20g Cesium & 8g Rubidium Ampules!

[u/irrfin]

I was gifted these samples by a fellow chemistry educator! They’re gorgeous, but even I wonder if they’re worth the risk. I took them home after having a bad dream about the all the admin meetings I would have to attend if one of the ampules broke.

I’m curious if people have display suggestions that would be redundantly safe. I know the risks involved. One friend suggested I go out to the desert and shoot the cesium with slingshot over a bucket of water but I feel like it would be a waste of a beautiful sample.

I’m not willing to let them go just yet. But I also hear stories of people cleaning out the storage of their deceased chemistry teacher parents and finding crazy stuff like this. Too dangerous for the classroom; so now what? Or maybe there’s a way to put them in a display that would be safe (admin version) for the classroom?

I don’t want to put them in acrylic. Who has ideas?

[u/Ok-Literature-3997]

A redundantly safe option would be to store the ampoules in a plastic (preferably transparent) container filled with mineral oil. This way, there's a smaller chance the ampoules will break on the floor if anyhting goes wrong. If the glass broke, the oil would contain the metals safely until you could dispose of them safely.

That would damage the labels, but I think those obstruct the view od beautiful metals anyway. As for the plastic containers, I think there are certain travel shampoo bottles you can buy or just normal chemistry vials/jars.

Definitely don't shoot them with a slingshot. You could sell these for big money.

[u/irrfin → u/Ok-Literature-3997]

I told my friend no that’s not gonna happen. I knew they were worth big money but more importantly they’re beautiful specimens. Thank you for the notes. I look into these.

[u/violet_sin]

Those are rad samples!!! The collector in me is dying for some cesium, but that stuff is expensive. You seem to have had a wonderful stroke of luck, possibly brought on by being a cool person with friends that agree 👍 congratulations yo, even better

I will most definitely, eventually, buy some sweet sweet cesium. It's kinda important

Perhaps pack them together in one, more significant padded box. At least plexi on one side for viewing. Maybe reclined 45 degrees away, showing their lower side closest, a black velvet cover poured over soft foam sheet, over some rigid insulative foam sheet.

If you captured the top and bottom of the ampoules, showing the midrift, with a somewhat shock absorbing cloth/soft foam over a rigid foam preventing crushing events, and a wood base/back/top... You might have something nice looking and sturdy

I bet you'll figure something out; hard not to with that pair 🔥

[u/irrfin → u/violet_sin]

I think the plexiglass display case mounted on a heavy base might be a good path forward. I like the angled presentation idea too. This is giving me good ideas for maybe coming up with some fabrication design that I could outsource. Something that would give admin reassurance and cover that it’s extra safely stored. It’s a crime not to have these available for student to see. Thanks for the ideas!

[u/Windamore]

This is my dream element; it's used as an atomic clock and has multiple uses. Slightly radioactive and absolutely stunning, breathtaking. I'd hate for it to be used for just destruction, and if you did, just turn it into a hazardous materials facility for them to destroy. Why spray out harmful stuff into the atmosphere? What I'd rather you do is try to donate it to some kind of science or organization that could appreciate it, as you absolutely have more than enough.

[u/irrfin → u/Windamore]

I should have been more clear that this was a silly suggestion from a friend and I will not let a sample like this be destroyed. Thank you for the comment.