{"title":"Ampules","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"thorium-dioxide","title":"Thorium Dioxide","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eThorium Dioxide (or Thoria) is a substance that literally helped light up the world. While the great chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius named the element after Thor, the Norse god of thunder, in 1829, it took a few more decades for it to become a household staple. In 1885, Carl Auer von Welsbach patented the \"gas mantle,\" a silk mesh soaked in a mixture of 99% thorium dioxide and 1% cerium dioxide. When heated by a flame, the thoria would incandesce with a brilliant, steady white light that far outshone the flickering gas lamps of the era. It was a billion unit success that brought reliable light to the masses before the electric bulb took over.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eBut the story doesn't stop at lighting. Thoria is incredibly refractory, meaning it has one of the highest melting points of any oxide (\u003cspan\u003e3,300\u003c\/span\u003e degrees celcius!). This makes it indispensable for TIG welding electrodes and high-end camera lenses, where its high refractive index allows for thinner glass with less distortion. It even had a controversial stint as \"Thorotrast,\" a medical X-ray contrast agent, before doctors realized that internalizing alpha-emitters was a bad idea (yikes!). Today, it’s the \"holy grail\" for fans of the Thorium Fuel Cycle, representing a future of safer, greener nuclear power. Whether you’re a fan of Victorian-era tech or 21st-century energy, this \"history in a bottle\" is a must-have trophy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"1 gram in 15x48mm ampule","offer_id":47809816395941,"sku":"TD15x48mm_1g","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10 grams a vial","offer_id":47809816428709,"sku":"TD10g","price":240.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Thorium_dioxide_-_ThO2_47f107e0-843b-46b3-9450-43ba5c69cbcb.webp?v=1778165576"},{"product_id":"ammonium-diuranate-yellowcake","title":"Ammonium Diuranate (Yellowcake)","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eThe term “yellowcake” is probably familiar to most as something that’s used for making nuclear bombs. That’s really not too far from the truth (though in vastly more cases it’s earmarked for nuclear power production) but the term itself is informal and refers to more than one chemical.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eRegardless of which specific substance we’re talking about, yellowcake always refers to a byproduct of uranium ore refining. As it comes out of the ground, uranium ore looks, and almost entirely actually is, just like any other ordinary looking rock but with a minor component of radioactive trace elements. To get to the good stuff, as a first step this rock is usually liquefied with acid. With uranium’s density being much higher than any of the other mineral components, this makes it easy to simply divert the topmost layers to the garbage heap out back and collect the heavy sludge at the bottom.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eThis heavy sludge is now of course much higher in uranium content but still has many impurities. To get rid of them, the refinery will usually add solutions containing ammonia which yields a yellowish residue from whence the term comes. This yellowcake is primarily ammonium diuranate with chemical formula \u003cspan\u003e(NH\u003c\/span\u003e4\u003cspan\u003e)\u003c\/span\u003e2\u003cspan\u003eU\u003c\/span\u003e2\u003cspan\u003eO\u003c\/span\u003e7 and this is usually the last step that the guys at the mine facilities will perform before packing it and sending it off to, hopefully, a properly accredited nuclear agency. They in turn will undertake the more arduous processing steps to get to the eventually tiny percentage of uranium-235, the fissionable isotope, that they need for running their reactors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eClearly, there’s little expectation of seeing yellowcake for sale on Amazon. And, really, if you think about it, that’s a good thing considering it has very few legitimate uses for individuals. The only valid exception, in fact, would probably be for those shopping for unusual scientific collectibles. For them we’re glad to present this as an option for your stocking stuffer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eRemember kids, it’s safe only as long as it stays in the bottle! Treat it with the same respect as rat poison and everything’ll be alright.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eOk to ship internationally! \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"1g in a vial","offer_id":47746590245029,"sku":"AD1g_yel","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10g in a vial","offer_id":47806054367397,"sku":"AD10g_yel","price":240.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Yellowcake.webp?v=1778165574"},{"product_id":"barium-ampules","title":"Barium 99.9%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCompounds made from barium can be exceptionally toxic. In countries with not-so-strict regulations, barium carbonate is used as a rat poison. The effects are so horrid that you almost feel bad for the pests as it basically gives them an accelerated form of Parkinson’s disease. Within minutes of ingestion their guts are wrecked, their muscles stop responding to the brain and begin twitching of their own volition, their kidneys are shot, then their heartbeats become irregular and several other Bad Things before the merciful end comes from respiratory failure. Medical literature speaks of cases where the white powder was mistaken for flour and… well, let’s move on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOn the other hand each and every day thousands of people in hospitals all over the world are made to drink up Slurpee-sized cups of a vile concoction of barium sulphate (tastes exactly what you would think a liquified chalk smoothie would taste like) prior to getting an abdominal x-ray. Vile but harmless. The offending chemical passes through uneventfully. Well, except for the retching and the memories that will never go away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSo how come? Well, it all hinges on how the metal gets into an organism and what it does once it’s inside. Barium carbonate is water soluble while the sulphate isn’t. Big difference. While the sulphate is indegistible, the gastric juices attack the carbonate and turn it into a chloride which easily passes through intestine walls. Once in the bloodstream barium ions ravage the body’s stores of potassium rapidly depleting this essential electrolyte. This in turn causes all the cascade of nerve and muscle problems described above.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eMetallic barium like in this ampule is not a health concern. If the glass were to break - by some unspeakable catastrophe - and your beautiful specimen exposed nothing much would happen even if you were to pick it up with your bare hands. Holding it for a long time might irritate your skin (a chemical burn) but after you washed your hands and said good-bye to your expensive collectible that would be the end of it. Where it does become a much bigger danger is if a piece were to be eaten as, again, the acids in your stomach would make short work of it and turn it into a potentially lethal poison. For this reason, make sure that \u003cstrong\u003eall\u003c\/strong\u003e of your element samples are well out of reach of little kids.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"7x25mm","offer_id":47809804370085,"sku":"Ba7x25mm","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Barium_0cb7ecdf-1a6d-46e7-962d-11ca1ee671f6.webp?v=1777277845"},{"product_id":"iodine-crystals-99-8","title":"Iodine crystals 99.8%","description":"\u003cp\u003eMost of us became familiar with iodine as kids when our cuts and scrapes were treated with brown disinfectant that stained our skin. And today most iodine produced still goes to the medical field. The element is notable for its colorful nature: in the presence of polar solvents like alcohol and water that unmistakable shade of brown comes through while oils, which are non polar, dissolve solid iodine into a bewitching haze of purple. In solid form iodine crystals are blue-black and shiny.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIodine has a high vapor pressure (it \"evaporates\") and causes awful stains to anything it comes into contact with. We'll get you your iodine in a little bottle as the cheapest option but you may want to consider getting an ampule instead which is much better at keeping the crystals stable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTo comply with U.S. federal law, Luciteria limits purchases of iodine to a maximum of 250 grams per individual per year (100g per year for California residents). Orders exceeding 100g will require the buyer to submit a copy of a government-issued ID prior to shipping.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote additional options for this element on the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/ampules\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmpules\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e section\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCAS 7553-56-2\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"0.1g 15x30mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806040998053,"sku":"I_FBB","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10 grams glass ampule","offer_id":47806041030821,"sku":"I_15x60mm","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Iodine_284_29.webp?v=1778165479"},{"product_id":"argon-gas-99-99","title":"Argon gas 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAir can be mined, yes. Many industrial processes, and chemistry in general, make use of purified elemental gases. All that you need to get these is a method of cooling air down until it liquefies then slowly heat it up until each of its constituents reaches boiling point. You then siphon off that gas and continue onto the next. With 1% of air being argon there is essentially a limitless supply of this resource.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBeing totally inert chemically whatever is bathed in argon will stay that way just as surely as if it were in the vacuum in space. Thus, whenever you want to preserve a delicate chemical from reacting with ordinary air argon is an ideal preservative.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHere's a little of this great though unsung hero of chemistry. When ionized under high voltage argon emits a purple or blue-tinged glow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote additional options for this element on the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/ampules\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmpules\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e section\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"7x25mm","offer_id":47809800700069,"sku":"Ar7x25mm","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10x40mm","offer_id":47809800732837,"sku":"Ar10x40mm","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"15x30mm flat bottom","offer_id":47809800765605,"sku":"Ar_FBB","price":21.