{"title":"periodic table","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"strontium-2-lucite-cube","title":"Strontium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis rarely seen metal is most typically associated with nuclear pollution. Finding the strontium-90 isotope in the atmosphere around your neighborhood is bad news indeed and should be cause for immediate plans to relocate to your mother-in-law's for a while. But don't worry, that should only happen if you live near a malfunctioning nuclear power plant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStrontium's other isotopes are considerably less harmful. In fact, one big use of it goes into toothpaste because it coats teeth in a microscopic film that protects against cavities. The piece here would be enough to seal a city's worth of its denizens' teeth. We really don't recommend chewing on it though.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoubly rare is the sight of oxide-free strontium as the metal quickly oxidizes when in air or anything that has the merest whisper of oxygen in any form. Our lab-sourced samples come in ampules filled with argon to preserve the pristine surface of the metal. The ampules are then permanently embedded in these polished cubes in the highest grade of acrylic resin available: Lucite.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746564587685,"sku":"Sr2x2","price":110.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Strontium.jpg?v=1777277277"},{"product_id":"sodium-cube","title":"Sodium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eWhen you hear \"sodium\" it's usually in reference to your diet and how it - along with all the other yummy stuff in junk food - is bad for you and you should cut back. And to most people that's what sodium is. Just another label boogeyman. But when it's not bound up chemically with dancing partner chlorine (or practically anything else) it is a gleaming metal that looks identical to the backing of a mirror. Getting it free of all the other elements that would readily pair up with it to wipe away that luster is a benchmark laboratory challenge for the budding chemist for it requires absolute precision in engineering an environment that is either like outer space or infused with a noble gas, typically argon - the only thing it refuses to pair up with. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eKeeping it shiny like this means that that pristine atmosphere has to be carried wherever it goes. If the glass should break you'll watch in horror as in less than five seconds your precious bit of sodium metal turns the color of week-old pizza. Worry ye not one bit though. This otherwise fragile glass ampule is safely suspended in the middle of this crystal clear block of Lucite resin. Barring some \u003cem\u003every \u003c\/em\u003edetermined effort it will stay probably remain flawless until the day the sun swallows the earth!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746564653221,"sku":"Na2x2","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Sodium.jpg?v=1777277277"},{"product_id":"cerium-2-lucite-cube","title":"Cerium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe rare earths aren't really all that rare. While they're widely distributed all over the earth they're rare enough in the sense that there aren't that many locations where you can find them in concentrated deposits that make mining profitable. And when you do find those deposits the refining steps yield misch metal which is sort of an onomatopoeia for what it actually is: a mishmash of seventeen different metals. Getting those isolated from each other has been rated as one of the major chemical engineering headaches of metallurgical science!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eIn any case, cerium will account for about half of the misch metal alloy and is the most abundant of those 17 elements. Cerium is also shy about being seen naked so it covers itself with an oxygenated apron yielding a dull coat when stored in mineral oil. Left in the open air it disintegrates right back into its primal earthen state!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eOffering cerium in its unoxidized state requires storage in an inert atmosphere like argon. And that's exactly what we have to offer here with this 3-5g sample of 99.99% purity embedded in a 2x2 inch (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746564849829,"sku":"Ce2x2","price":105.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_5837.jpg?v=1777277281"},{"product_id":"chromium-acrylic-cube","title":"Chromium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eEveryone's familiar with chromium as \"chrome\", that super shiny quintessence of what metal should be. Of course, what they're looking at is only a very thin electrolytically deposited layer and oftentimes it ain't even real chromium but aluminum (pshaw!!).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eReal-to-the-core chromium is however a brittle metal, and costly besides, which explains why its beauty only goes skin deep in most cases. For our purposes though chromium's fragility doesn't matter one bit as it sits behind a thick, protective shield of acrylic and can fully appreciate its icy good looks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eHere we have the real McCoy in a chunk of ultra-pure chromium metal weighing over an ounce and embedded in a 2x2\" (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.  Hand cast in the USA.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746564980901,"sku":"Cr2x2","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Chromium_01f325a7-3ea4-4614-b79d-75c19041099e.webp?v=1777277283"},{"product_id":"antimony-2-lucite-cube","title":"Antimony 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eA metalloid. A not quite metallic enough metal. They sure *look* like metal.... except when you drop it and it shatters like glass! Antimony would be one good example of this (though it's not quite as fragile as glass). Perhaps the most interesting anecdote about antimony is that its chief ore, a mineral known as stibnite, was crushed in ancient Egypt to be used as eyeliner. Today its uses are far less glamorous: medicine, industrial chemistry applications and in fireproofing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnyway, here's a crystalline piece of it embedded in Lucite, the clearest of all acrylic resins. 