On Tue, Nov 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM, John Berry <berry.joh...@gmail.com> wrote:
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. > These are all good points. I'm optimistic that beta decay can be sped up, but I'm not at all sure that such a process is applicable in this particular type of reaction. In addition to Na, here are some additional beta decays that could be sped up for aluminum and three more alkaline metals: e- + 40K => e- + ν + 40Ar + 1504 keV e- + 26Al => e- + ν + 26Mg + 4004 keV e- + 87Rb => e- + ν + 87Sr + 282 keV e- + 137Cs => e- + ν + 137Ba + 1176 keV e- + 137Cs => 2·e- + 2·ν + 137La + 595 keV e- + 135Cs => e- + ν + 135Ba + 269 keV It does not seem that such a process can account for Li exploding, which has no isotope which will lend itself to beta decay of some kind. So you are probably right that such a mechanism does not do a good job of explaining what is going on. However, if the rate of beta decay is increased in certain environments, it might be triggered in reactions of these kinds when the explosion has begun through other means. Thermite has aluminum in it, so the above reaction for aluminum could apply. That makes lithium the party crasher. Eric