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Argon_6d80fb6a-f414-480b-a8a9-5aad47454801.webp?v=1778165520"},{"product_id":"chlorine-gas-99-9","title":"Chlorine gas 99.9%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThese delicate glass ampules hold a small amount of pure chlorine gas that under pressure forms a viscous, yellow liquid. Great care must be taken to avoid dropping it onto a hard surface. While the amount of chlorine released will quickly dissipate given enough ventilation the liquid is nevertheless highly corrosive and is likely to permanently stain whatever it comes in contact with. That, and the loss of an expensive collectible!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAlso available as a regular gas and at low-pressure which will glow when placed next to a plasma globe or Tesla coil.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote additional options for this element on the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/ampules\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmpules\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e section\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"5x25mm","offer_id":47809800601765,"sku":"Cl5x25mm","price":57.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Chlorine_b95d6da1-5e66-4b65-ab56-fd83bf02b404.webp?v=1778165522"},{"product_id":"rubidium-metal-99-99","title":"Rubidium metal 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThis little-known element is ferociously reactive, very rare and has next to no marketable uses. Those three strikes make this little more than a scientific curiosity. And in the scientific world curiosities don't come cheap. Rubidium is consistently one of the priciest and most difficult to acquire pure elements.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIt is actually only rare in the sense that it is concentrated in a few commercially valuable minerals. It comes in two isotopic 'flavors': the atom with 85 neutrons and another with 87. The lighter isotope is more common by a factor of two or three depending on source but the heavier, Rb87, is weakly radioactive. Like atomic-sized popcorn, those rubidium atoms are popping at a constant rate of 100,000 per gram per hour leaving behind newly formed strontium. This stream of new strontium is significant enough that it accounts for some 7% of the strontium metal present in the universe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBut really, that's little cause for concern. There are some 150 sextillion atoms of rubidium in one of these ampules. That's a 15 followed by \u003cem\u003etwenty-two zeroes\u003c\/em\u003e. We therefore unconditionally guarantee that for the remainder of your lifetime the sample sold will be contaminated by only a miniscule, truly trivial amount of strontium ;-)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote additional options for this element on the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/ampules\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmpules\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e section\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCAS 7440-17-7\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"250mg 15x30mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806051156133,"sku":"Rb_FBB","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1 gram 10x40mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806051188901,"sku":"Rb1g","price":81.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5 gram 15x60mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806051221669,"sku":"Rb5g_amp","price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Rubidium_e8bcc894-4a64-44fc-b529-6927561c444d.webp?v=1778165531"},{"product_id":"bromine-gas-99-99","title":"Bromine gas 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eElement collectors will be much more familiar with this dangerous substance in its liquid state when it takes a striking hue that appears redder than blood itself. But bromine is an element with an extremely high vapor point. Keeping it in its liquid state is a chore as it yearns to be a gas. Even in its gaseous state a bulb filled with it will look distinctly ruddy. However, turn down that pressure a bit and place it next to a sufficiently high current and the gas inside turns to ionized plasma and in this case glows a ghostly yellow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eYou can do this effect yourself most easily by placing the ampule next to a plasma globe the sort that are sold on Amazon and novelty shops. The larger and more powerful the globe the easier it will be to get it to light up!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote additional options for this element on the \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/ampules\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmpules\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e section\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10x40mm","offer_id":47809799880869,"sku":"Br10x40mm","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Br_3ea3c400-d5e0-4961-8ff7-88fd9445e267.webp?v=1778165539"},{"product_id":"uranyl-acetate","title":"Uranyl Acetate","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eIf you’ve ever marveled at the incredibly sharp, alien-looking images of a virus or a cell’s internal machinery, you’ve likely been looking at the handiwork of Uranyl Acetate. In the world of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), this stuff is essentially the \"secret sauce.\" Because uranium atoms are so massive, they are excellent at scattering electrons. When a biological sample is \"stained\" with this salt, the uranyl ions stick to lipids and proteins, creating the high-contrast shadows needed to see structures that are otherwise invisible. It’s a coordination polymer that has reigned as microscopy’s MVP since the mid-20th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eBut for the element collector, the real magic happens when you turn off the lights. Uranyl Acetate is famous for its intense, ethereal yellow-green fluorescence under ultraviolet light. While labs are slowly moving toward non-radioactive alternatives (using things like gadolinium or samarium), they often lack the \"punch\" and historical pedigree of the real deal. Our samples are derived from depleted uranium, making them a safe but storied addition to your actinide shelf. It’s a classic lab legend that looks just as good under a blacklight as it does in a history book. Just remember to admire it through the glass this isn't the kind of \"glow-up\" you want on your skin!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"1 gram","offer_id":47809816527013,"sku":"UA15x48mm_1g","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10 grams in a vial","offer_id":47809816559781,"sku":"UA10g","price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/U-Acetate.jpg?v=1778165575"},{"product_id":"gold-99-99","title":"Gold 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOn the face of it, marrying gold and argon in one glass house seems rather silly. The two elements are perhaps the two most unreactive in the entire periodic table. It is the reason why gold, unlike pretty much any other metal, can be found nice and shiny straight out of the ground after millions of years of being stuck in a witch’s brew of substances and nature’s erosive forces. However, gold is a very soft metal and keeping it from dulling as jewelry or other decorative accents is a tedious task that involves chemicals and polishing. Inside this glass it will look its golden best indefinitely.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"1g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077239461,"sku":"Au15x60mm_1g","price":190.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077272229,"sku":"Au_amp_5g","price":750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_2900_5c40eaad-73d7-4c40-a835-06f25202d6d6.webp?v=1778165848"},{"product_id":"bromine-99-9","title":"Bromine 99.9%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eNo matter how tight your seal, however ingenious the design of your lid, it’s a hopeless endeavor if you expect to keep this bad boy locked up in a bottle. The color of screaming demons, bromine is an element not to be trifled with. Both a burning liquid and a choking gas, the Germans in WWI would probably have used it against the Allies but that might have been a step too far so settled on the more humane choice of chlorine!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eEhhh… I’m getting carried away. As I was saying, wherever bromine pools it begins to create copious fumes that will seep out of any container with the tiniest of microscopic openings. And if it can’t find its way out it will certainly try to chew through the walls. It meets its match with glass which is a remarkably inert material and one which, thankfully, is crystal clear - the better to enjoy it from the other side.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x30mm 0.1ml flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47841675116709,"sku":"Br_Fbb","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"0.25ml 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077337765,"sku":"Br15x60mm","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1ml 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077370533,"sku":"Br1ml_amp","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"0.35ml 10x40mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077403301,"sku":"Br0.35ml_amp","price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Bromine_425245f0-d50d-4648-94fb-5831fb049af3.webp?v=1778165849"},{"product_id":"phosphorus-99-99-1-gram","title":"Phosphorus 99.99% 1 gram","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThis dirt-colored element should be familiar to anyone who’s ever lit a match. That checkered pattern on the side of the matchbox? That’s glued on phosphorus. The match-head, too, is phosphorus though usually chemically treated to prevent them from lighting up unexpectedly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn a human body there’s over a pound of phosphorus. Most of this in the bones and a few milligrams per liter in the bloodstream. Meanwhile, phosphates are among the most commonly found minerals in nature. They are extensively exploited for a variety of uses principal of which are fertilizers.. The free element however is quite rare in commerce, at least here in the USA, due to regulations aimed at curbing the manufacture of illegal drugs. Only the red allotrope is regulated (that’s the one used in matches) but that’s also the most affordable type. Violet and black phosphorus are largely creations of research labs and this is the type we focus on to avoid the long arm of the law.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn this ampule you will receive one gram of phosphorus which comes as small crumbs that appear like chips off a brick; this is the coveted violet allotrope which, while it has no special regulations concerning  sale or ownership, is still highly flammable. Being inside glass with an inert gas however takes care of that one concern. As long as the glass doesn’t break, of course!