99.999%+ pure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Polycrystalline","offer_id":47746565243045,"sku":"Sb2x2","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Antimony50mm.jpg?v=1777277288"},{"product_id":"lutetium-50mm-cube","title":"Lutetium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eLutetium is the most expensive element in the rare earths series. This is in part due to its rarity. A hundred pounds of monazite, its chief ore, are needed to get barely an ounce of this metal. But more than that it's the sheer difficulty of extricating it from its rare earth buddies with whom it's always found. And of all the REs lutetium is the most difficult to separate with there being literally hundreds of steps to get from the raw ore to the finished metal at a purity of 99.95%. Let's say that again, \u003cem\u003ehundreds\u003c\/em\u003e of steps! That's why it's so damn expensive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eIn our offering for this element you will receive a chunky piece of 99.9% pure lutetium weighing about an ounce - to make it that much easier to think of the hundred pounds of rock that it took to make. Each sample was chosen to highlight this metal’s character and color which could be described as dark and moody (if that makes any sort of sense). Of course, each cube comes encased in a 50mm hand polished Lucite acrylic cube that will remain optically clear indefinitely.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746566717605,"sku":"Lu2x2","price":195.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_3107_2ad6971b-b81b-4e0b-9e3e-47bdfe3f7c3c.webp?v=1778165234"},{"product_id":"sulfur-50mm-lucite-cube","title":"Sulfur 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eSulfur. Vaguely hellish and certainly associated with all things hot and stinky, this powdery element can sometimes be bought in drug stores and is often typo'd as \"sulphur\". On rare occasion it is found in nature as a translucent yellow crystal but more often as powder stain near volcanoes. It is an essential ingredient in the making of rubber and is infamous for that awful smell of rotten eggs - which is actually the deadly gas hydrogen sulfide!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThis dazzlingly yellow element can be described as simultaneously glassy and rocky. It is brittle but when it breaks it crumbles into little pieces that are not sharp and will easily turn to dust in your hands. In this cube a little of it is preserved inside a glass ampule that knocks about in a dull clack - again belying its otherwise handsome glassy looks!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746567602341,"sku":"S2x2","price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Sulfur_284_29_70d6b289-612a-419c-9f9e-5967eed4d313.webp?v=1777277328"},{"product_id":"dubnium-50mm-cube","title":"Dubnium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eDubnium was named after the Russian city of Dubna just outside of Moscow. The city is remarkable in that it was founded basically around a campus dedicated to nuclear research at the height of the cold war. The Soviets invested heavily and brought in the scientific elite to work on transuranic science for benefits scientific and political alike. In recent years the city has become much more open and collaborative with its western counterparts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe discovery of this element is mired in some controversy as rival teams from the U.S. and Germany poked doubt into Russia's reports from the experiments they claimed yielded the as-yet unnamed element. The argument would continue for several decades all the meanwhile all three teams continued to provide conclusive proof of the existence of these fleeting atomic creations. In the end, years after the Soviet Union ceased to exist, the Russians would at long last get the satisfaction of seeing their former colleagues honored when IUPAC - the supreme court in these sorts of matters - granted them the coveted recognition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746569699493,"sku":"Db2x2_film","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Dubnium_282_29_ef5217c7-e92e-41a9-9d12-5d0070fdcb8b.webp?v=1778165279"},{"product_id":"aluminum-50mm-lucite-cube","title":"Aluminum 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eMost aluminum sold worldwide is in fact an alloy of 92-99% aluminum with the rest being other elements such as magnesium, iron or zinc. The various recipes are tailored for the specific use with each of these elements offsetting a shortcoming of pure aluminum while adding some desirable quality such as extra strength or resistance to corrosion. Even “pure” aluminum as commercially available, the so-called aluminum 1100 series, is really only around 99% pure as higher levels of purity require expensive extra processing that doesn’t end up being any better or worse.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eBut 99.99% pure aluminum is a lab concoction useful only in very specialized applications.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eLike a miniature disco ball seemingly hovering without support, here we have a sphere of this ultra-pure aluminum. These spheres were engineered as specialty bearings which need to be lightweight and (for whatever reason) free of impurities. Far more expensive and delicate than their steel counterparts their relatively high cost is due to their needing to be individually machined. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746571108517,"sku":"Al2x2","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Aluminum_285_29.webp?v=1777277377"},{"product_id":"protactinium","title":"Protactinium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eProtactinium is an exotic element little known outside of nuclear laboratories. Although just 5% as radioactive as the far better known radium, this metal has essentially zero uses even within research circles. A big part of the reason is its extreme rarity in nature, with yields typically only in the parts per billion range even in uranite, where its concentration is highest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\"\u003eRather than bother with the difficult and expensive process of extracting it from its natural sources, the few scientists who study its properties have an abundant and ever growing supply in the form of nuclear waste. Spent nuclear fuel generates a huge amount of waste material a significant portion of which is rich in the isotopes of this element. When needed, all these scientists need to do is head out to the back shed here all those drums with the radioactive decals are stored and they get their fill.