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352

Chemists of Lemmy, how accurate is this likability table? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I'm pretty sure that licking pure magnesium would make your tongue explode too.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I would not be willing to lick calcium, too

[–] [email protected] 41 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Definitely not licking pure lithium, sodium, or any of the alkali (s-block) metals. My tongue is wet. That shit explodes in water, yo.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago

I wonder if you'd get a sort of leidenfrost effect limiting the extent of damage.

I'm not going to test that though.

[–] wolframhydroxide 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Magnesium is fine (see response above). https://invidious.darkness.services/watch?v=Q_4I30Nz_b0 Just don't vomit on it before you lick it, 'cause it'll get spicy with acid.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Mg is an alkaline earth metal, not an alkali metal. :). Still have zero desire whatsoever to eat elemental Mg.

But I did say s-block didn’t I. That’s on me, I set the bar too low.

[–] wolframhydroxide 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, the only reason I replied was because you were responding to the calcium dude above, then said "s-block". Just wanted to spread the good word of the 9th-most abundant element in the universe 🙏

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Frankly I’m amazed I even got as much of that right as I did. It’s been more than 20 years since I took a chemistry class—a lot of them—but still. It’s been a minute.

[–] wolframhydroxide 9 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I have elemental magnesium (4 ~50g ingots, I keep it in my library in a barely-sealed ziplock). it's shelf stable and doesn't react violently with water. Want me to try licking it and let you know? (hint: at worst it'll make a minuscule amount of milk of magnesia)

ETA: Would I stick my tongue in pyrophoric magnesium powder? No, and you wouldn't do that with pyrophoric aluminum or zinc powders, either, but that doesn't stop me from using (or licking) alumnum foil. Proof: https://invidious.darkness.services/watch?v=Q_4I30Nz_b0