User talk:Smokefoot
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For older stuff, see User talk:Smokefoot/TalkArch1, User talk:Smokefoot/TalkArch2
[edit] Lead(II) nitrate, back to FA?
Hi, Smokefoot, I've copy-edited the lead(II) nitrate article from the Chemicals wikiproject, after it was recentely demoted from its FA-status. In this, you contributed to the voting process. Would you please be so kind as to provide feedback in its now running FA re-candidacy? Wim van Dorst (talk) 19:13, 31 December 2007 (UTC).
[edit] Beefy_SAFC Revision of 'molybdenum disulfide'
Smokefoot, I'll not reapply any of my edits without discussing with you first - I will await your reply before doing anything. I was trying to tidy up the article and make clear a few points, plus one new development I was aware of. For example, whilst oxidation of MoS2 does restrict it's use, this is still superior to oil-based liquid lubricants. Also, I feel the Vietnam War stuff needs to be put under a sub-heading of 'Military and Ballistic' uses, as that paragraph appears then the article switches back to an industrial use. If you like, look at my text and apply edits of your own. Regards, Ian (Beefy_SAFC).
[edit] MoS2
I might have messed up, sorry for the deletion on MoS2. These articles draw a lot of drive-by edits for vanity or nut cases, so I pulled the trigger too fast. Apologies. --Smokefoot (talk) 15:25, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Beefy_SAFC Revision of 'molybdenum disulfide' (2)
Tis okay, I'll restore my edits in that case. I've done more wear science than I care to admit (to the point it's boring me senseless, TBH). I just felt the item needed updating and tidying up. Regards, Ian (Beefy_SAFC).
[edit] Solid-state chemistry
Hi Smokefoot, I have been adding some content to this page, as well as quite a bit on paramagnetism, space group and magnetic structure. I'd value your critical attention. I also wonder how to better integrate the bits and pieces that are already there on this kind of topics. A lot of it seems rather scattered around. Jcwf (talk) 19:51, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Azurite
Please reconsider your recent huge reduction of the article on Azurite. In your efforts to remove froth I believe you also removed a considerable amount of useful and non-trivial content.
Sincerely,
Terry Bollinger (talk) 03:13, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] re:Lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, magnesium... all react spontaneously with oxygen ... to form oxides..." Is that true?
Are you sure? The situation is probably more complicated than indicated by the statement. Also, "spontaneously" has a tricky meaning. Etc etc. It might be worth reading up on M + O2 reactions. Describing the reality can get complicated though, I realize
I am not sure where did you learn chemistry, but they actually do. Even Aluminum reacts spontaneously with oxygen, forming a protective oxide layer, and aluminum is not even close as reactive as any of the group 1 or 2 elements.Nergaal (talk) 18:17, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
- Thanks for the tips, but my point wass to encourage you not to simply recall, but to be sure of the details. The action of O2 on alkali metals is complicated. These reactions do not always afford the binary oxides, at least not in all cases. Suboxides and peroxides are also formed. One has to really beat on some of these reactions to complete the conversion to the oxides. And my point about "spontaneously" is that to the normal ear, this word means fast, but to a chemist's ear, it means thermodynamically favorable (and possibly excruciatingly slow). Yes, most metals react spontaneously with O2, but the process can require eons. E.g. Mg. etc. Oh well, I get the sense this conversation is going nowhere--Smokefoot (talk) 18:43, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
-
- I think it's just a matter of precision. It seems to me that Nergaal is using "oxide" loosely to include superoxides, peroxides, etc. I don't think that's necessarily wrong, but perhaps the phrasing could be made more explicit. Regarding spontaneity, it may be a case of saying the truth but not "the whole truth", as indeed most metals react spontaneously with oxygen in the thermodynamic sense. Yet the alkali metals are special in that they react readily enough that one needs to worry about it and keep them away from oxygen... --Itub (talk) 19:05, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
- It's a matter, not of precision, but of truthiness. The idea, firmly instilled into many enthusiasts - me at one time - is that sodium and potassium quickly and simply convert to binary oxides (nonsense at RT), whereas most of the reactivity and the fireworks is associated with water. The article is about oxides, not hydroxides. Na2O and K2O are highly unusual species, but their unusual character goes un-noticed because of this kind of imprecision/folklore. Virtually all elements will spontaneously burn in oxygen, most dangerously so, so what is the point of highlighting the alkali metals and alkine earth metals? Many are impressed by a sodium fires but don't take the time to figure out what is really happening. There is also the myth that binary oxides of the alkali metals are pervasive, when they are rarities.