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47746572419237,"sku":"Pa2x2_film","price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_2879_4ec83f94-2ef6-4910-a803-4e1841308070.webp?v=1777277392"},{"product_id":"silver-mirror-cube","title":"Silver Mirror Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eIf you can afford to splurge on only one mirror polished cube these silver ones would be an ideal choice. Costing much more than the regular ones, and waaaay more than their modest weight would be as bullion, the expense is justified in the extraordinary level of care and difficulty in getting a six-sided mirror to laser sharp edges. Each one is a masterpiece of engineering and we guarantee your total delight!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820944244901,"sku":"Ag10mm_mp","price":51.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"25.4mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820944277669,"sku":"Ag25.4mm_mp","price":390.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"50mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820944310437,"sku":"Ag50mm_mp","price":2500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Silver_283_29.webp?v=1778165688"},{"product_id":"tantalum-mirror-cube","title":"Tantalum Mirror Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe word tantalum is creeping into the news with greater frequency due to the metal’s importance as a key ingredient in electronics…. and the fact that the majority of it is mined in areas of Africa with little government oversight. This unfortunately associates  it with the same problems as diamonds and other “conflict resources” the profits of which often end up in the pockets of warlords.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThese gorgeously made cubes come from China. At over 16 grams each you’ll appreciate the heft of one of the universe’s toughest and densest metal. Lovingly polished to a mirror on each of its six sides you’ll also appreciate its classy, dark reflections that play magic with any light that shines upon it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820944507045,"sku":"Ta10mm_mp","price":56.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"25.4mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820944539813,"sku":"Ta25.4mm_mp","price":410.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"50mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820944572581,"sku":"Ta50mm_mp","price":1429.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Ta.webp?v=1778165689"},{"product_id":"yttrium-mirror-cube","title":"Yttrium Mirror Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThese three little cubes are the first prototypes of yttrium passing the mirror polishing test - and it is almost certainly the first instance anyone has ever taken the trouble to polish this metal. Although not a lanthanide, yttrium is usually regarded as a rare earth metal because its properties fall right in line with the rest of the REEs and is also found mixed with those. It is, from the point of view of metallurgy, pretty much useless. It produces prodigious amounts of sparks when friction is applied turning it into a flammable hazard when machining. It is too rare and expensive to be used in its pure elemental form anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe primary challenge in polishing yttrium to a very reflective luster is therefore to control speed of the polishing wheel in such a way that the cube never becomes heated. It is also susceptible, like most other rare earth metals, to rapid oxidation when moist so needs special dry grit abrasives. This high degree of pain-in-the-assness is responsible for the high cost.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820946407589,"sku":"Y10mm_mp","price":52.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"25.4mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820946440357,"sku":"Y25.4mm_mp","price":195.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"50mm (mirror polished)","offer_id":47820946473125,"sku":"Y50mm_mp","price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Yttrium_282_29.webp?v=1778165697"},{"product_id":"mercury-metal-cube","title":"Mercury Metal \"Cube\"","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eDepending on just how nitpicky you want to be, mercury is arguably the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature and unlike contenders cesium and gallium it most certainly is the only metal that stays liquid even in the type of room whose heating fails in the middle of a Minnesota winter. In fact, mercury’s most notable role through the last three centuries has been its use in thermometers as it reliably marks the hottest summer peaks and all but the coldest of polar winters. In this last use it, of course, has over the past couple of decades all but become as commonplace as phone booths for reasons of safety (at least insofar as public perceptions are concerned).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eBut therein lies the problem. Unless you happen to live in Siberia or Alaska the chances of it being cold enough for mercury to freeze (at around 38° below) your cube collection is never going to be complete. Worry ye not! Thanks to the amazing properties of nature we can fake our way through this little inconvenience by injecting the metal into a plastic container and sticking a cheap sticker on top and whoaa, heyyy, we’ve a mercury cube now! While we were initially skeptic they easily exceeded expectations as they look and feel great in hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003ePs. disclaimer time: these cubes are, in case it needs to be spelled out, meant as scientific collectibles. The lids are glued shut to prevent leakage or noxious vapors from escaping but will probably not survive a fall onto a concrete floor nor present much of a challenge to a kid with a hammer. The  mercury within poses no harm to you or anyone else \u003cstrong\u003eso long as it stays inside the box\u003c\/strong\u003e. Breaking it out on purpose to play with the same way bored kids used to do with those old thermometers back in the 1970’s is a really really \u003cem\u003ereally \u003c\/em\u003ebad idea. Cut ‘em a little slack… they didn’t have Xbox or TikTok, you know? So unless you’re 100% confident that you can keep this one away from the more buttered-fingered or mischievous members of your family then we seriously urge you to be okay with not filling this hole in your set.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eNew as of May 2024: we are discontinuing the old glued boxes filled with mercury and switching over to sealed glass. More expensive but a whole lot more elegant!