Mercury attacks Aluminum
Why Chemistry Stack Exchange recommends it
Chemistry Stack Exchange users link it as a vivid demonstration of how aluminum's protective oxide layer can be defeated by mercury and gallium amalgamation.
Recommended by 1 people across 1 different months, 2016 to 2019.
Why Worldbuilding Stack Exchange recommends it
Worldbuilding Stack Exchange answerers point people to it as a vivid, real demonstration of mercury embrittlement when imagining mercury-based weapons that could destroy aluminum vehicles, aircraft or spaceship hulls.
Recommended by 0 people across 0 different months, 2018 to 2022.
What it is
A 40-second time-lapse by Theodore Gray showing a small amount of mercury amalgamating into an aluminum I-beam and eating it away from within. Gallium scratched into the surface lets the mercury get past aluminum's protective oxide layer, and the real-time action takes about two hours.
What people said
Recommends Rampallian · 2016-08 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “aluminum as cathode electrode”
Very much so. All Aluminum you have ever seen has had a thin layer of aluminum oxide coating it. The outer most layer of aluminum metal instantly oxidizes in air and forms aluminum oxide. This aluminum oxide layer protects the aluminum from further oxidation because the oxygen ions formed are too tightly bound in the matrix to diffuse through to the inner aluminum atoms. If this layer was permeable to oxygen on a reasonable time scale than the aluminum would degrade rapidly. For example, if mercury is added to aluminum the oxide layer becomes permeable to oxygen and you can watch aluminum break down rapidly. Youtube vid: [this video] , thanks to Mr. Gray for his video.
Cites fyrepenguin · 2016-03 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “Reaction Penetrating Metal Sheet”
Depending on the material that the casing is made out of, you could have a mercury or gallium payload. They both are capable of significantly weakening the structures of some metals (such as aluminum). See the following video of gallium weakening a coke can [LINK] . Mercury can also weaken the structure, especially in conjunction with gallium as seen here [this video] . Mercury will form an amalgam with aluminum and significantly weaken it, as will gallium. You might conceivably have nanobots bring a payload of the two metals to weaken the structure, especially since they are not nearly as reactive with other things. Unfortunately, this would only work if the structure you are trying to damage is
Cites Cort Ammon · 2018-03 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “What kind of gases in an atmosphere could accelerate oxidation processes?”
Your wording implies a difficult situation: your phrasings such as "levels that are breathable for human beings" and "...forces humanity..." imply that the goal is not just to have high oxidization rates, but to have humans live in it. This is troublesome because humans are generally constructed of reducing agents: humans oxidize. If you increase the oxygen enough to cause oxidization of metals, you increase the oxygen enough to cause the oxidization of the tissue of our lungs. Changing the material to an oxidizer other than oxygen doesn't help all that much. You still have the issue of a corrosive gas that you are breathing into your lungs. The tricky thing about oxidization is that redox e
Cites jk. · 2019-04 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “Assassin's bullet with mercury”
As others have said mercury as a poison is just not practical. What might be possible is to use mercury embrittlement to damage vehicles. video of embrittlement [this video] Now I'm not sure how plausible it is to e.g. hit an aircraft with a mercury bullet, but if you can then mercury embrittlement process should allow the mercury to migrate through the aircraft aluminum structures and considerably weaken them. i.e. it might be able to make an otherwise nonlethal shot to an aircraft lethal
Cites Petko.Maria.John · 2019-09 · Chemistry Stack Exchange · on “Gallium makes aluminum soft like a wet tissue. Any other metals or alloys that are vulnerable to similar damage?”
Gallium can make aluminum soft and brittle [LINK] as long as it bypasses the aluminum oxide normally formed on the surface of the aluminum (for example by scratching the surface). Mercury can weaken aluminum [this video] as well. Are there any other metals or alloys that can be "weakened" by coming in contact with gallium, mercury or any other substance?
Cites Willk · 2022-01 · Worldbuilding Stack Exchange · on “Would Corrosive Weapons Work in Outer Space?”
What is the spaceship made out of? If your space ship is a flying steel battleship, the prospect of corrosives eating the hull is slim. But you could definitely have carbon fiber spaceships, or plastic space ships, or styrofoam space ships [LINK] or ice hull [LINK] spaceships that would be very much affected by corrosives. Your corrosive of choice would depend on the material you were attacking. Solvents could work for plastic. Oxidizers for carbon fiber (hydrofluoric acid! there is your corrosive). Maybe sodium metal powder in hexane for ice hull. Hot mercury vs an aluminum hull [this video] - that would be a fun scene to write as the fingers of amalgam start sticking into the interior of the sh