Re: AboutSalts

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Laurence Davis by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <meknar-at-hotmail-dot-com>

I was bored last night and tried "burning" salt and other stuff
with just a 15kv nst.  (cos i couldn't get salt to 'ignite' on my coil)
it was sort of orangish yellow.  plus other stuff like sugar and baking 
soda. if i had epsom salts i'd use that too. (having the urge to run to the 
store :)  I would guess the arc contains enough heat to burn the salts; just 
like tossing it in a fire or blow torch.

i basically put one wire in a pile of salt and the other hv lead above it.  
it took a little while to get them close enough to arc.  before they arced, 
the corona made the salt 'bounce' out of the container all over my table.

tried to 'burn' water. sounds funny doesn't it?  ok it didn't work.  i 
thought it'd be neat to see an arc through the water.  when that didn't 
work... i tried one electrode in the water and one above, and before it 
arced, the corona caused the water to 'dimple.'  as if the HV lead out of 
the water was 'pushing' on the water.

my two cents. (okay a bit more than 2. :)

larry d.

>From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: AboutSalts
>Date: Sat, 20 Jul 2002 12:46:23 -0600
>
>Original poster: "cd by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
><vbprg1-at-hotmail-dot-com>
>
>A question about salts
>
>I have some epsom salt. I think its mgso4
>my question is will this work for producing colored arcs?
>I know mg makes very bright/hot flame when burnt.
>Im guessing it may not be safe to use...
>
>Also I am wondering what is the scientific explanation of this effect...
>my guess is
>The very high voltage discharges are vaporizing the wet salt. The vapors
>then burn to create what ever color the burning elements in the salt
>produce.
>I am wondering if the vaporization is due to heat (my coil seems to produce
>very little to no heat, by the time I unplug and discharge/ground caps no
>heat is detectable on any component), or if there is some type of
>Ionic(ionic/covalent? been ahwile ) bond break down in the salts. Is there 
>a
>separation of the salts elements from HV electrical Ionization into their
>flamable components? If we used table salt as an example does the sodium
>seperate from the chlorine? Is the orange from sodium burning?
>Or am I way off here.....?
>
>Is there a color chart posted on the net somewhere?
>Like a color key for a gas chromatigraph?
>Does a gas chromatigraph use an electrical charge to vaporize elements that
>only burn at high temperatures?
>
>Chris Dowdy