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"1g 15x35mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077501605,"sku":"P1g_amp","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077534373,"sku":"P15x60mm","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Phosphorus_29a89c23-f199-44f3-9185-6aaea84f59cc.webp?v=1778165849"},{"product_id":"iodine-99-9","title":"Iodine 99.9%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHere’s another element which can only really be collected in a sealed ampule. Bromine’s less maniacal cousin, iodine is still a chemical not to be trifled with. Known to anyone old enough to have had a scraped knee, the stinging brown ink-like substance is most often employed as a topical disinfectant. It is a ruthless microscopic serial killer. When it comes into contact with a microbe it enters its walls and quickly combines with any and all internal structures irreversibly wrecking them. There’s zero chance of evolving a resistant strain for such an indiscriminate assault. Wow, so how come we don’t drink gallons of the stuff when we’re sick? Let me repeat, it’s an \u003cem\u003eindiscriminate\u003c\/em\u003e killer. When inside the body, iodine in its uncombined state targets absolutely anything in its way; whether a nasty virus or a healthy human cell, it kills ‘em dead. That’s why we prefer to use it on superficial wounds and as a skin disinfectant prior to surgery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIodine has a high vapor pressure which means the solid crystals will readily turn to fumes which are very difficult to trap effectively. Inside of a glass ampule though it’s well behaved. This way only a little disperses as a gas with the rest dutifully remaining as crystals. If you look at it just the right way you can see a slight tinting of this air-suspended iodine that so badly wishes to be free. Don’t let it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"0.1g 15x30mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077567141,"sku":"I_FBB_2","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077599909,"sku":"I15x60mm","price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1.5-2g 10x40mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077632677,"sku":"I2g_amp","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Iodine_c4620b2f-9576-4667-98a1-f9f7a8e05722.webp?v=1778165850"},{"product_id":"sodium-99-7","title":"Sodium 99.7%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eMany, to not say most, think that sodium and salt are one and the same thing. Much of the blame perhaps falls on how it’s covered in education and the news in general where whenever it comes up it has something to do with how much or little of it you should eat to spare your heart and other organs. The warnings are definitely on point but it’d be nice if the public in general knew it as the metal it is and that “salt” describes more than one chemical or hell, while we’re at it, some basic chemistry literacy would be a great thing!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAn ampule containing the pure metal is one way to educate the masses. On seeing it at first many will suspect it’s mercury but its light weight will say otherwise. Unfortunately, with its melting point near that of boiling water a liquid sodium show and tell isn’t very practical but even without this selling point it remains one of the most beautiful of our offerings and we’re sure you won’t be disappointed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"100mg ampule in labeled bottle","offer_id":47806077698213,"sku":"Na100mg_amp","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1g 15x35mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077730981,"sku":"Na1g_amp","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077763749,"sku":"Na15x60mm","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Sodium_86637e8c-abca-47a3-9932-95e85c271f3d.webp?v=1778165851"},{"product_id":"vanadium-99-95-5-grams","title":"Vanadium 99.95% 5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe original discoverer of this element suggested a conventional name for his find but later scientists opted instead for \u003cem\u003evanadium\u003c\/em\u003e after Viking gods because, let’s admit it, that’s just way cooler. Although they knew it was hiding in there, under various colorful minerals, none of them actually ever saw the metal. It took decades of work to find a way to tease it apart to shine on its own. And keeping vanadium in its pure state does take some effort as it is a rather delicate with a high affinity for chemical combination with basically ever other element out there. Paradoxically, it is often alloyed with other metals to \u003cem\u003eincrease\u003c\/em\u003e resistance to corrosion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eUnder ideal conditions pure vanadium crystals form into little metal Christmas trees, complete with colorful highlights of holiday cheer to grace your collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809794572453,"sku":"V15x60mm","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Vanadium_33b79d60-a391-4aaf-b320-efd878969b7d.webp?v=1778165852"},{"product_id":"osmium-99-95-1-gram","title":"Osmium 99.95% 1 gram","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOsmium is a perennial best seller for Luciteria. This metal has an irresistible pull on collectors for combining the desirable qualities of record-breaking density, rarity and beauty. First we can note this bit about it being beautiful. A blue metal is not something you see every day. Its light blue color is immediately apparent when placed besides, say, a coin or some other piece of ordinary metal. Then, as for rarity, it has few peers; easily outclassing gold and platinum on this count. Being extremely rare typically means extremely expensive but, happily (for now at least), gram for gram it is consistently cheaper than gold. It is, however, extremely rare in the sense that there are not many outlets where you can shop for it. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe growing awareness of this commodity has fueled a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out) as there is a palpable sense that there is something very wrong in the supply-demand equation that currently favors the buyer. Why not join the club and get in on the action? This ampule holds a gram of sparkly, shredded crystals that are as beautiful to look at asthought-provokig: osmium is one of the world’s rarest substances.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809794539685,"sku":"Os15x60mm","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Osmium_2895d860-75cf-4f61-9cad-0babc91661bb.webp?v=1778165852"},{"product_id":"rubidium-99-99","title":"Rubidium 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBack in the Dark Ages before the internet, rubidium was pretty much the Holy Grail of an element collection. It wasn’t simply a matter of price - and it’s always been pricey - but that there just wasn’t anyone stocking this thing. You’d break out your ten pound phone book and call labs at random (“You mean rubies? You want rubies?”). Frustrated you might go to the library and look in this huge tome they called \u003cem\u003eThe Thomas Register\u003c\/em\u003e, a sort of ancient paper Google of businesses, and look for any mention whatsoever of this elusive stuff only to leave hours later in tears and migraines. Yes, some uber-nerd in the chemistry department at a well-known university might refer you to an obscure lab in Siberia as a good bet but, deep down, you knew it would all end in disappointment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSkip a generation or two and… well… things haven’t gotten much better. Even the search engines of well-stocked labs happily serve dozens of listings of its chlorides, carbonates, bromides…. but plain rubidium? Eh, who needs that? And that right there is the issue with this element. It has the triple kiss-of-death of being not only useless but also difficult to isolate \u003cem\u003eand\u003c\/em\u003e expensive as hell.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBut we beg to differ on the useless count, damnit. It’s a gorgeous creamy white metal. Put this ampule in a bowl of hot water (carefully!!) then take it out and watch it melt and slosh around back and forth and soon rubidium ‘ice’ begins to form and before you know it it’s all turned solid. Then do it again. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIt’s a great way to meet dates.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"5g 15x60mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077960357,"sku":"Rb5g_amp_2","price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"5g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806077993125,"sku":"Rb15x60mm","price":225.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10g 18x75mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806078025893,"sku":"Rb10g_amp","price":360.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2g 10x40 round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806078058661,"sku":"Rb10x40mm","price":129.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Rubidium_3d2750d0-110d-412b-bfda-18c9dce5c287.webp?v=1778165853"},{"product_id":"palladium-99-95-1-gram","title":"Palladium 99.95% 1 gram","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIf you thought that palladium - the metal - is expensive, and it no doubt is that, be glad you’re not running a biochemical lab with funding issues. This precious metal is indispensable in sustaining chemical reactions through its unequaled function as a catalyst; a chemical present in a solution which does not undergo a change in chemical state but which aids other reactions. Those biochemists have to shell out truly horrifying amounts of money to get their precious little bottles of liquid. A recent report in the journal \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-022-01612-3\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNature\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e recounts how one such chemical engineer working for Merck, the pharmaceutical giant, is billed to the tune of $100,000 for the palladium catalyst needed to turn out just 3kg of a particular drug. This goes some way in explaining the absurdly high cost of some drugs - and the article goes on to suggest that the manufacture of most drugs needs these types of catalysts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSo… be happy you’re only paying this much for the palladium here?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809794506917,"sku":"Pd15x60mm","price":130.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Palladium_089ecade-4ae0-48c7-8070-ddcfd93c406c.webp?v=1778165854"},{"product_id":"holmium-99-9-10-grams","title":"Holmium 99.9% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe gold medal goes to Sweden for naming rights on the periodic table. Elements yttrium, ytterbium, erbium, terbium and the present holmium are all named after this country. In a particularly tender moment they threw a bone to their neighbors Norway and Finland and named two more, thulium and scandium, after themselves as a whole. Unfortunately for their national pride practically none of these are none by the wider public today and remain as little more than obscure names whose only purpose seems to puzzle nerds playing Trivial Pursuit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIt’s not holmium’s fault that your average ten year old has never heard of it. It is a metal with few remarkable properties besides being gray (oh wait, that’s not remarkable). Its ability to stain glass a light blue, making for some neato eyeglass wear, seems to be one of the truly unique characteristics for which this otherwise forgotten member of the Table is known. Don’t you feel a little bad for holmium?