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10mm sealed glass cube with 1g","offer_id":47820942803109,"sku":"Hg10mm_sg","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10mm Mercury Cube","offer_id":47810164129957,"sku":"Hg10mm","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Mercury10mm_62272d4c-9171-4931-96c9-abaa917b216e.webp?v=1778165702"},{"product_id":"fluorine-cube","title":"Fluorine Cube 75%","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eWait, fluorine’s a gas, right? Yes, and an impossible one to capture under ordinary conditions. This gas is likely the most immediately lethal of any natural element on the Periodic Table. You would sooner do laps in a swimming pool filled with mercury or sunbathe in plutonium’s glow than take a single whiff of fluorine. It is, in fact, so chemically reactive that it can happily eat through glass which is among the most inert of solid materials.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eAnd that poses a problem for collectors looking to fill the ninth slot on their display case. What to put in there? Teflon, the miracle invention that lets you scrape off last week’s Mac’n’Cheese from the pan with with a flick of the wrist, is a compound that is 75% fluorine and 25% carbon. The two atoms lock into long chains so tenaciously that it becomes both a physical and chemical barrier. Those leftovers have nothing to cling onto so slide right off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eWhile this is clearly the poor man’s alternative, 75% is actually remarkably rich for a compound. It is purer, comparatively, than sodium in salt (at only 40%) or even the amount of iron in rust (66%). Fluorite, the typical stand-in for this element in collections, is actually less than 50% fluorine. This makes Teflon a very credible substitute; at least until such day that we can fashion exotic cube-shaped quartz traps to hold the pure gas. Best of all, it’s pretty cheap!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eAn unforeseen hurdle in the manufacture of these cubes was the challenge of engraving them. Usually a simple process, charring via laser produces a nice contrast to make the cubes legible. The problem, of course, is that nothing sticks to this stuff! The lettering would slide off at the merest touch. The lab overcame this problem with some secret sauce but, as you can see from the photos, success in this endeavor has only been partial… arguably a charming conversation topic in its own right :-)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10mm Teflon Cube","offer_id":47811157524645,"sku":"F10mm","price":8.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"25.4mm Teflon Cube","offer_id":47811157688485,"sku":"F25.4mm","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50mm Teflon Cube","offer_id":47828898873509,"sku":null,"price":37.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_2339.webp?v=1777277681"},{"product_id":"gas-cubes","title":"Gas cubes","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhoaa! Gas cubes, really? Yep. One of the most asked-for emails that have been cluttering the Luciteria inbox has been a variant of “Can you guys make like a box with sealed gas?” And now it’s finally a reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile we’ve had gas ampules on offer for years these are a poor choice for the collectors who are putting together a set of pure elements in cubic centimeter format. The cheap and easy way often suggested - Hey! great idea why don’t you fill up one of your little plastic boxes with ____ gas? - is not really workable. Just as a helium balloon goes flat after a few hours your plastic box would soon be replaced with air and there goes your investment. Yes, you can glue the lid shut but these are very small, fast-moving atoms that will happily tunnel out of even impossibly small cracks and pores - right through the glue, in fact.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe knew the only effective option had to be glass. But glass makers, the type that provide glassware for laboratories anyway, do not make convenient little 10mm glass boxes. Sure would be nice if they did but unless we were willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a custom size we had to improvise. And the result is…. actually pretty nice! We’re not actually sure how it was done but we suspect the solution involves taking off-the-shelf borosilicate glass test tubes which are heated to the point of being pliable then quickly stuffed into a square hole. The cube is then back-filled with the target gas exactly the same way as the ampules.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result isn’t perfect as this un-retouched photo and linked video clip shows: the glass walls are not perfectly straight and the top has a nipple that is not flush with the other sides. But this is nitpicking. They’re quite attractive little pieces that fit perfectly in our 14mm case. The 2mm-thick glass walls provide strength to spare so that if they should accidentally fall there’s a good chance they won’t break. The killer of course is that these can be made to light up, each in its own signature color the same as with all the other ampules.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach glass cube comes with a sticker on the bottom to avoid confusion and all gases are 99.99% pure.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Argon","offer_id":47746599026853,"sku":"Ar10mm","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fluorine (30% F, 70% N)","offer_id":47806068883621,"sku":"F10mm_glass","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Helium","offer_id":47806068916389,"sku":"He10mm","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hydrogen","offer_id":47806068949157,"sku":"H10mm","price":19.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Krypton","offer_id":47806068981925,"sku":"Kr10mm","price":19.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Oxygen","offer_id":47806069014693,"sku":"O10mm","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Neon","offer_id":47806069047461,"sku":"Ne10mm","price":16.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Nitrogen","offer_id":47806069080229,"sku":"N10mm","price":20.