I was going to cheat and use tungsten carbide. I believe smoke detectors have a grain of Americium in them. You can get luminescent vials with tritium in them. There are probably other everyday items with difficult to source elements in them.

Originally Posted by jack620

Thanks everyone.
Bob, I was thinking of doing what you suggest. For tungsten I was going to cheat and use tungsten carbide.

Why not - good one

I believe smoke detectors have a grain of Americium in them.

Yes some of them do. You need to look for the ones with a radiation hazard sign on them.

You can get luminescent vials with tritium in them.[

H3 is is a very rare Isotope of H so not a good indicator of Hydrogen but it would create a taking point.

If I was still at uni I would have been able to get your samples of most of them. We had a suitcase size box with a hundred compartments with samples of all bar a few. However, now that I am not there I doubt they would give me any.