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809793687717,"sku":"Ho15x60mm","price":48.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Holmium_ec855fdf-5399-49c4-ab72-75afb4cf8782.webp?v=1778165855"},{"product_id":"silicon-99-999-2-grams","title":"Silicon 99.999% 2 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eIf you were asked which of the elements was the most important for human civilization (as opposed to those necessary for life itself) silicon might not be your first choice. After all, iron was named after an entire age and gold defined banking for millennia. But without iron the Bronze Age would have continued without missing a beat and throughout periods of history when gold was scarce silver filled in just fine. Without silicon however there would be no such thing as home computing and the closest thing to a cell phone you could get would be a Walkie Talkie. Sure, chips have been made out of germanium (and in fact the very first one was) but this element suffers from a low temperature ceiling relegating them to only a handful of special-use cases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eSilicon may be too ubiquitous and undervalued to gain the glory of an Age but, hey, there’s at least a valley named after it. If you feel like this element is getting short shrift you can always brandish an ampule like this wherever you go. Or maybe not. That’s a bit much.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"2g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809793654949,"sku":"Si15x60mm","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Silicon_873e9c9a-b85a-4adf-8b3e-b87d13df0719.webp?v=1778165855"},{"product_id":"sulfur-99-99-2-5-grams","title":"Sulfur 99.99% 2.5 grams","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhere’s sulfur come from? Hell itself. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat’s what the ancient world figured. The fire and brimstone of the bible was none other than the literal lava and streams of sulfur spewing out of volcanoes. Whether the locals attributed it to pissy mountain spirits or Satan himself, it’s easy to see why they associated this smelly, yellow stuff with the underworld. Not that they steered clear of it for fear of divine retribution. Brave villagers of yore discovered it could be powdered and sprinkled across their crops as a fumigant, over their sores to heal them faster and (thanks to its origins in the netherworld) as a key ingredient in the making of potions for warding off spells. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough found just about everywhere and in countless chemicals and minerals, today it’s still mined by hand in the same manner and from the same natural vents where Earth has been burping it out since ancestral times. And, wouldn’t you know it, it’s still being used in the traditional roles as a general purpose pesticide and also turned into ‘medicated’ soaps said to be useful in the treatment of acne, dandruff, jock itch, bad marriages and whatever else you’re gullible enough to believe it’s good for. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnyway, turn the heat up to just above boiling water and sulfur melts into a beautiful yellow liquid. The color of pee, to be honest, but with the consistency of molten wax. Normally, as the liquid cools and turns into a solid it is briefly semi-transparent before turning opaque. This ampule comes with a few grams of this legendary product born of Earth’s entrails in all its yellowy splendor!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809793589413,"sku":"S15x60mm","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Sulfur_cf0da8da-f626-47c7-abab-389e0349de88.webp?v=1778165856"},{"product_id":"scandium-99-99-2-grams","title":"Scandium 99.99% 2 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIf exotic elements are of interest then scandium has to be of high interest. Light, strong and rustproof, it would make an excellent alternative for anything where steel is normally used. If it wasn’t so damn rare, that is. And rare in a technical sense. There’s plenty of it all around. There’s some in your backyard and in the broccoli stuck between your teeth. The problem is that it’s never conveniently concentrated in a spot that you can go and shovel it out of the ground. So, at present, most scandium that comes to market comes by way of rare earth mining where it’s a minority byproduct. China being far and away the largest producer of the rare earth elements means they’re also number one in delivering scandium. A total of a few tons, maybe up to ten or so, is sold in metallic form this way every year. To this paltry amount you might add scandium oxide which accounts for another dozen tons or two but all in all this is still a remarkably scarce commodity. If this figure is still meaningless to you, for comparison the annual production of silver is over 25,000 tons annually. So a metal that’s a thousand times rarer but only ten times the cost? Yeah, not a bad deal!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793556645,"sku":"Sc15x60mm","price":33.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Scandium_729968f7-70ab-434a-9718-1d4b80d69016.webp?v=1778165857"},{"product_id":"thallium-99-99","title":"Thallium 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eThe deadly thallium is an object of fascination and fear. Fear because it’s associated with a whole bunch of bad things that can happen if you have the bad luck to get some in you. Besides, you know, death, how about any of the following? Gastroenteritis, dehydration, tachycardia, seizures, hepatitis, messed up skin, bad nails, pneumonia, vomiting, diarrhea, green urine(!), schizophrenia, shot kidneys, baldness (that’s just wrong), nerve damage and, well, the list goes on trust me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eDespite this long list of dangers, or perhaps because of it, thallium grabs more than its fair share of attention from the collecting community. While it’s true that in metallic form thallium is not anywhere near as dangerous as the compounds it creates, all the same we believe the only way to responsibly own a sample is locked up in a glass tube. Metal and glass are two things that don’t get along very well so care has to be taken to avoid breakage. In contact with air thallium soon loses its luster and turns an evil-looking dark gray with mottled highlights of extra evil. If you should see it this way don’t throw it in the trash. Instead, do the environment a solid and just dunk it in some oil then take it to your nearest hazard disposal facility. Then buy yourself a new sample and be more careful!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrders for thallium will be individually reviewed and may be canceled at our discretion.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"100mg ampule in labeled bottle","offer_id":47806078582949,"sku":"Tl0.1g_bot","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806078615717,"sku":"Tl15x60mm_1g","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"15g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806078648485,"sku":"Tl15x60mm_15g","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Thallium_5f040eaf-0a65-4ec5-a0b7-1cb4be7230b2.webp?v=1778165858"},{"product_id":"calcium-99-99","title":"Calcium 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHere’s a gram of calcium. Care to eat it? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAccording to the US National Institute of Health’s \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Calcium-Consumer\/\"\u003eguidelines\u003c\/a\u003e most adults should be getting at least this much. Perhaps to make it a bit more appetizing they prefer the euphemism of going with measurements in thousands of milligrams (would getting a bill in pennies seem easier to pay?) but it’s safe to say that most would be shocked to find out how we’re putting nearly a pound’s worth of this metal through our guts over the course of a year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe surprise, of course, is that most people don’t think of calcium as a metal but, perhaps, the ingredient that makes cheese yellow and milk white. When speaking of calcium, every nutritionist refers to it as a \u003cem\u003emineral\u003c\/em\u003e which technically refers to the chemical combination of two or more elements but, to be fair, outside of an argon-filled capsule calcium promptly loses its metallic character and turns to lime. Calcium’s high sensitivity to oxygen (and nitrogen) is the reason why it’s never found in its elemental state in nature and why many people are surprised to learn that it’s a metal at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAnyway, this ampule houses a beautifully oxide-free sample which you won’t be able to resist shaking around. No worries, it is much too light to crack the glass! Oh, and definitely don’t eat it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"5x25mm","offer_id":47809793491109,"sku":"Ca5x25mm","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793523877,"sku":"Ca15x60mm","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Calcium_f99e474d-92cb-419b-84aa-c160810d8f89.webp?v=1778165859"},{"product_id":"germanium-99-999-5-grams","title":"Germanium 99.999% 5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eGermanium is a glassy element and as such it can be turned into lenses. But you know what the problem with a germanium lens is? You can’t see through it! It’s as opaque as a cement wall. Although it stops light waves from getting through it does, however, let through thermal radiation and this makes it ideal for use in night vision devices. If you’ve ever seen clips of someone’s hand as a bright splotch against a dark green background you’re looking at an image made possible by a germanium lens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHolistic medicine practitioners have, sadly, homed in on germanium too as something to push on the unsuspecting. Touted as a cure for [fill in the blank] these “dietary supplements” are linked to a number of diseases of the kidneys and liver. Germanium as a free element is harmless due to being inert at room temperature but the compounds it creates are often toxic. So, kids, no shopping for elements at your local GNC!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"5g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809793458341,"sku":"Ge15x60mm","price":69.