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Xenon","offer_id":47806069112997,"sku":"Xe10mm","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Krypton 60mm sphere","offer_id":47806069145765,"sku":"Kr60mm","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_2337.webp?v=1778165704"},{"product_id":"potassium-metal-cube","title":"Potassium Metal Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eFew elements are as finicky as potassium. Although familiar to everyone, most are unaware that it’s an actual metal and not just something vaguely mineral-sounding thing having to do with nutrition. It reacts violently with oxygen, guaranteeing that it can’t stay looking metallic for more than literally a few seconds in open air before turning into an earthy compound. On top of that, it also happens to be about as soft as butter. With those characteristics it’s little wonder that a “cube” of potassium is not a realistic project.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eAnd yet.. well… see for yourself. Here’s the real deal. A fully formed and oxide-free cube of potassium has made it from drawing board to real life product. The same knowhow used to produce the lithium and sodium cubes works here just as well with the only notable difference being that it is even more delicate. Greater concessions to small imperfections along the edges are to be expected as the minutest movement is sufficient to reshape it. Gone, too, is the blinding glint of the pure metal as evident when it is allowed to mold itself to the glass walls. Even with those caveats, without question, this beautiful bluish-purple cube is in every way a more desirable format compared to the first prototypes consisting of a glass cube into which formless potassium was injected.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003eBe literally one of the very first - and the very few - in the world to have an actual object made out of this metal! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003ePlease be aware that due to buoyancy the engraved side of the 25.4mm cube may shift.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"10mm sealed glass cube with 0.1g","offer_id":47820857245861,"sku":"K10mm_sg","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"10mm cube in 15x60mm flat bottom ampule","offer_id":47820857278629,"sku":"K10mm","price":50.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"25.4mm cube in glass dome (oil float)","offer_id":47820857311397,"sku":"K25.4mm","price":300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_4775_7c9a14a1-d169-4646-91c0-1ac7352a8a5c.webp?v=1778165711"},{"product_id":"chlorine-glass-cube","title":"Chlorine Glass Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eUnlike liquid solutions, very few gases have a tint to them - and those that do are poisonous. Chlorine’s pretty hue of yellow belies its stark incompatibility with all living organisms. Even in very dilute form it is known as that nasty pool air that stings your lungs and turns your eyes bloodshot. It is, along with white phosphorus, the only element that has been weaponized just for its innate toxicity - and its effects so horrid that adherents to the Geneva Protocols have banned their wartime use.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThis little cube here contains the deadly cargo in its purest form possible but… it’s a paper tiger. Like a thumbnail-sized kraken or Freddy Krueger, it’s more cute than dangerous given its small size. If it were to break you will probably notice the smell but if your eyes well up with tears it will be because it’s so costly to replace.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Chlorine gas 10mm sealed glass cube","offer_id":47820854886565,"sku":"Cl10mm","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Chlorine10mm_a0ab5505-1089-4873-837a-41155c13d82e.webp?v=1778165712"},{"product_id":"cesium-50mm-lucite-cube-cs2x2","title":"Cesium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eCesium is perhaps the most sought after element for those looking to complete a set of the periodic table. That's probably because, like gallium, you can melt it in your hand. Except you wouldn't do that because you would melt your hand off, too, in a strangely beautiful but all too tragic purple flame. However, holding the cesium safely with a little glass wall in between is another story. Much prettier than gallium, the brassy color and the sheer difficulty of locating the stuff heighten the appeal and wow factor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCesium metal ampoule with one gram of 99.99+ purity embedded in a 2x2 inch (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806016422053,"sku":"Cs2x2","price":135.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_6849.webp?v=1778165182"},{"product_id":"lanthanum-50mm-lucite-cube-la2x2","title":"Lanthanum 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eOf the rare earths Lanthanum proves to be one of the easier metals to find - if you don't mind owning a cloudy oxidized piece swimming in oil, that is. The metal is normally shipped in canisters filled with mineral oil. The mineral oil is a good preservative but a thin layer on top of the metal spalls off as whitish lanthanum oxide and leaves behind a more stable form of the oxide that prevents the metal underneath from further corrosion. While irrelevant in terms of its use in the laboratory it's not very aesthetically pleasing. To get shiny lanthanum, small pieces are taken straight from the distillation chamber and placed in an inert atmosphere which fully prevents any oxidation. The samples we sell are stored in argon, in ampoules which are then encased in a 2x2 inch (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806016520357,"sku":"La2x2","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Lanthanum50mm.webp?v=1778165183"},{"product_id":"magnesium-50mm-lucite-cube-mg2x2","title":"Magnesium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eFor those who hunt down specimens of pure elements magnesium doesn't pose much of a challenge even if it's not something you can find at Walmart. Widely used in industry as an alloying agent, and also a lab staple for a wide variety of chemistry applications, it is most often sold as ribbons or powdered metal. Alloyed with aluminum it becomes a very light, yet strong metal. For this reason it's often picked as the choice material for the priciest electronics such as professional cameras and luxury laptops. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOur 50mm acrylic cube holds within a piece of 99.99% pure magnesium metal which has been prepared in such a way as to expose an uneven, roughened texture resembling giant popcorn or metal clouds. As all the other cubes we offer, it will look great as a solitary showpiece or as part of a full collection in the large display case that we offer separately.