Eight 1500mL bottles of water (1000mL = aproximately 1 quart) , sent to me on 8-25-10 by B.J. a TorC friend, that were received 8-27-10 and testing beginning 8-29-10. Some of the bottles got damaged during transit from NM to GA. Fortunately there were no leakers.
The mercury thermometer is shown to illustrate temperature control.
New 1000 mL beakers were used for these water samples to minimize/eliminate potential contamination.
The beaker on hot plate contains what is left of the original 1000 mL from bottle # 1 that has not yet completely evaporated, which illustrates the procedure utilized for the other bottles of water.
The temperature during the evaporation procedure is maintained at 165 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid mechanical losses, as well as avoiding volatility losses of thallium.
Bottles 1, 2, 7 & 8 are drinking water and bottles 3, 4, 5 & 6 were collected from a few of TorC’s hot springs.
Notice that the water in all bottles appears to be crystal clear.
Bottle # 1 is from a home in Williamsburg, NM area collected from the kitchen sink faucet via private well.
It appears that the pH of bottle #1 is almost a neutral 7.
After 17 hours of evaporation this dried residue remained in this porcelain dish.
There is a slight yellow tint near center of the final dry area.
Note: When cleaning the beaker with concentrated HCl, after decanting the last 100mL from the beaker to this ceramic evaporating dish there was a slight odor of sulfur, suggesting sulphides or sulfates.
I won’t continue including pictures of the porcelain evaporating bowel because this sample is like all the rest of remaining tests.
The dried residue/super-saturated crystals from bottle # 1, in a Petri dish.
At this stage of testing I presume that most of these concentrated, dried white salts are sodium, potassium and calcium, but the Vreeland spectroscope will yield results that are not based upon assumptions.
Before any Vreeland (spectroscopic) burns were initiated of the dried metal salts a new set of carbon arc electrodes were used, as well as, between each specific burn the carbon rod tips were cleaned to eliminate contamination possibilities.
A new set of carbon arc electrodes ready for insertion into the Vreeland spectroscope.
A portion of the dried salts from #1 bottle rests upon a graphite pad resting upon a ceramic crucible and ready for spectroscopic burn.
10x – a magnified view of previous image.
Using the same crucible from previous burn, but with a new graphite pad, with another portion of the dried metal salts are ready for 2nd burn from Bottle #1.
The completed burn.
10x – magnified view of preceding image.
The brown coloration as shown from the hand-held digital camera does show when using the microscope ccd camera as it should have, probably due to reflected lighting with the microscope camera.
A 3rd dried sample from #1 bottle was placed on same ceramic crucible but with a new graphite pad which is ready for another confirmation burn.
The completed burn.
10x – magnified view of preceding image. Don’t know why the reflected lighting is removing most of the brownish coloration as shown in preceding image.
The Vreeland spectroscope generated this spectrogram of the burned dry white metallic salts, that's illustrating the presence of thallium. The red arrow, which I mechanically inserted at top right points to the only major green spectrum Tl line that is showing the intensity of thallium. There is a left hand film, but it has been edited-out so to be able to see as much of the illustrated image as possible. The double yellow lines below the “Tl” are alignment/orientation lines that must match/line-up with the sodium doublet lines, which are so brightly lit that they are not visible in this spectrogram.
3 completed burns, using the high heat of 5500F yielded these results:
Tl = fair trending towards good, In = n/d, Ga = n/d, Al = very faint, Ge = faint, Sn = n/d, Pb = n/d, Bi – n/d, Ag = n/d, Au = n/d, Cu = n/d, Hg = very faint, Cd = n/d, Zn = fair, Mn = good, Mo = n/d, Cr = n/d, Fe = fair trending towards good, Co = faint, Ni = n/d, V = faint, Cb = fair trending towards good, Ta = faint, W = faint, U = faint, Th = fair, Zr = fair,
Hf = faint, Pt = n/d, Ir = n/d, Os = faint, Pd = fair trending towards good (1 major line and a few minor lines), Rh = fair, Ru = faint trending towards fair, Re = n/d, Cs = n/d, Rb = n/d, K = faint, Na = good trending towards strong, Sr = good,
Ca = fair, Be = n/d, Sc = faint, Y = n/d, La = n/d, Ce = fair, Pr = n/d, Nd = n/d, Sm = good, Gd = fair, Eu = faint, c = n/d,
Ca = faint, CaF = n/d, Sr = faint, Sc = good.
Bottle # 2 water was taken from a public drinking fountain at a commercial establishment on south Broadway, originating from TorC’s Municipal water Supply.
It appears that the pH of bottle #2 is about a neutral 7.0
15x – The dried crystalline structures that permeate the majority of the super-saturated metallic salts of bottle #2 had similar amounts of this crystalline deposition regarding bottles 1, 7 & 8.
The dried residue of bottle # 2 in a petri dish.
A small portion of bottle #2 dried salts on graphite pad resting upon ceramic crucible and read for burn.
The completed burn.
A second sample of dried salts ready for burn.
Completed burn.