[edit] Happy (Old) New Year!
[edit] Project 08
Is it thallium(III) ethoxide or thallium(I) ethoxide? I found no hint for the (III).--Stone (talk) 09:07, 15 January 2008 (UTC)
- Yes, Tl(I) is what I had in mind. Thanks for catching this mistake because it would be tricky to write an article on an non-existent cmpd.--Smokefoot (talk) 04:57, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Writing projects
Happy new year!
I was looking at your list of topics for writing projects. I've made images for some of them already, for example Commons:Category:Chlorodiphenylphosphine, Commons:Image:Roussin's-red-salt-anion-3D-balls.png, Commons:Image:Roussin's-black-salt-anion-3D-balls.png and Commons:Category:Methyl isocyanide.
I'm happy to make images for the other compounds, but I'll only do so if it's OK with you and won't interfere negatively with the projects. If any of your students find papers with structural data in, you can of course send me a link or the data itself and I'll whip up a 3D pic.
Cheers
Ben (talk) 18:20, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
- Now that is service - and free! I recommend waiting a little to see what happens, because these assignments/suggestions are still changing a little. Also I dont know what their reaction will be this year.--Smokefoot (talk) 04:57, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
OK, not a problem.
Let me know if and when!
Cheers
Ben (talk) 15:52, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Re re Molecular Geometry Infoboxes
I'm acting under someone else's premise. This is a chemistry class project. To be honest I don't know much about hybridisation (though I know enough to correctly label the hybridisation of various geometries) and it wasn't my idea to put it in the infobox. Additionally, my chemistry teacher will cook me if those boxes aren't up. I'm not sure of your reference material, but my textbook at least makes mention of orbital hybridisation. What in particular are you suggesting we list instead? I can make the template edit any time.The Valid One (talk) 04:50, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
Unfortunately, heavy editing is unlikely to be resumed until Tuesday (the next day I have school) because of Martin Luther King Day. And, since I am indeed a first-year chemistry student (as was relatively apparent), I'm unable to contribute much more to the infobox, though I'm likely one of the best chemistry students in my grade. Thank you for your tips as well as insight. I'll keep the freon articles in mind, as they could potentially be workable for me at a later time period.·· TVOtalk 06:04, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
What exactly do you find so misleading and confusing? It seems to me that all you're arguing is that you don't like VSEPR and that you disagree with such things. If you can actually back up your argument with something instead of stating that you don't like it then perhaps something would actually be done. Besides, those pages are based primarily on VSEPR anyway, so saying that the boxes rely too heavily on VSEPR is basically saying you think all those pages contain primarily wrong information.·· TVOtalk 19:27, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Linear (N/A)
Mate, you seem like a sensible chap who knows a little about chemistry(!). Could you have a look at Linear (N/A) and see if you think he's made it all up, like I do? Thanks, Chris (talk) 20:45, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
Hey Smokefoot! I was wondering if we could keep the molecular geometry section in the diatomic article. As much as it may seem irrelevant to the diatomic page, it needs to be somewhere. It is crucial to completing the set on molecular geometry. As there are sources now, I certainly am not making this up. Jokermole (talk) 15:49, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Agostic
hey Smokez, thanks for your contributions/advice. I am a high school student, so i suppose my edits are on the amature level. I have taken up the task of editing the agostic interaction page for a project. Can you please send me the Kubas article. My email is amarkov@rams.micds.org. Cheers mate! —Preceding unsigned comment added by MarkovianRule (talk • contribs) 17:37, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
[edit] MoS2
Smokefoot, I've reintorduced the 'Future Developments' in MoS2. As I commented earlier, I've been heavily involved in wear science and feel that perhaps a mention of the oxide phenomena I talked about should be made. One of the reasons it was pursued is because of the upper limit of 350°C for MoS2 and it is of academic interest to wear scientists (I said this in an earlier edit).