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806016553125,"sku":"Mg2x2","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_5815_fa9bfd70-7c3d-42f7-becf-86ea93bee6a4.webp?v=1778165184"},{"product_id":"yttrium-50mm-lucite-cube-y2x2","title":"Yttrium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eDespite what \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yttrium\"\u003eWikipedia\u003c\/a\u003e says, yttrium is neither soft nor silvery. In hardness it is similar to iron with both rating around 4 on the Mohs scale. In color, freshly cut yttrium has a neutral gray color similar to iron that dulls to deep gray over the course of several months. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis metal feels lonely in its assigned spot on the periodic table. It would rather be with its cousins down by the rare earths with which it's always associated in nature. For a collector, yttrium is considered a medium difficulty element to acquire. It is not expensive but it's not something you'd find on grocery shelves either.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the Boss of yttrium samples. An ounce of this light metal means it takes up a major portion of the 5cm cube and makes for a truly impressive display. Also available in a smaller piece of similar texture. Purity is 99.99% in both cases.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806016585893,"sku":"Y2x2","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Yttrium_7174bb5b-947e-4cf8-bd52-8177a5fea9b2.webp?v=1778165185"},{"product_id":"erbium-50mm-lucite-cube-er2x2","title":"Erbium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eErbium is another illustrious member of the Rare Earth Gang. The exceedingly difficult task of separating it from the other rare earths is what makes it rare and expensive. The very few uses that have been found for this metal rest solely in its oxides or alloys. No sculptor has ever set chisel to a block of pure erbium nor jeweler received a commission to make art out of it either. Unless the world someday is host to an eccentric billionaire geek who would like a limited edition all-erbium sports car it's very doubtful anyone will ever make use of this metal either.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExcept us.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe would like to make history by making our own little modest shrine to the Metal Gods with this hand cast Lucite cube featuring a commercially rare piece of 99.9%+ pure erbium to be admired by all and sundry!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806016684197,"sku":"Er2x2","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/DSC_6848_651de09a-0444-4719-9892-3f9dd95e3efd.webp?v=1778165186"},{"product_id":"europium-50mm-lucite-cube-eu2x2","title":"Europium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvery element collector looks longingly at that row down near the bottom of the periodic table with the unpronounceable names. None of those slots are easy to fill and the \"rare\" in rare earths only raises the interest that much more. But as it turns out only a couple of those are actually truly rare. Europium and lutetium are the crown jewels in this neighborhood; Lu for rarity and Eu for its legendary difficulty in getting a tarnish-free specimen. Well, here's your chance at getting your hands on just such a beast. Check out that oxygen-starved glint. You know you want it. A happy 3g of unoxidized europium in argon, embedded in a 2x2 inch (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.  Lovingly embedded just for you in the USA.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806016880805,"sku":"Eu2x2","price":125.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Europium_adc54e51-5a01-4b25-88b5-8a0961d1ddb1.webp?v=1778165189"},{"product_id":"calcium-50mm-lucite-cube-ca2x2","title":"Calcium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eCalcium - known to every schoolkid as some vaguely healthy substance in milk and cheese - is an element whose true nature is much less well known to most people. The metal simply cannot exist in nature uncombined with other elements because it is too reactive; that is, too willing to pair its atoms with other atoms to form molecules.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eWhile in free form it is unknown to so many its molecules sure aren't: CaCO3 gives us both chalk and marble while the slightly different CaSO4 is much better known as the sheet rock that lines most American homes. Your very bones are a brew of calcium phosphates.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eEven though you get it from drinking milk and yogurt, people shouldn't be surprised to learn that calcium is a metal. After all, reading through the ingredients list on a cereal box there's iron and magnesium and others too. But the thing is that calcium isn't something most are familiar with as an \u003cem\u003eobject\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eAnd yet, it really is a metal. On the moon it would make for a perfect metal to make, I don't know, a cell tower or something. It's very light and plentiful. Why the moon? Well, because there's no atmosphere or water there that could come in contact with our imaginary calcium tower. Either of those touch it and the calcium instantly sizzles and corrodes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eNo worries though. Our sample here is stored in argon to keep that delicate luster alive for all eternity. Well, as \"eternal\" as the cube don't get broke, that is! ;-)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThis offering is for one ampoule containing a piece of 99.99% pure calcium metal embedded in a 50x50mm block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic. Hand cast in the USA.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806017011877,"sku":"Ca2x2","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Calcium_4a30c3fe-9e4c-4f9c-8156-1c159d119e63.webp?v=1778165191"},{"product_id":"arsenic-50mm-lucite-cube-as2x2","title":"Arsenic 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eMention \"arsenic\" and the first thing that comes to most people's minds is some sort of medieval poison. That's all thanks to arsenic trioxide and the many other compounds it forms, which throughout the ages have been fed to unsuspecting husbands in their soup. After a few weeks of this condiment they would wake up one day to a lethal bout of vomiting and diarrhea.... all the easier to pass off as food poisoning! Regular elemental arsenic is much less notorious. Sometimes it's found in its native state but is typically sold as amorphous gray or black powder. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eGetting shiny arsenic is much more difficult because the element promptly oxidizes in open air. To keep it shiny we must deprive it of every last trace of oxygen. This is accomplished by first putting this arsenic in a big fishtank-like glass box that is filled with a noble gas which will not chemically react with it. With sample inside, each glass ampule is then sealed inside this controlled atmosphere and shipped from the laboratory to the caster who turns it into a proper nerd’s trophy! \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" data-rte-preserve-empty=\"true\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806017044645,"sku":"As2x2","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Arsenic_282_29_c92b3a7c-163b-48e7-9067-b75fa7753632.webp?v=1778165192"},{"product_id":"samarium-50mm-lucite-cube-sm2x2","title":"Samarium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eAs far as collecting the elements go the only thing that is remarkable about samarium is that it's the cheapest of the sixteen in the rare earths group to acquire. Its one major application is for making strong magnets when alloyed with cobalt. The dendritic distillation with its densely fibrous texture is perhaps the most attractive variant offered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSamarium metal piece weighing approximately 15 grams and 99.95%+ pure embedded in a 2x2 inch (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806017077413,"sku":"Sm2x2","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Samarium_78dc288a-dbc0-480c-a70a-8e03c2bc93f7.webp?v=1778165193"},{"product_id":"manganese-50mm-lucite-cube-mn2x2","title":"Manganese 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn industrial metal, manganese is used to render desirable properties to steel such as strength and resistance to corrosion. It would be really cool to be able to buy, say, a spoon made out of pure manganese but there is no such thing. In fact, despite being a rather common metal it is actually only rarely available as a standalone metal at all; and then only typically as powder or unattractive electrolytic \"chips\" shiny on one side and the other mottled and oxidized. In an altogether different category we find lab created nodules made for studying naturally occurring alloys rich in manganese that are found on the ocean floor. This one is over 99% pure and embedded in a 2 inch block of gorgeous Lucite.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806017142949,"sku":"Mn2x2","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Manganese_282_29_709f3882-1fe8-4b6b-85e5-6991b3b038cc.webp?v=1778165195"},{"product_id":"silicon-50mm-lucite-cube-si2x2","title":"Silicon 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eDeep gray and super lustrous, these crystals are grown for use in the semiconductor industry and are consistently among the most attractive and impressive specimens we offer. Their texture is like that of obsidian but their color more like that of mercury - an irresistibly beautiful combination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eMonocrystalline silicon is the purest form available for this or any other commercially available element. At a mind-boggling 99.9999999% purity this means there are fewer than one contaminant atoms per billion silicon ones!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eSample weighs about ten grams grams and is embedded in a 50x50x50mm block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806017765541,"sku":"Si2x2","price":70.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Silicon_284_29_47b1fbb4-8fb8-4cee-b959-c71a045bad96.webp?v=1778165200"},{"product_id":"indium-50mm-lucite-cube-in2x2","title":"Indium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eGermanium is named after Germany and francium after France but indium is not named after India. The name was instead inspired from spectroscopy where its discoverer analyzed a sample containing this metal gave off an indigo glow, a beautiful color halfway between blue and purple.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eIndium has many uses in electronics and its demand worries project managers who note that the element has no ore deposits anywhere in the world. Instead, the mining of copper, lead and zinc have small amounts of indium mixed in as impurities and it’s here that the world gets it from. Problem is, however, that the growing demand is not being met with more mine openings. Eventually, indium may trade for a much higher price than it does today as a result of that market demand-supply imbalance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eHere we have a meaty piece of this exotic metal embedded in a block of Lucite measuring two inches on a side. Purity is 99.995%.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806017962149,"sku":"In2x2","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Indium_286_29_e2610bbf-22c6-4538-a5b8-053501174fcd.webp?v=1778165201"},{"product_id":"bismuth-50mm-lucite-cube-bi2x2","title":"Bismuth 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eMany an element collector started out by coming across these little souvenirs, found in museum gift stores or rock shops. The weird Escher-like formations happen when molten bismuth begins to solidify at an uneven pace along its surfaces. As the surfaces collide they change directions at right angles according to its lattice structure and in so doing create the odd-looking walls and stair steps. The iridescence is due to very thin layers of oxidation and are allowed to occur for purely aesthetic reasons; a little thicker here, a little thinner there, in each case a different color is produced due to light refraction.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe lab-grown bismuth metal crystal is over 99.99% pure. Sample weighing 15-25g embedded in a 2x2 (50x50mm) block of crystal clear Lucite acrylic. Hand cast in the USA.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018027685,"sku":"Bi2x2","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Bismuth_285_29_2fecfef4-08c2-41b4-b25e-7a0f86fd349d.webp?v=1778165201"},{"product_id":"tellurium-50mm-lucite-cube-te2x2","title":"Tellurium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eHere we have an absolutely stunning sample of the very rare element tellurium. Shards of metal looking every bit like they came off an artifact recovered in deep space. Not exactly alienware but for its legendary rarity it might as well be!