Eric, if that's your theory, it should probably account for all the metals doing this though.
Under the right circumstances Aluminium, Iron (or thermite) all the alkaline metals at the very minimum explode with water or ice in the right circumstances. Consider too water arc explosions, it is likely the anomalously energetic explosions are a result of melting electrodes. John On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 11:32 AM, Eric Walker <eric.wal...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Mon, Nov 9, 2015 at 3:24 PM, John Berry <berry.joh...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Perhaps because of this breakthrough? >> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmlAYnFF_s8 >> > > The narrator identifies the explosion that occurs as sodium is dropped in > water as being due to a Coulomb explosion. I was personally thinking of > something different, perhaps related or perhaps not: > > e- + 22Na => e- + ν + 22Ne + 2843 keV > > Here we would have beta decay that is induced in a beta-unstable sodium > isotope, so that it happens more quickly than it usually does. Presumably > this would be brought about by the change in electronic environment on the > surface of the sodium mass as it is submerged. As the beta-decay proceeds, > high-energy electrons are ejected from the beta emitter into the > surrounding water. The colorful plasma that develops in some of the photos > could be Cherenkov radiation. > > Eric > >