These two Vreeland burns yielded the following results:
Tl = fair trending towards good, In = n/d, Ga = fair, Al = faint , Ge = faint, Sn = n/d, Pb = n/d, Bi = n/d, Ag = n/d,
Au = n/d, Cu = n/d, Cu = faint, Hg = n/d, Cd = n/d, Zn = very faint, Mn = fair, Ti = fair, Mg = fair, Mo = n/d, Cr = n/d,
Fe = fair trending towards good, Co = faint, Ni = n/d, V = fair, Mo = n/d, Cr = n/d, Co = faint, Ni = n/d, V = fair, Cb = fair, Ta = n/d, W = faint, U = faint, Th = very faint, Zr = n/d, Hf = fair, Pt = n/d, Ir = very faint, Os = faint, Pd = n/d, Rh = fair,
Ru = faint, Re = good, Cs = faint, Rb = faint, K = n/d, Na = good trending towards strong, Sr = fair, Ba = fair, Ca = fair, Be = n/d, Sc = n/d, Y = n/d, La = faint, Ce = faint, Pr = faint, Nd = n/d, Sm = good, Gd = fair, Eu = faint, C = n/d, Ca = faint, CaF = n/d, Sr = faint, Y = faint, Sc = fair.
Bottle #7 is from an apartment in downtown TorC, with the water originating from the municipal water supply.
The pH of Bottle # 7 appears to be trending above a neutral 7
The evaporated and dried residue/metal salts of bottle # 7
The salts ready for burn.
1st completed burn on Bottle #7
2nd sample of bottle #7 ready for burn.
Completed burn.
The results of these two #7 burns:
Tl = fair trending towards good, In = n/d, Ga = n/d, Al = n/d , Ge = very faint, Sn = n/d, Pb = n/d, Bi – n/d, Ag = n/d, Au = n/d, Cu = faint, Hg = flicker - very faint, Cd = n/d, Zn = n/d, Mn = fair, Mg = fair, Mo = n/d, Cr = n/d, Fe = good,
Co = faint, Ni = n/d, V = n/d, Cb = faint, Ta = n/d, W = faint, U = n/d, Th = faint, Zr = faint, Hf = faint, Pt = n/d, Ir = faint,
Os = fair, Pd = faint, Rh = fair, Ru = fair, Re = good, Cs = fair, Rb = n/d, K = n/d, Na = good trending towards strong,
Li = faint, Ba = fair, Sr = fair/, Ca = fair, Be = n/d, Zr = n/d, Sc = n/d, Y = n/d, La = n/d, Ce = faint, Pr = faint, Nd = n/d,
Sm = fair, Gd = fair, Eu = faint, C = n/d, Ca = fair, CaF = n/d, Sr = n/d, Sc = fair.
Bottle #8 is from a commercial establishment in Williamsburg with the water originating from TorC Municipal Water Supply.
The pH of Bottle # 8 is slightly above a neutral 7.
The evaporated and dried residue (metal salts) of bottle # 8.
1st sample of bottle #8 ready for burn
Completed burn
Second #8 bottle sample ready for burn.
Completed burn
The results of the two # 8 burns:
Tl = fair trending towards good, In = n/d, Ga = n/d, Al = n/d , Ge = faint, Sn = n/d, Pb = n/d, Bi – n/d, Ag = n/d, Au = n/d, Cu = fair, Hg = flicker - very faint, Cd = n/d, Zn = n/d, Mn = fair, Mg = fair, Mo = n/d, Cr = n/d, Fe = fair trending towards good, Co = faint, Ni = n/d, V = faint, Cb = faint, Ta = n/d, W = n/d, U = faint, Th = faint, Zr = n/d, Hf = fair, Pt = n/d, Ir = very faint, Os = fair, Pd = faint, Rh = fair, Ru = fair, Re = n/d, Cs = faint, Rb = n/d, K = faint, Na = good trending towards strong, Sr = good, Ba = fair, Sr = good, Ca = fair, Be = n/d, Zr = faint, Sc = good, Y = n/d, La = faint, Ce = very faint,
Pr = faint, Nd = n/d, Sm = fair, Gd = good, Eu = faint, Ca = faint, CaF = faint, Sr = fair, Sc = fair.
I often use pH paper strips to establish the pH level of any solution, however, this paper has a tendency to lose its color-fast-value when exposed to the air over a prolonged period of time. Therefore, I prefer using the liquid as shown in next image.
The liquid pH reagent (Phenolphtalein in 1 liter of Ethanol, which has the dyes Methyl red and Bromothymol blue) to establish a good visual pH of whatever solution I may need to know about.
A laser light is often utilized to see/determine if suspended solids are present in the water of bottles 1, 2, 7 & 8, prior to evaporation, which I only found a few positive indications of such. Consequently, I have to resort to employing a vacuum filtration set up to see if I can collect any amount of non-dissolved solids that remain suspended that won’t settle upon prolonged standing within the water. The results of vacuum filtration is always the same – the solids pass right through a 1 micron glass filter indicating that these salts are either too small to be captured and/or they are actually dissolved and cannot be filtered.
The crystalline dried reside for bottles 1, 2, 7 & 8.
The red tint on the white evaporated/dried reside/metallic salts have a color bleed-over from the surface of this red sheet to the Petri dishes contents.
The purpose of this image is to show the uniformity of the amount of debris from each bottle. The remaining dried salts will be kept in these Petri dishes for future reference.
I am not surprised with the results.
Armed with this knowledge I sure would not want to be subjecting my body to the quantity (2 to 4 quarts) of these salts on a daily basis.