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Germanium_6fc57f2f-c341-4ea9-b823-071efc2df4f5.webp?v=1778165859"},{"product_id":"carbon-99-99","title":"Carbon 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eHave you ever wondered what fire is? Like, ok so it’s bright and hot but what \u003cem\u003eis\u003c\/em\u003e it, really? It’s air. Just bitchin’ hot air. Much like an iron rod stuck in a furnace turns red, the air we breathe glows red when heated through \u003cem\u003eincandescence\u003c\/em\u003e. Or rather, we start to see this glow after crossing a certain temperature threshold. It’s too weak to be seen with your eyes but even at room temperature objects have this glow which can be shown with night-vision equipment. The heat that gives fire its glow is, in most cases, caused by the union of carbon and oxygen atoms; an exothermic reaction, if you’d prefer the fancy term. You marry carbon to oxygen, that is you oxidize it, and you get a molecule of CO2 (or sometimes its feared monoxide, CO) \u003cem\u003eplus\u003c\/em\u003e heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eBy now you’re probably sick to death hearing about carbon’s role in climate change. The carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere has increased at an alarming rate. From below 300 parts per million a hundred years ago to an average of 415ppm currently. Despite the most stern warnings from scientists and activists alike, that rate keeps increasing at an annual clip approaching 3ppm, making a mockery of efforts to curtail this dreadful progress. But I bet you didn’t know that there’s another form of carbon that’s also significantly contributing to global warming: carbon itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eWe know that white surfaces reflect light and keep cool while the darker the shade the better it is at turning those sun rays into heat. And, you see, carbon is as black as… eh, carbon is basically \u003cem\u003esynonymous\u003c\/em\u003e with this color. Soot, lampblack, petroleum, charcoal and ink are all basically carbon in disguise. The combined effluent of millions of chimneys and vehicle exhaust pipes contribute, in addition to the CO2 emissions, a staggering amount of these black particles into the atmosphere. They have three different ways to add to the problem. One by directly converting sunlight into \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2003\/05\/030514081323.htm\"\u003eadditional heat\u003c\/a\u003e, secondly by messing with \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=otRgiWASZs0\"\u003ecloud formation\u003c\/a\u003e and, lastly, by \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/research.noaa.gov\/article\/ArtMID\/587\/ArticleID\/1532\/Black-carbon-larger-cause-of-climate-change-than-previously-assessed\"\u003elanding on snow fields\u003c\/a\u003e, reducing their ability to reflect light. The net effect is that it may contribute as much as half of the warming as does the dioxide but is receiving only a tiny fraction of the attention. What good is it, I suppose, to raise the alarm when it’s all bound to fall on deaf ears anyway?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eSo what’s with this spiel you didn’t ask for? Well, wouldn’t be much of a sales pitch otherwise. You can’t just say “Here, buy these two thick pencil leads in glass for ten bucks thankyouverymuch”. You gotta at least make it a little interesting for the customer ;-)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"3g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule (graphite)","offer_id":47806078877861,"sku":"C15x60mm","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1g 15x35mm round bottom ampule (diamonds)","offer_id":47806078910629,"sku":"C1g_RB","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Carbon_b9fb217c-1093-4714-9e63-b417bf863daa.webp?v=1778165860"},{"product_id":"antimony-99-99-10-grams","title":"Antimony 99.99% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eWhile on very rare occasions nature yields up relatively pure specimens of antimony, this element has been known since ancient times from its chief ore \u003cem\u003estibnite\u003c\/em\u003e. The spindly, black mineral was powdered and used as outliner by Egyptian fashionistas as well as for its reputed medicinal properties by other cultures. From then on into the modern age many applications were noted for stibnite in various parts of the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn its pure form antimony is a blindingly shiny pseudo metal resembling chrome. It looks the part but is brittle and crumbly so can’t be easily formed into objects.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793392805,"sku":"Sb15x60mm","price":13.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Arsenic_a1617e9d-60a4-4b9d-a6db-8ac911c33cd7.webp?v=1778165862"},{"product_id":"tin-99-95-5-grams","title":"Tin 99.95% 5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eMeet the meekest of all elements. Tin is so the opposite of a poison that it used to be used for lining cans of food (hence ‘tin cans’). Who knows how many pounds of tin people inadvertently ate while scraping the sides of their cans of chili way back when. And nothing happened to them. Well, nothing that we know of anyway. This was back in the day when doctors were recommending smoking as a healthy activity to stretch out your lungs after all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eToday tin no longer figures in the food industry. The tin cans have been replaced with steel, tin foil with aluminum. Its main use continues to be for soldering. Hundreds of thousands of tons of tin are used every year to mate circuit boards to chips and those little candy-like doodads that do electrical stuff. Without a low tempertaure metal that can serve this humble function the world would be in big trouble!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793294501,"sku":"Sn15x60mm","price":7.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Tin_4e96b112-66c8-405e-b1f9-5af392300325.webp?v=1778165862"},{"product_id":"iron-99-9-10-grams","title":"Iron 99.9% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eWhy is this iron black? Is it rust? No sir. Iron rust is reddish brown. Every reference book will tell you that iron is “silvery gray”. That’s a lazy and inaccurate catchall used with most metals which is only conditionally true for iron. One of the more interesting trivia bits about this otherwise rather uninteresting element is that its color is dependent on its \u003cem\u003esize\u003c\/em\u003e. It is in fact medium gray for anything down to the size of a pencil eraser. As the size of the piece decreases the shade becomes increasingly darker. Why, what’s going on?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eThe answer is rather technical but the gist of it is that when you see a color your brain is seeing light at a particular wavelength. A wave with a frequency of, say, 500 billionths of a meter (them’s some tiny waves!) appears green. Surf a 600 nanometer wave and it’s yellow, baby. Etc. When you see the light reflect off a piece of metal you’re usually seeing a whole bunch of wavelengths all at once from ripples to tsunamis and this “dirty” light is interpreted by your brain as white. The second factor at play here is the light intensity, or how fast those waves are coming in. Like a volume knob, the higher the intensity the brighter it will appear without messing with the colors. It is a continuum from white down to black with gray betwixt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn the case of iron, as the size gets progressively smaller, the intensity of the light waves bouncing back drops. At a microscopic level the iron’s surface is able to grab on to more and more of the incoming light without reflecting as much of it. In other words, you perceive it as darker. Sometimes the electrons in the atoms directly mess with the light and do a bit of filtering of their own. On gold, for example, those light waves enter a quantum sluice of sorts that strips out most of the spectrum below 600nm meaning that only the yellow (and some red) gets bounced back to your retina, and you’re like, wow, so pretty!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAnyway, back to iron, the 1mm spheres here are small enough to rate as dark gray. Smaller than this and they’d be pitch black as the light rays get all gobbled up leaving very little to get back to your eyeballs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793261733,"sku":"Fe15x60mm","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Iron_4d947c93-e531-40f0-811e-57627fe8ed36.webp?v=1778165862"},{"product_id":"aluminum-99-99-2-5-grams","title":"Aluminum 99.99% 2.5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIt may come as a surprise to many, even those who are already familiar with the Periodic Table, to find out that aluminum is actually one of the metals most chemically reactive to oxygen. While the alkali metals (lithium, potassium, cesium etc.) oxidize in open air so quickly that you can see a freshly cut piece tarnish while you count off just a few Mississippis, aluminum does so nearly instantly - thousands of times faster than the blink of an eye! But… this can’t be, you say, as you recall many samples of polished aluminum holding their luster forever. Well, the strange thing is that aluminum rust \u003cem\u003eis\u003c\/em\u003e transparent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eWait, whaaaat?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eYes, aluminum oxide is better known as rubies and sapphires which without tiny contaminants is as colorless and see-through as ordinary glass. That you see metal instead of a gem when you look at your kitchenware is due to the fact that this oxide layer is extremely thin; four nanometers, to be exact. Effectively, the thickness of a single molecule. The resulting sheet is so tightly interlocked that it prevents any more oxygen from getting through and the oxide’s chemistry is so stable that it rebuffs almost anything else that it comes in contact with, thus preserving its integrity. This is why metallic aluminum is found everywhere in our modern life. The alkali metals on the other hand do not form protective oxide networks and thus quickly succumb unless carefully protected.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eWith an estimated global production of over 60 million tons, aluminum is the second most manufactured metal after steel and the rate of production continues to increase at a rapid pace as more and more uses are found for this light and easily recycled resource.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"2.5g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule (99.99% pure)","offer_id":47806079303845,"sku":"Al15x60mm","price":4.