That said, you're right in that it's not the place to discuss the issue and the compacted oxide phenomena does have it's own page with comprehensive discussion. Therefore mention of it is now as brief as possible with link to page if anyone wants to look.
If you wish to discuss, I can be contacted at beefnetuk@yahoo.co.uk .
—Preceding unsigned comment added by Beefy_SAFC (talk • contribs) 12:20, 10 February 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Pyrite
What made you think I overwikified Pyrite article? When chemical marks are wikified people can easily see what they are by touching them. I didn't wikify same things twice except Fe and S because they appeared again far down in another section with other marks. Best regards Rhanyeia♥♫ 07:40, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Bisphenol A
Your change to Bisphenol A on 2008-01-06T03:36:13
You say: fix chemistry and copy edit the rest. However, you added:
==Safety aspects== See http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/BI/bisphenol_A.html With a low toxicity and negligible skin permeability, bisphenols are sufficiently safe that they are used as antioxidants in cosmetics and foods.
Pretty funky! Considering over hundred studies showing serious adverse effects, and also that page you added says: Causes severe eye irritation. Skin and respiratory irritant. May be harmful - toxicology not fully investigated. Experimental teratogen. May affect fertility. May cause sensitization.
In your opinion 0.025 µg/kg/day is "low toxicity"? And can you tell more about their usage in cosmetics and foods? You did not add references. --Bork (talk) 01:18, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
[edit] NaF
Thanks for your detailed explanation on why you removed an edit on Sodium Fluoride. I un-reverted it because it seemed odd that an paragraph with citations was removed, but now that you explained your reasoning, I completely agree with you. Thanks, ---AM088 (talk) 02:29, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Your kids
Hey there
Just a note to tell you that I've responded at my talk here. --Rifleman 82 (talk) 04:17, 28 February 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Roussin, M. L.
Hi smokefoot, the article about Roussin's Red Salt states that its F. Z. Roussin, but the reference from 1858 says Roussin, M. L.--Stone (talk) 16:54, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
- Thanks for catching that glitch. I'll pass on the info. --Smokefoot (talk) 18:54, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Re: FeCl3 + Cl2
There are a couple different ways it is thought of. Some textbooks teach the neutral AlCl5 structure that I added last night. Others teach an [FeCl4]-[Cl]+ structure in which the aromatic pi electrons attack the [Cl]+ species and the [AlCl4]- abstracts the proton to regenrate the catalyst.
At any rate, in the nuetral AlCl5 structure, it would indeed seem as if the positively charged Cl is the one which would be subject to pi electron attack; however, from what I believe, this positive charge on the very electronegative chlorine substantially polarizes the "nuetral" chlorine making it the actual electrophilic species. I will change my additions to account for both ideas on the mechanism. I appreciate your contact.Steviedpeele (talk) 18:18, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Gentle reminder
Welcome to Wikipedia. It might not have been your intention, but your recent edit removed content from Fluoride. When removing text, please specify a reason in the edit summary and discuss edits that are likely to be controversial on the article's talk page. If this was a mistake, don't worry; the text has been restored, as you can see from the page history. Take a look at the welcome page to learn more about contributing to this encyclopedia, and if you would like to experiment, please use the sandbox. Thank you. --AeronM (talk) 02:43, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
- FYI, AeronM is the same editor who inserted the material you (rightly) removed from the fluoride article. AeronM's claim that you vandalized the article is spurious, and is one in a pattern of similar accusations. · jersyko talk 03:50, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Dppp
Perhaps you'd like your students to write one on dppp to complete the important members of the dppx (x = m, e, p, f, etc.) series? --Rifleman 82 (talk) 16:26, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Sodium amide
Hi Smoke,
I've finally uploaded all the images I made of NaNH2's crystal structure.
