When only a reefmaster will help. (Got your thinking cap?)

[unwired]

I was wondering if someone out there with a good mind for chemistry might be able to help me (and my daughter) out with a little scientific experiment.

Under normal circumstances we don't like to mix Klakwasser with CO2 b/c it causes Calcium Carbonate which isn't very soluble. However....

Our experiment isn't exactly saltwater reef in nature. We're looking to use a number of methods to petrify a piece of wood and I'm leaning on some of my reef knowledge to help get us there.

I read somewhere (Wood Turning website) that boiling wood actually opens its pours and will allow it to DRY up to 40% faster that it normally would. My idea it to first boil/soak a piece of wood and then try to subject it to a heavy kalkwasser solution. After some period, I'd try to expose that to CO2 and see how much I can get to stick within the hunk of wood. I'm not sure if heating the kalkwasser, or even CO2 mixture phase, would help or not but that's run across my mind as well (not sure how I'd do it though).

I'd be interested in seeing how much I could get a piece of wood to absorb and also how much would actually leech back out into water after I'm done.
If anyone has various types of petrified wood in their tanks I'd be curious about your own findings.

Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated.

PS - I'm also aware that lots of petrified objects have silica(quartz)and not calcium Carbonate (calcite) in them but seeing that the sicila is even more insoluble (something like a 1400C boiling point) I thought I'd try what I could feasible accomplish since I don't have a kiln handy.

 

[Boomer]

Yes, boiling wood will open up its pores, it is similar but not as effective as steam, as in how activated carbon is made. How big a pieces are you looking at ? If they are small, soak them in water and try drying them in the Microwave. Not in the house

Your experiment sounds interesting but not sure how well it well work. When you treat the wood with Calcium Hydroxide there are going to be reactions, as it is a strong base with a pH of over 12. When oxide of lime, which you want to use, Kalk, comes in contact with water, an intense, exothermic (heat producing) reaction occurs. Kalk is used allot in the wood industry for treating wood and paper. Never heard of been used to make "fossils". You would have to soak that wood for days in Kalk and then drive in CO2 under pressure to get the proper reaction, "fossil".


There are several processes that people have come up with in order to create artificial petrified wood.

Take a look at this

The process involves these steps:

1. Entry of silica in solution or as a colloid into the wood.
2. Penetration of silica into the cell walls of the wood's structure.
3. Progressive dissolving of the cell walls which are at the same time replaced by silica so that the wood's dimensional stability is maintained.
4. Silica deposition within the voids within the cellular wall framework structure.
5. Final hardening (lithification) by Drying out.

Hamilton Hicks has patented a chemical solution for rapidly petrifying wood. The solution consists of three components:

(1) commercial sodium silicate solution (the chemical known as "water glass", Na[2]Si[3]O[7]),
(2) "natural spring or volcanic mineral water" having high content of calcium, magnesium, manganese and other dissolved metal salts (this solution can be spiked in the laboratory with clay to increase metal ion content), and,
(3) an acid (citric or malic acid are recommended).

For artificial petrification to occur, there is some special technique in mixing these components in the correct proportions to get an "incipient jell condition". Some mixtures are suggested. One example of the new solution, on a volume basis, is given for 100 gallons of mixture as an example:

5 gallons of saturated mineral water as obtained from washing a large quantity of clay,
50 gallons of sodium silicate solution containing at least 15 percent sodium silicate in dry form, by weight,
45 gallons of highly mineralized water, such as spring or volcanic water,
1 ounce of a dilute acid having a pH of from 5.5 to 4.0.
Hicks writes:

Briefly summarized, the present invention is a sodium silicate solution adapted for application to wood and comprises mineral water and sodium silicate acidified to an incipient jelling condition. When applied to wood, the solution penetrates the wood.

The mineral water and sodium silicate are relatively proportioned so the solution is a liquid of stable viscosity and is acidified to the incipient jelling condition to a degree causing jelling after penetrating the wood, but not prior thereto. That is to say, the solution can be stored and shipped, but after application to the wood, jells in the wood. When its mineral content is high enough, the penetrated wood acquires the characteristics of petrified wood. The wood can no longer be made to burn even when exposed to moisture, or high humidity, for a prolonged period of time. The apparent petrification is obtained quickly by drying the wood.

The amount of acid in the solution appears to have a critical effect on the production of the jell phase within the cell structure of the wood. More acid induces jell formation.

The unique jelling of the solution, when penetrated in the wood, can be attributed to the fact that due to its acidification, the solution is almost ready to jell, and that when in the wood, jelling occurs due to further acidification by the acid or acids inherently present in wood, although evaporation may play its part. Wood thoroughly impregnated by this new solution as by repeated applications or submersions in the wood, after drying has all of the characteristics of petrified wood, and even its appearance.

 

[unwired]

Thanks Boomer. I have found other articles that likely quote Hicks but not with this much detail. I leaned away from Silica for testing his is has a real high boiling point and I left that I couldn't feasible do such a test without some serious equipment.

The calcium carbonate thing seemed much more plausible without tons of heat or pressure. In aquaria, a Kalk overdoes can cause a snowstorm, which means that the calcium carbonate can be created without and real heat or pressure. (Obv added heat or pressure will only help).

The idea I had was to soak a few different variaties of small wood pieces in a kalk solution for a few days. I was then going to use a small CO2 cylinder (from either a paintball gun or whip cream maker) and use a bulb line in to the container to inject the CO2 at room temperature.

I did devise another idea to inject the CO2 into the wood and trap it all in a ball jar and then throw it in the oven. My quesiton there is that I'm not a chemist and don't know what combining Calcium Hydroxide and CO2 yeilds. The "hydrox" piece scraes me b/c I could be releasing hydrogen molecules. Granted, I don't think I'll get any sparks in my oven but I'm not sure it's safe to bottle a canning jar with only CO2 gas and no liquid in an oven.

Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Boomer]

don't know what combining Calcium Hydroxide and CO2 yields

That is easy, limestone more or less, Calcite or Aragonite, what corals are made of / say, CaCO3.

Ca(OH)2 [kalk] + CO2 -----> CaCO3 + H2O.

Divers use granular Kalk to remove CO2 from their rebreathers. And some in this hobby use granular Kalk to remove the CO2 in the air before it enters the skimmer. An idea I put out many years ago on the old RC chem forum, along with other ideas Randy and I dreamed up.

No, no !! You put water soaked wood to dry it in the microwave only instead of boiling it and drying it. Then you soak the wood in Kalk for a few days, then inject the CO2. You can actually regenerated GAC somewhat by putting RO/DI soaked GAC in the microwave. Don't even think of putting wood soaked in Kalk, let alone CO2 and a glass jar = bomb

I said If they are small, soak them in water and try drying them in the Microwave. Note: the word Kalk is not there This will do a better job than boiling it, just try not to over cook it in the Microwave.


You can try I to see what happens.