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10g 15x100mm rounded bottom ampule 99.9999% pure","offer_id":47806079336613,"sku":"Al15x100mm_6N","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Aluminum_5555f37c-4eb0-4f20-b754-43c3a930a8e4.webp?v=1778165863"},{"product_id":"copper-99-99-10-grams","title":"Copper 99.99% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOf all the elements in your home, chances are you probably wouldn’t have guessed copper is the most abundant. If you thought iron, well, technically there isn’t much as pure iron is rather rare (all that rebar, the fixtures and your fridge are made of \u003cem\u003esteel\u003c\/em\u003e). Between the wiring, the plumbing and the electrical coils of all your appliances there’s literally hundreds of pounds of this red metal hiding just out of sight. If your kitchen is fancy there might be some coppery accents in your pots and pans too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCopper is a soft metal that inevitably tarnishes in air, dulling its color and eventually replacing it with a green coating of corrosion (euphemistically termed a ‘patina’). At Luciteria our job is delivering you the elements in their pure state and for this task we give it the time tested glass-and-argon treatment to keep it coppery and beautiful forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793228965,"sku":"Cu15x60mm","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Copper_87f32e6d-fc7c-4a4c-8d65-22fe0a42583a.webp?v=1778165864"},{"product_id":"silver-99-99-20-grams","title":"Silver 99.99% 20 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSilver provides a fascinating study because it has been used as money for thousands of years. Inflation has made the metal too valuable to be used as literal coinage nowadays but in ancient Rome for a day’s work a well-paid laborer could earn a \u003cem\u003edenarius\u003c\/em\u003e, a silver coin weighing approximately three grams. And the wages of a laborer stayed more or less unchanged until the advent of the Industrial Revolution. By the early 1800s an unskilled laborer would have earned three times as much as a Roman if his earnings were to be paid in silver. Today, a US worker earning the minimum wage could pull in almost 80 grams of the metal per 8-hour shift, a nearly thirty-fold increase since ancient times. However, it’s easy to draw the wrong conclusions from this observation. The fact is that neither the price of silver nor the value of a laborer’s output has remained constant. After all, an ancient silver miner toiling away with crude tools was likely hundreds of times less productive than his modern counterpart employing heavy machinery. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAs for the metal itself, silver is the element with the highest level of reflectivity. 95% of the light reaching a mirrored silver surface bounces back. Aluminum is the next most reflective at only 90% so silver wins handily. Not surprisingly, it is the metal of choice with which to make mirrors. However, silver is a delicate metal. On top of being soft it is reactive with sulfur traces of which are suspended in air. Thus, over time silver dulls and its surface will become completely black unless polished or treated with chemicals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eJust as a mirror’s silver coat is protected with an impermeable pane of glass, in this argon-filled ampule the ultrapure silver beads will remain blindlingly shiny; making for a great presentation of this storied metal.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793196197,"sku":"Ag15x60mm","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Silver_d0f48ca0-ea6c-4e01-be37-fe64ff04726b.webp?v=1778165865"},{"product_id":"potassium-99-99","title":"Potassium 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eCertain elements have become linked with foods. You have of course the dairy and calcium pairing, spinach and iron and, um… popcorn and sodium. When speaking in terms of nutritional supplements, potassium is always mentioned alongside bananas. At about 0.3% by weight that’s a decent portion. Eating a couple of bananas can put a full gram’s worth of potassium in your belly (don’t worry, you already have over 100 in you). However, the odd thing is that in the fruit kingdom bananas aren’t the best bang for the buck in this department. Not even close. Almonds are nearly 1% potassium by weight, so three times as much as the curvy yellow edible. That’s good to know considering you’re supposed to eat \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Potassium-Consumer\/\"\u003ethree grams\u003c\/a\u003e of this metal every day(!)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003ePotassium is supremely reactive with oxygen so the only way to keep it metallic is to ensure those pesky oxygen atoms are kept at bay. Glass does this effectively and makes therefore the best method for keeping the sample lustrous. Potassium’s melting point is a fairly low 63\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0)\"\u003e°\u003c\/span\u003eC (143F), the temperature your car reaches when locked on a hot summer day. That’s one idea for melting the quantity in this ampule to play with it and show off to others the amazing molten metal that you eat every day! Just….be real careful not to break it, of course.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"2g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806079533221,"sku":"K15x60mm","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10g 18x100mm ampule","offer_id":47806079565989,"sku":"K10g_amp","price":68.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Potassium_3f541815-ab1d-4225-9851-e7de731edba2.webp?v=1778165866"},{"product_id":"magnesium-99-9-2-grams","title":"Magnesium 99.9% 2 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eDespite being cheap and plentiful, of late magnesium has taken on an aura of a premium, hi-tech commodity for its use in areas where shaving weight is a must. High profile examples include automotive and aerospace applications. Expensive laptops too, even bikes. On its own, magnesium is a poor choice as it’s soft and suffers from poor resistance to corrosion. To the rescue, metallurgists have been busy alloying it with a dozen different metals and after much a-tinkering with the recipes have come up with a number of really good alloys that provide the ultimate in lightweight, stiffness and the all important resistance to corrosion parameters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHandling this ampule is a treat. Feels almost empty even though you can clearly see it’s half filled with metal!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809793163429,"sku":"Mg15x60mm","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Magnesium2_838e8c32-eb99-4075-a719-49148d979244.webp?v=1778165866"},{"product_id":"lutetium-99-9-15-grams","title":"Lutetium 99.9% 15 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn the collectibles scene lutetium has taken some setbacks in recent years. It used to be that it was the undisputed king when it came to bedevilling those in search of a high purity sample of this metal. It’s always been too rare and difficult to extract to be of much use and that was enough to dissuade refiners from looking for it or labs to stock it. Skip to today and apparently it’s just about as useless as ever but production methods have improved, making its recovery more attainable. Demand, however slight, ensures that those refiners can do something with their stockpiles besides using it to prop open the doors to the cafeteria. Meanwhile, thulium, and especially terbium, have seen a turnaround in their own fortunes with demand soaring. While not quite as rare as ol’ lute, the change in the supply-demand equation has cast them in the ouch-so-expensive category.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAs you can see from the price menu, lutetium is still anything but affordable. For cost’s sake let’s hope someone doesn’t soon find that it has some heretofore unknown magical properties. Actually, come to think of it, maybe that would be a good thing after all.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792999589,"sku":"Lu15x60mm","price":69.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Lutetium_11a2978d-9b51-4764-85a1-31d34564d01b.webp?v=1778165868"},{"product_id":"iridium-99-95","title":"Iridium 99.95%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eHere we have one of the costliest non-radioactive metals in crumbly crystalline bits. It is a better option than solid beads which risks shattering the glass due to its high density. While iridium, one of the noblest of the precious metals, really gains no benefit from the protective argon atmosphere inside one of these ampules, it does help in keeping the tiny pieces from getting lost and is easier overall to show off as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eIn addition to its steep price tag, iridium is disappointingly difficult to find for sale. Almost all that is produced each year - which ain’t much - is bought by large firms for in-house use. Sale of this metal to the public in any form is severely limited not just because of the high cost but because the refineries that deal in it already have these institutional buyers ready to buy entire production lots. Selling a few hundred grams to a little cutesy company selling educational products? To them, unfortunately, that’s just a nuisance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eWith these ampules you get iridium by the gram. As in \u003cem\u003eone\u003c\/em\u003e gram. That’s not much. Take a penny and cut up into three slices - one slice is a gram. And yet… look how costly this stuff is! For that reason we’ve recently added a 100mg version for the non-billionaires among us.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"250mg 15x60mm Flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809792966821,"sku":"Ir15x60mm","price":240.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Rhodium_c19fd9fc-1a7b-4671-9b2d-323e6208f3c2.webp?v=1778165868"},{"product_id":"rhodium-99-95-1-gram","title":"Rhodium 99.95% 1 gram","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSadly, it’s getting to the point where only collectors who wear monocles and have time shares in Dubai can afford samples of this metal. Just a few years ago it was a fraction the cost of gold or platinum. Then Covid came and the price soared to an absurd $30,000+ per ounce. All expectations were that this was an aberration caused by the exigencies of the pandemic. But with normalcy restored rhodium has stubbornly refused to pull back to its historical trading range. It does not seem likely to ever again sell below the $10,000\/oz mark, and perhaps the likelier to edge back above $20,000.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eRhodium is a colorless, bright shade of gray visually indistinguishable from platinum but nearly half its density. Being extremely brittle and nearly impossible to cast means that even if it wasn’t horribly expensive there’d be little hope to see it turned into interesting shapes. In this offering we find a gram’s worth of shattered fragments of very, very pure rhodium locked in a hermetically sealed glass ampule. With it, I don’t know, you can take it to the country club and lord over the plebes who must make do with their humble gold and platinum holdings.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792934053,"sku":"Rh15x60mm","price":475.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Rhodium_2214900b-2256-4bce-972d-fd991825e641.webp?v=1778165868"},{"product_id":"selenium-99-99-5-grams","title":"Selenium 99.99% 5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eToo much selenium in your diet causes a disease known as selenosis. Although this is extremely rare the list of symptoms includes one particularly embarrassing one: garlic breath. There is no treatment for curing selenosis. You just have to wait until the body gets rid of it little by little but during this time you’re sure to torment everyone around you. Mouthwash doesn’t help. The stank is coming through from the bottom of your tripes, your lungs, right through your cheeks even. The sad part is that you’re not smelling selenium but rather its stinky cousin sulfur. As the body goes into overdrive to rid itself of excess selenium it produces a molecule, methionine, which contains the offending atom and with which it’s bound together.