Let's Talk About Iridium!

"macanamera" (macanamera) 06/01/2015 at 08:54 • Filed to: None

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Because Iridium is easily the coolest/most awesome element. Why? Let me tell you!

1. Rarity- Iridium is exceptionally rare. Like, 40 times rarer than gold, and ten times rarer than platinum. It is the rarest metal in the Earth’s crust, and may be the rarest metal on Earth altogether.

2. Origin- There is a theory that most iridium on earth is extraterrestrial in origin (it came from outer space!). This theory significantly contributed to the theories on how dinosaurs went extinct.

3. Corrosion- Iridium is incredibly tough. It is the most corrosion-proof metal, it has the second highest melting point of any element (aside from tungsten, I think, and it maintains its properties even at crazy high temperatures.

4. Density (This is my favorite)- Iridium is ridiculously dense, about twice as dense as lead. Have you ever held a lead weight in your hand and thought... “Wow, that’s heavy!”? Double that, and you have iridium. That makes it far, far more dense than gold, lead, platinum, uranium, etc. Fun fact- if you weigh 150 pounds, a 6 inch cube of iridium weighs more than you. A basketball made from pure iridium would weigh about 370 pounds!

thebigbossyboss > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:01

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wut.

supra-squirrel > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:02

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Awesome. Thanks for helping me learn something new today.

LongbowMkII > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:03

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I’ll buy it.

Echo51 > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:04

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Now buy spark plugs that use it!!!

Scary__goongala! > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:05

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I feel like you just fucked my mind with science.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:05

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Soo.. if you combine Nordic Black Metal with Iridium you’ll have an instant black hole?

Agrajag > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:05

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Cool. I did not know all of that.

Off to find some iridium.(grabs shovel)

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:07

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You’ve convinced me.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:08

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Yes, but will it blend?

Spark > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:17

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That’s iridiculous

tehehehehhehehe

spanfucker retire bitch > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:19

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Iridium is exceptionally rare. Like, 40 times rarer than gold, and ten times rarer than platinum. It is the rarest metal in the Earth’s crust, and may be the rarest metal on Earth altogether.

So what you’re saying is, if I ever get married, I should have the bands made out of Iridium, and then when I get asked; “What the fuck is this?” I can then give a detailed explanation about why its’ so much better than Gold or Platinum?

Jawesome.

DoYouEvenShift > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:28

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I read somewhere that the majority of our supply of iridium comes from meteorites.

Tekamul > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:40

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I still like neodymium better. Fancier uses, and requires more appreciation, because if left unprotected, pure neodymium completely oxidizes very quickly.

Who doesn’t like super magnets, awesome lasers and color changing glass? All thanks to neodymium.

spanfucker retire bitch > DoYouEvenShift 06/01/2015 at 09:44

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Was it the OP?

LongbowMkII > Agrajag 06/01/2015 at 09:58

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might need a chem lab too.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 09:58

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Science! I’m going to watch Bill Nye now.

AthomSfere > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:02

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I still prefer Cesium!

Also, is it radioactive like lead?

I Do It For Miatas, NC Owner > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:07

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BigBlock440 > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:15

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2. Origin- There is a theory that most iridium on earth is extraterrestrial in origin (it came from outer space!).

Can’t that be said about everything though? I mean, the entire planet came from space.

Racescort666 > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:17

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Only osmium is heavier. :)

PowderHound > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:22

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So how much iridium is in spark plugs? And should I be trying to salvage all of them

boxrocket > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:40

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So the folks in charge of that 1-kilo weight that defines the metric system, should they use iridium instead?

Street Surgeon > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 10:59

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OMG, I have plugs with electrodes made of that stuff!

Agrajag > LongbowMkII 06/01/2015 at 11:00

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Got it covered.

LongbowMkII > Agrajag 06/01/2015 at 11:02

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well nothing can go wrong now! *indiscriminately mixes compounds*

Snuze: Needs another Swede > BigBlock440 06/01/2015 at 11:02

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That’s true, us and everything around us originates in space, but I think what he means is that when the earth formed there was virtually no iridium present, save maybe some trace amounts. A vast majority was deposited by meteor impacts significantly later.

Destructive Tester > boxrocket 06/01/2015 at 11:48

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They already have, its a platinum/iridium alloy.

macanamera > Scary__goongala! 06/01/2015 at 12:13

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Two twelve inch cubes of iridium is about the payload capacity of a Ford F150

Scary__goongala! > macanamera 06/01/2015 at 12:27

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Don’t let the Chevy guys know that.