"Pete Keillor" wrote
in message
...
On Tue, 21 Dec 2010 06:00:10 -0500,
lid wrote:

On Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:12:54 -0500, "Phil
Kangas"
wrote:

I'm going to try this url to see if it works.
This video is of mercury attacking aluminum.
Can you explain the reaction?
phil k.



http://tinyurl.com/286pl63




And now you know why it is illegal to bring
mercury filled
thermometers onto commercial aircraft flights.
Dave

Just a guess. If mercury alloys with or
dissolves aluminum, then the
dissolved aluminum would react rapidly with
oxygen to aluminum oxide,
and being dissolved be unable to form the tough
aluminum oxide coating
that normally stops this reaction. So the
aluminum is depleted in
solution, more dissoves, and so on.

Pete Keillor

So the mercury has a greater affinity for oxygen
than the
aluminum? What is the grey matter produced from
the
reaction? Is it a hazardous substance?
phil k.