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHere in odor-free format is a fine sample of ultra-pure selenium as shiny chunks, the prefect collectible of Element 34.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792901285,"sku":"Se15x60mm","price":18.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Selenium_ad1304a6-dbe8-44c5-ad49-c2e3eea29081.webp?v=1778165869"},{"product_id":"manganese-99-7-10-grams","title":"Manganese 99.7% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eManganese is a trace element necessary for healthy body functioning. Its biggest role appears to be as an antioxidant. That is, it functions as a spear tip looking for ‘bad oxygen’ (that’d be O instead of the normal O2) and when it finds one of these so-called oxygen radicals *BOOM*, MnO is formed, a harmless substance, which is then shown the way out via your kidneys.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eDespite what scammy vitamin commercials may lead you to think, there’s no need to go out and try to help your body out with extra manganese. It is one of the elements that you get enough of by literally breathing in. Yes, each breath you take has enough micrograms of suspended manganese in it that it can be literally harvested right off your lung’s alveoli. In fact, for the meager amount necessary so much manganese enters the body that almost all of it is rejected as excess. So really, paying for manganese supplements is in a very literal sense a waste of money.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAnd if you ever doubt the nutritional wisdom provided by Luciteria, well then, here’s a lifetime supply of manganese chips to munch on at a fraction of the cost of a multivitamin bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792868517,"sku":"Mn15x60mm","price":17.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Manganese_5c92222c-0737-42b4-92aa-97ff40c37482.webp?v=1778165870"},{"product_id":"indium-99-995-10-grams","title":"Indium 99.995% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.nomanssky.com\"\u003eNo Man’s Sky\u003c\/a\u003e, one of the most popular video games in recent years, you are tasked to explore the universe chasing down dozens of elements real and fictional, the most expensive and sought after of which is…. yes, you are on the indium page. Presumably selected for its exotic-sounding name, the game developers are probably as familiar with this metal as they are with other in-game commodities such as ‘nitrogen salt’ and antimatter. But who are we to complain if even a small percentage of the millions of players learn of the Periodic Table this way? Count me as a fan!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIn real life, indium may be a little too mundane of a resource to merit interstellar travel but it definitely possesses some extraordinary qualities. The first of these is the incredible softness; allowing someone with a rod of this material to pull off Hulk-like bending tricks with the utmost of ease to the bewilderment of any present spectators. To this we can also add a very high degree of resistance to corrosion. Indium also has one of the lowest toxicity profiles of a metallic element rivaling in this regard members of the platinum group. Finally, this element does nab one ‘rarest’ title. Mineralogists note it as perhaps the most difficult of all specimens to obtain in their native state; that is, found in nature uncombined with any other element.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792835749,"sku":"In15x60mm","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Indium_edc87ba7-a9eb-464c-8e72-076b391686ac.webp?v=1778165871"},{"product_id":"cadmium-99-99-10-grams","title":"Cadmium 99.99% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHere is one element that certainly benefits from being encapsulated behind glass. More so than a potential human poison, it is a key villain in the environment with many regulatory bodies keeping a close eye on its introduction to soils, aquifers and waterways. The metal itself can be safely handled in solid form, though precaution and common sense still dictate the better to avoid doing so unnecessarily or at least wash hands afterwards. However it becomes much more dangerous when combined with other chemicals and\/or finely divided into particles that can become airborne (and thus potentially breathed in).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCadmium is a metal quite similar to lead in its look and feel, heft and toxicity profile. Unlike lead, however, it does not tarnish much in air and will retain its steel gray color more or less indefinitely. Or definitely indefinitely, if kept in this ampule!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792802981,"sku":"Cd15x60mm","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Cadmium_065facc2-4991-4b87-a9fd-dd1db0addb2e.webp?v=1778165871"},{"product_id":"praseodymium-99-9","title":"Praseodymium 99.9%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHere’s a finicky metal that won’t last long outside of the protective environment afforded behind a sealed vial. Praseodymium, like other metals in the rare earth family, is prone to oxidation. Break this ampule and within a day or two the metal pieces have turned black. A week later, they’ve turned to dusty rocks. A few weeks and there’s nothing left because the breeze blew it all away. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eYou can prevent total loss of the specimen by dunking it in mineral oil but oxidation still takes place, albeit at a slower pace. Still, the luster will be gone and the oxide will mix with the oil turning it into a cloudy mess unbecoming of a proper collection :-)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"7x25mm ampule in a labeled bottle","offer_id":47809792737445,"sku":"Pr7x25mm","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809792770213,"sku":"Pr15x60mm","price":46.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Praseodymium_fd52336d-dab4-4145-96dc-266948044407.webp?v=1778165872"},{"product_id":"cesium-99-99","title":"Cesium 99.99%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eIt’s weird how the ancient Latin word for sky, \u003cem\u003ecaelum\u003c\/em\u003e, should somehow yield a word that today sounds like ‘sea-lum’ but they’re the same guys after all who came up with \u003cem\u003eCaesar\u003c\/em\u003e. We’re just not used to the s-sounding C when followed by an A. This is why at some point back in the 1800’s our great-grandparents here in the U.S. dropped the letter and have been writing cesium ever since… much to the chagrin of the British (and really, the rest of the world) who view this as lexical sacrilege.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eRegardless, what does the sky have to do with this golden-toned metal? Well, the discoverers of the element never had the joy of seeing the pure metal. Shortly after the discovery that light shone through a prism yields different colors according to the elemental makeup of the source, it was only natural that the nerds of the day would start burning samples of different ores to see if anything cool happened. And something cool did indeed happen when they set a sample of pollucite to the candle. The blue portion of the spectrum shone much brighter here. The Victorian-era chaps knew they had their first hit and wasted no time in naming this blue light generator after the color of the sky. The same method would soon after yield indium (after the color indigo) and thallium (after Greek for ‘greenish’). Not terribly creative when it came to names but this was an era when every other kid was named John or William so it shouldn’t be too shocking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eTo repeat, these guys never saw the decidedly non-blue color of the element they discovered. And it wasn’t for lack of trying. Metallic cesium is quite difficult to prepare because of its sky-high (heh) affinity to combine with other elements. It’s a bit like unsticking two tiny magnets from each other. The only effective way to pry it off is to find another chemical with an even higher affinity to the offending atom that it can tease it away from the Cs one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eFor the purposes of a collectible such as the one offered here, even the minutest trace of contaminants can spoil the show. These vestigial impurities act as nucleation points on the glass walls turning it messy and obscuring the view. Extraordinary steps must be taken to chase away as many of the non-cesium atoms as possible. Not surprisingly, this raises the cost of an already costly commodity. This is a shame as practically every fan of the elements would love to have one of these if only it were more affordable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eWe currently have on offer ampules with 1 gram and 10 grams. Higher quantities would be nice but the risk of something bad happening if glass meets hard thing gives us the heebie jeebies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"1g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806080843941,"sku":"Cs15x60mm","price":67.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10g 15x75mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806080876709,"sku":"Cs10g_amp","price":470.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"5g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806080909477,"sku":"Cs5g_amp","price":165.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"1g 10x40mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806080942245,"sku":"Cs10x40mm_2","price":67.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Cesium_edb7f32a-b271-4faa-a2d6-e41acc9a2045.webp?v=1778165873"},{"product_id":"beryllium-99-2-5-grams","title":"Beryllium 99% 2.5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eBeryllium is one of the stiffest metals known, outclassing even the best of steels. Where a steel spring can be pulled and pushed and it will return to its original shape, a spring made out of beryllium would act more like one made of glass. It won’t budge even a tiny bit and if you push it past its limit it will simply shatter. Springiness is not always desirable and many engineering projects call for the use of alloys that have as little ‘give’ as possible. Sports cars manufacturers, to name a prime example, are ever in search of stiffer, lighter materials which are necessary for precise handling. A chassis made of pure beryllium would be ideal in this respect but would also be eye-wateringly expensive. Not just for the material itself but also for the difficulties presented in machining it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSpeaking of machining, our samples of pure beryllium - unlike any other we’ve carried so far - come from shattered machine parts constructed in Soviet-era Russian military labs. Coming to us by way of a Chinese lab we’re unfortunately not privy to what their original function might have been but cursory examination of partial threaded shafts, washers and the like suggest some kind of hydraulic systems. What kind of hydraulic systems would need to be built out of beryllium? Ones that held their shape under intense conditions… rockets! There’s no way as yet to ascertain these conjectures but it’s a plausible explanation. And wouldn’t it be nice in a swords-to-ploughshares kind of way if these were indeed recycled from nukes or Cosmonaut-carrying rockets?