[ExI] Ants to spike

[Eugen Leitl]

On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 12:59:39PM -0400, Brent Neal wrote:

> >So you think there was too little acetate ions to make lead acetate?
> 
> Could be, but i think it unlikely that you would digest PbCO3 (or PbO,  

You could. Just make sure you destroy the organic matrix; calcination
would do. But it's always a good idea to have a few chemicals in the 
house.

> or lead chromate) with an organic acid. You could check the solubility  

You don't need anything more for lead chromate than your eyes.

> products in the literature to be sure. I looked up lead paint, rather  
> than relying on memory. They used all three of the species I just  
> mentioned.
> 
> Always a good possibility. Being a physicist, I'd find a portable XRF  
> unit, or find a lab on campus that had one. XRF will give you proof  
> positive of the presence of significant quantities of lead, in any  
> oxidation state, in any compound. Hell of a lot easier than chemistry,  
> if you've got it. :D

It is strange what a physicist considers easier. I think 18th/19th
century qualitative analytics is hard to beat in speed and
simplicity.
 
-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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