I've only added one of them to the article, the rest are at Commons:Category:Sodium amide.
Cheers
Ben (talk) 18:38, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
- I use a Mac for everything except making the raw images - I use an old PC for that. It's a bit frustrating that they don't have a Mac version of DS Visualizer. I have Spartan for Mac, but the images it generates are not as clear, unless you want to show orbitals.
[edit] Dicarbonyltris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium (0)
Mate, I've just found this article. It's a mess, but could do with a chembox - could you do that? (because I don't know how!). I've just spent ages changing it all from maths type into wikified chemical notation, but I'm not sure whether it needs all that synthetic stuff or not. However, having spent so long doing it, I'm reluctant to lose most of it! It's been untouched since 2006, which must be some kind of record. Cheers, Chris (talk) 22:10, 2 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Tricresyl phosphate
Thanks for the message about removing my edits from the TCP article. I was working on finding some good citations at the time. I might just put a short sentence with a link to a page such as bleed air or jet lag.
However, I thought that the "could tax your will power" was a tad harsh for what after all was a good-faith edit to which I was about to add some citations. ANHL (talk) 08:26, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
- let me know if you have a problem with the current revision. I understand that this is your demesne so I will be open to criticism or advice on the TCP article. Many thanks.ANHL (talk) 13:30, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Fluoride toxicity
Why so much emphasis in saying that it is only "mildly" toxic? While I agree that a lethal dose > 1 g could reasonably called "mild", it is an arbitrary distinction. Who sets the limits between nontoxic, mildly toxic, toxic, highly toxic, extremely toxic, etc.? My suggestion is to avoid any such labels and just give the numbers, unless you are getting the label from an authority such as a standards organization or government (in which case it would be a good idea to cite it). Consider that NaF is called "toxic" by EU standards, if the infobox at sodium fluoride is correct. It has a 3 in the NFPA scale from 0 to 4 (although some sources give it a 2; I haven't checked to see if there is an authoritative NFPA source I can check). JT Baker even calls it "severe (poison)".[1] Sure, as chemists we may feel that MSDSs tend to err in the side of exaggeration, because we don't tend to eat the chemicals we work with, and we usually work with small amounts, so NaF doesn't seem like a big deal. But it is toxic. Not as much as botulinum toxin, or even good ol' cyanide, but still toxic. About a couple of orders of magnitude more toxic than table salt, for example. Table salt has also been used for suicide, but it is way less likely to cause accidental deaths, because it is much less toxic than NaF. --Itub (talk) 15:56, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
- I've replied to your message in my talk page to try to keep the whole thread in one place. If you don't have it in your watchlist, please let me know and I'll post a notice here if I reply there again. --Itub (talk) 10:22, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] DIBAL
Hi Smoke,
User:130.160.28.217 has just removed a paragraph from diisobutylaluminium hydride, with an edit summary stating that DIBAL is not a dimer, but they did not give any evidence to support their claim.
I searched Google Scholar for the crystal structure of the compound but could not find it. I also tried to look at the references provided in the article, but those particular ones are not accessible online through my university network.
Do you have a reference confirming that DIBAL is dimeric? Might be easier to just reference, rather than starting a revert war. If you find the crystal structure on your travels, I'll be happy to make an image based on it.
Cheers!