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47809792671909,"sku":"Be15x60mm","price":31.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"5g in 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47888258203813,"sku":"Be15x60mm_5g","price":62.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Beryllium_0b7e364d-670f-4b8d-bbab-1a8c8c1bb7c4.webp?v=1778165874"},{"product_id":"cobalt-99-95-15-grams","title":"Cobalt 99.95% 15 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCobalt gets much attention these days for its key role in batteries and magnets (especially EV’s) as well as hi-tech gadgets in general. The attention is not all of the good sort. Much of the world’s cobalt comes from high-conflict areas in Africa, the proceeds of which are funneled into unending sectarian strife in that part of the world. The problem is largely intractable, unfortunately. Mines are not the sorts of projects that spring up over a weekend when necessary. There is also geology and economics to consider; lesser ores elsewhere may be too costly to operate competitively or are too remote or twenty other ifs, ands and buts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOn the other side of the equation it hasn’t been all that easy to replace cobalt with alternatives. Cobalt-free batteries can be made by using lithium instead but this is a textbook case of taking from Peter to give to Paul. Lithium mining is mired in geopolitical controversies of its own and is, at scale, no cheaper than cobalt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eLittle is talked about the element itself. This is a metal largely indistinguishable from the steel it often is a part of. Hard, magnetic and resistant to corrosion, it would be an excellent structural metal on its own if it wasn’t so expensive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOh, a little vial of it is pretty cheap however!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792639141,"sku":"Co15x60mm","price":12.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Cobalt_e6d0b5b7-a2ac-4e84-ab37-969c502c6a4c.webp?v=1778165874"},{"product_id":"boron-99-99-2-5-grams","title":"Boron 99.99% 2.5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eExperimentally, and somewhat controversially, boron is to date the only element besides carbon than can form a material harder than diamond. Long available to industry, ordinary boron nitride is a substance whose claim to fame is being second only to diamond in hardness. A few years ago a team of scientists produced some crystals of an exotic variant named \u003cem\u003eWurtzite boron nitride\u003c\/em\u003e which reportedly bested the champ by 18%. Those claims have yet to receive widespread confirmation from the scientific community on account of the extreme difficulty in preparing samples large enough to experiment on. As it is, growing pure crystals of the most common type of boron nitride is \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.2dsemiconductors.com\/h-BN-large-size\/\"\u003ebreath-takingly expensive\u003c\/a\u003e - and this is evidently child’s play compared to the challenge of creating the Wurtzite type!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eElemental boron, as shown here, is itself a supremely hard material but it is quite brittle. Given the high cost of extraction and the difficulty of working with it, there’s little appetite for engineers to put it to use. On the few occasions where nothing else is adequate, this type of crushed crystalline boron makes for an excellent abrasive. It is often also the starting point from which researchers go on their quests to seek more exotic forms of this element.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792606373,"sku":"B15x60mm","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Boron_75139e37-d164-4106-8685-02a5c6f96875.webp?v=1778165875"},{"product_id":"cerium-99-95","title":"Cerium 99.95%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eIf you’ve ever looked at a thick pane of glass edge on you’ve probably noticed it’s as green as an emerald. For an executive’s desk that might be totally fine but in many other applications a green tint is undesirable. Cerium has been put to use for its ability to mop up the trace contaminants that give glass this color and neutralize the effect, yielding glass fit for optics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCerium’s relationship with glass extends to the polishing stages also where it ranks as the most popular polishing agent. Why reach for an exotic substance when a more conventional abrasive is surely much cheaper and accessible? Well, as it turns out cerium (as an oxide) is not only a great polisher but it also lowers glare, so two for the price of one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eAtmospheric oxygen makes short work of the pure metal so keeping it in its metallic state invariably requires ampuling under a noble gas like argon, as is the case in these carefully prepared samples.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"100mg ampule in labeled bottle","offer_id":47806081237157,"sku":"Ce7x25mm","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10g 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806081269925,"sku":"Ce15x60mm","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20g 15x100mm round bottom ampule","offer_id":47806081302693,"sku":"Ce20g_amp","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Cerium_7ef00d4a-a804-4941-ae5f-7409c89fbf04.webp?v=1778165876"},{"product_id":"chromium-99-5-5-grams","title":"Chromium 99.5% 5 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eQuick, what’s the hardest metal? Bank vault steel? Titanium? Bzzzzt! Nope, it’s chromium. Few would guess that chromium is the hardest of all the pure metallic elements when to most people the word is associated with secondhand motorcycle parts. It almost certainly has everything to do with the fact that chromium is very brittle. Little good to have a material literally as hard as a gemstone if it falls apart when you so much as look at it wrong. Such is the case with this element which besides its top-class hardness rating is also damn near rustproof. Pretty much all the world’s chromium is mixed with iron to make steel or other compounds. Pure chromium is a no show (well, excepting coatings of questionable taste).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eLuckily for Luciteria, refiners do take the trouble to purify the metal to the desirable “4 nines” (99.99%) making chromium very affordable to own in small quantities.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792573605,"sku":"Cr15x60mm","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Chromium_e73cea89-d9ef-4b07-ac1a-73bf3540d207.webp?v=1778165877"},{"product_id":"barium-99-9","title":"Barium 99.9%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eCompounds made from barium can be exceptionally toxic. In countries with not-so-strict regulations, barium carbonate is used as a rat poison. The effects are so horrid that you almost feel bad for the pests as it basically gives them an accelerated form of Parkinson’s disease. Within minutes of ingestion their guts are wrecked, their muscles stop responding to the brain and begin twitching of their own volition, their kidneys are shot, then their heartbeats become irregular and several other Bad Things before the merciful end comes from respiratory failure. Medical literature speaks of cases where the white powder was mistaken for flour and… well, let’s move on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eOn the other hand each and every day thousands of people in hospitals all over the world are made to drink up Slurpee-sized cups of a vile concoction of barium sulphate (tastes exactly what you would think a liquified chalk smoothie would taste like) prior to getting an abdominal x-ray. Vile but harmless. The offending chemical passes through uneventfully. Well, except for the retching and the memories that will never go away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eSo how come? Well, it all hinges on how the metal gets into an organism and what it does once it’s inside. Barium carbonate is water soluble while the sulphate isn’t. Big difference. While the sulphate is indegistible, the gastric juices attack the carbonate and turn it into a chloride which easily passes through intestine walls. Once in the bloodstream barium ions ravage the body’s stores of potassium rapidly depleting this essential electrolyte. This in turn causes all the cascade of nerve and muscle problems described above.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eMetallic barium like in this ampule is not a health concern. If the glass were to break - by some unspeakable catastrophe - and your beautiful specimen exposed nothing much would happen even if you were to pick it up with your bare hands. Holding it for a long time might irritate your skin (a chemical burn) but after you washed your hands and said good-bye to your expensive collectible that would be the end of it. Where it does become a much bigger danger is if a piece were to be eaten as, again, the acids in your stomach would make short work of it and turn it into a potentially lethal poison. For this reason, make sure that \u003cstrong\u003eall\u003c\/strong\u003e of your element samples are well out of reach of little kids.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"100mg ampule in labeled bottle","offer_id":47806081433765,"sku":"Ba7x25mm","price":12.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"2.5g 15*60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47806081466533,"sku":"Ba15x60mm","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Barium_7b6c1ccb-bc1e-4c71-b553-5fc0fd9fea9d.webp?v=1778165878"},{"product_id":"bismuth-99-99-10-grams","title":"Bismuth 99.99% 10 grams","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eA diagonal ridge on the periodic table divides the metals and the non-metals and it is on this fence that bismuth hangs out. Common to other semi-metallic elements, bismuth breaks when bent. In addition to its lack of ductility (that’s the brittleness factor), it is also a poor conductor of heat. It does, however, very much \u003cem\u003elook\u003c\/em\u003e like a metal and at room temperature will stay that way because of its inherent resistance to corrosion. These characteristics are exploited commercially. Chemical inertness, low melting point and relatively low cost make for a compelling substitute wherever lead alloys are presently used. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eHeavier than lead, these crushed bits of crystalline bismuth will minimize the chance of the glass breaking from shifting inside. A close look at all its sharp mini-shards is a treat from a textural perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"15x60mm","offer_id":47809792540837,"sku":"Bi15x60mm","price":9.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Bismuth_765f30e0-f448-47a9-93b4-11c943b45bb6.webp?v=1778165878"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/collections\/Group_201.jpg?v=1777299866","url":"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/collections\/ampules.oembed?page=8","provider":"Luciteria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}