Ammonium and other dichromates

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From: Robert W. Schramm (schrammrus@hotmail.com)
Date: 05/03/00-06:25:15 PM Z


I have enjoyed reading the discussion of the dangerous dichromates.

I have two comments. First, could not this discussion be extended
to a lot of other chemical compounds used in other processes (but
lets not go there). Second, sorry, but I don't buy the "one molecule"
theory. If one molecule was all it took, we would, my friends, all
be in deep doo doo by now. There are a lot of molecules in 1 gram
of ammonium dichromate.

And now an amusing story.

I first encountered ammonium dichromate many years ago before I got
interested in alternative process printing. A colleague invited me to
see a "demonstration volcano" one of his science ed students had built.

Into the top of a papier-mache "volcano" the student poured about
a handfull of orange crystals a lit them. They burned nicely and
formed a grey "volcanic ash" which spurted up in the air and
"rained down" on the "volcano." It was quite effective. I asked what
the orange crystal were and I was told it was ammonium dichromate.

Bob Schramm

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