Ben (talk) 21:51, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Ligand
Thanks for the catch on linear binding of O2. I was pretty sure I had seen a talk where the speaker claimed to have linear O2 and I was going to check on it next time I was in the office. But nitric oxide is better example of linear/bent even if I can come up with an obscure speculative report on linear O2.--OMCV (talk) 17:14, 29 March 2008 (UTC)
- Thanks for improving Transition metal hydrides. I'm also glad that you approve of what I did with Ligand. I was hesitant to work on such a established page with such a long history. Let me know if you see anythinig that I might be able to help with.--OMCV (talk) 05:46, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Asparagus
I suppose it's unlikely that a chemist, even a botanist, would be that interested in classic 20th Century French literature. And your tidy up seems very worthwhile. But it's a shame that you have now tidied away Marcel Proust entirely from this article, presumably on the grounds of irrelevance. The interest (obsession even) that Charles Swann has with asparagus goes far beyond the chamber pot (see my note in Asparagus talk). Perhaps you are worried that Proust will have us rambling off through the asparagus patch into World War One and various sexual perversions, unless you put your organic chemist's foot down? But I feel the article is now the poorer for that deletion. Martinevans123 (talk) 15:29, 6 April 2008 (UTC)
- Thanks for the reply. I missed that Marcel and his pot had slipped down to the bottom. Asparagus trivia must be even harder to find than a perfumed French chamber-pot! So who knows. I must admit that the line on its own sounds like a very odd accusation indeed, so maybe a reference back up to the sub-section might be useful? Whatever. I'm glad that even organic chemists can have a sense of humour. Martinevans123 (talk) 16:07, 6 April 2008 (UTC)
-
- I think the article looks much improved by your edits and the Asparagus and urine section now looks just right. Martinevans123 (talk) 19:31, 6 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Dielectric Properties of SF6?
Hi Smokefoot, my father has asked me to forward the following to you since I have a Wikipedia account already set up. If you could please respond to him at "hkieffer(at)charter.net", any help you might have in this matter would be appreciated. Thanks!
I encountered your handle through the Wikipedia entry on Sulfur hexafluoride.I have a serious question and am hoping you can point me in the right direction. I have asked my son to help make initial contact, as he has a WP account and is much more fluent in the ways of the web. NASA is now building a large rover to be launched to Mars in late 2009. This rover is powered by a Radioisotope Thermal Generator (RTG) heated by Pu-244. It also carries a pulsed neutron generator (Dynamical Albedo of Neutrons, DAN) used to measure sub-surface properties. DAN produces pulses of 1.E7 14 MEV neutrons in about a microsecond. The X-ray diffraction instrument uses Sulfur hexafluoride as electrical insulation in the 25kV power supply. As a review board member, I asked if the neutron flux from these two sources might affect the dielectric properties of SF6. I have found no information on this. Do you have any information on this, or can you point me to someone who might know? Thanks for your time. PS. I was once a UCLA professor of geophysics, then with the US Geological Survey Astrogeology group, now "retired" and helping NASA with Mars missions. Hugh H. Kieffer ........... Celestial Reasonings 180 Snowshoe Lane ....... Voice & Fax 775-782-0767
--Broofa (talk) 22:12, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Venketa Parthasarathy
You didn't properly list Venketa Parthasarathy under Articles for deletion. In other words, no actual discussion page was made. The proper AfD process is listed here. Just thought I'd let you know. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshells•Otter chirps) 18:27, 13 April 2008 (UTC)
- You got all the steps in now. Ten Pound Hammer and his otters • (Broken clamshells•Otter chirps) 19:08, 13 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Tren, again
Thanks for adding an article on tren. Overdue and a great start. I added some information and edited some of yours, so I hope that you are okay with that. All organonitrogen compounds when combusted release CO and NOx, so we usually do not mention this aspect (or we'd need to expand the warnings on hundreds of articles on organoN species). Also, tren is colourless. Samples might appear yellow or brown, but tren is colourless. I'd appreciate it if you'd look over the coordination chem part that I added for clarity and typo's. It would be nice to say something more about ATR, but I dont think that tren is really used as much as the permethylated amines.--Smokefoot (talk) 19:45, 19 April 2008 (UTC)
- Hey Smokefoot, Your edits are great! I'm not trained as a chemist, so I'll defer to your expertise. Thanks for the help. Kindest regards, AlphaEta 00:26, 20 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Rollback
I have added the rollback feature to your user account, and to those other trusted Wikipedia chemists. I hope this helps with reverting any vandalism or other inappropriate edits you come across. (If you do not want rollback, just let me know, and I'll remove it.) -- Ed (Edgar181) 18:25, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] WP:SUP
Hey Smokefoot
I'm not sure if you're aware of this page, but this might be of interest to you. Cheers! --Rifleman 82 (talk) 06:02, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
[edit] potassium manganite
Hi there, I have been adding some Mn oxides and came across this page, and I have a few problems with it.
I can find no references to K4MnO4 in the solid state, which was not surprising as Mn(IV) is traditionally considered to be unstable (notwithstanding MnO2 of course!) and not many are known. Dissolving MnO2 in conc alkali gives MnO44− in solution. Reacting MnO2 in fused oxide e.g. K2O gives a series of so-called "manganites" e.g. KMnO3, which are actually mixed oxides and do not contain a recognisable anionic MnOx unit.
I am not a great fan of traditional naming of manganese compounds as the old timers didn't understand oxidation numbers or all of oxidation states of Mn when they went for the -ous -ic, -ite -ate style of nomenclature-- in this case IUPAC did us all a favour, so for me the series of MnO4 anions would be manganate(IV) etc - so much simpler and unambiguous Axiosaurus (talk) 14:14, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
- Ok I'll ask for this article to be deleted. I never tried KMnO4 as described, its a much more complex solution chemistry than I would have expected, I just assumed it was all about insoluble MnO2- I thought vanadium and molybdenum had all the pretty colours. BTW I enjoyed your antimony tetroxide article, (I made a few tweaks on grammar etc couldn't resist it), yet another interesting structure that I knew nothing about! Oh have a look at Manganese(III) oxide - I'm filling the gaps on oxides, their structures and physical properties - I ran out of ideas on uses. Regards.. Axiosaurus (talk) 18:06, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Wilhelm Michler
Wilhelm Michler deserved it to have a good article! Thanks!!--Stone (talk) 00:04, 11 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] (Permanent) Leave is not an option
So welcome back soon! You are one of the backbones of the chemistry in Wikipedia!--Stone (talk) 21:33, 27 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Chemistry Bond Star
Hear hear! Illegitimi non carborundum.
Ben (talk) 20:16, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
Yeah from me too, I happened to notice the grief you'd been given a little while ago. Keep it up. Freestyle-69 (talk) 07:48, 4 June 2008 (UTC)
- It seems that I'm not the only one that has noticed that ... "without Smokefoot there is fire!" :) -- Quantockgoblin (talk) 13:05, 4 June 2008 (UTC)
[edit] lithium nitride
Good to see you back!
I see you have altered the Li3N page to "downplay" the ionic nature and imply a "sheet anion" . The refs I have (and they are quite old so there may be more recent stuff), indicate that the bonding is ionic rather than covalent- see doi:10.1107/S0567739478002041 and {doi|10.1006/jssc.1996.7196 }} --Axiosaurus (talk) 08:07, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
[edit] H2SiF6
Interesting you should bring up this "molecule" ... A quick literature search suggests that so far no one has attempted to isolate anything resembling "hexafluorosilicic acid". A quick shot with a mass spec shows a peak at 143 with the proper 29Si peak at 144, but there are lots of +(HF) and -(HF) peaks also. I've been considering what kind of experiment might "isolate" H2SiF6 as an actual molecule, or provide good evidence that such a species does not exist. I think I'm going to try to find someone to sponsor a matrix isolation experiment.
Funny how curiosity leads us into such strange pathways. NReitzel (talk) 20:21, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