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTellurium is sufficiently inert to guarantee that it can remain in its elemental state on earth but the conditions necessary for this to occur, coupled with the metal's overall scarcity, make this an extremely rare event. It has found its industrial niche in electronics as a semiconductor with a set of unique characteristics. While supply is currently able to keep up with demand the lack of this commodity's abundance makes its future affordability quite uncertain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA piece broken off of a zone-refined crystal is embedded in a Lucite cube 50 millimeters on a side. Purity is rated at an amazing 99.999%!!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018158757,"sku":"Te2x2","price":85.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Tellurium_286_29_91f63918-bc29-40ff-8782-eac98922887b.webp?v=1778165204"},{"product_id":"dysprosium-50mm-lucite-cube-dy2x2","title":"Dysprosium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eLike the other metals in the rare earths group, dysprosium is usually separated from its kin via time consuming processes that drive up the cost of getting the isolated element. Industrially-sourced dysprosium normally comes in thick plates that are then broken up into smaller pieces. The highest grade of purification however will be fibrous-looking pieces that form as crystals precipitated out of solution - and most would agree this also happens to be the most beautiful version as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eEncased in this gorgeous acrylic presentation piece is about an ounce of this exotic metal. 2x2x2” Lucite hand cast in the USA which will never yellow or haze.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018191525,"sku":"Dy2x2","price":125.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Dysprosium_283_29_66bab908-1b0e-4062-9a25-74e8746e8273.webp?v=1778165205"},{"product_id":"thulium-50mm-lucite-cube-tm2x2","title":"Thulium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAt a nerd party you could be the king geek when you bring in this block containing the exotic metal known as thulium. Unlike the rest of the so-called \"rare earths\" thulium really is rare at only 0.5 parts per million in the earth's crust. Let that sink in for a minute. Scoop up a million pounds of dirt and in all of it there's only a hamburger's worth of thulium mass in there! And with China, which produces over 99% of the metal, recently curtailing its export someday this curiosity might well end up becoming jewelry!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf these facts leave you a little meh-so-what consider also the exceptional difficulty involved in the purification of thulium. One process outlines no fewer than 15,000(!) distillation cycles in order to obtain pure thulium. More modern shortcuts have whittled this down to a bare few hundred. Hopefully this gives one measure of what it takes to get these little bits of metal! \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlright, here is a big woodsy chunk of 99.95% pure thulium metal so you can show it off at that party and amaze everyone.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018355365,"sku":"Tm2x2","price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Thulium_283_29.webp?v=1778165205"},{"product_id":"bromine-50mm-lucite-cube-br2x2","title":"Bromine 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThis deep red element is a notoriously obnoxious poison whose fumes reportedly smell like concentrated bleach and whose touch - oh the pain! But confined within its little see-through cage we can admire its hauntingly beautiful ruddy shade without worry. Upon shaking, the heavy liquid briefly coats the inside of the ampule before settling down. You’ll love shaking the cube and looking up at a light to see through it! \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018420901,"sku":"Br2x2","price":175.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Bromine_5ffa1c30-7158-4d2c-bd67-b8be1d12e04f.webp?v=1778165206"},{"product_id":"niobium-50mm-lucite-cube-nb2x2","title":"Niobium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eLittle wonder that exotic niobium should be used for jewelry when it rocks such beautiful skin hues. Like most other metals, pure niobium tends to oxidize in air. unlike most other metals, however, its oxides are particularly striking. By carefully heating the virgin metal at a precise speed and temperature you can get most any color in the rainbow. Here we’ve achieved this rainbow effect simply by changing the voltage as the cylinder is slowly pulled out of the anodizing bath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eSample is a half-inch rod weighing approximately 20 grams. Purity is 99.95%.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018617509,"sku":"Nb2x2","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Niobium_286_29_98925cf3-66e9-4fe5-9432-aab3ed6ef101.webp?v=1778165209"},{"product_id":"thallium-50mm-lucite-cube-tl2x2","title":"Thallium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThallium kills. It's an order of magnitude more poisonous than arsenic and just 3 grams of the stuff, less than the weight of a penny, is all that it takes to kill a person. But behind this bulletproof window called Lucite the little sample within is safe enough that a baby can play with it. Not that that's a good idea, mind you! In addition to being poisonous, thallium is also a finicky metal that is difficult to keep free of surface oxides, becoming leaden gray under oil and degrading to dust in open air. This thallium sample is kept shiny thanks to being encapsulated in a glass ampule under argon gas which effectively prevents any type of chemical reactions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018683045,"sku":"Tl2x2","price":95.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Thallium_282_29_f1636f93-bd0d-42ec-a337-d55148a36d8e.webp?v=1778165210"},{"product_id":"rhodium-50mm-lucite-cube-rh2x2","title":"Rhodium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eCollecting elements starts off cheap with a bit of aluminum here, a little copper wire there and a lead sinker you found in the basement. Then, as each new slot in your set gets filled in the challenge of finding the next and its price goes up. Then when it gets to the platinum group the price goes waaaay up. Either that or you settle for tiny samples. And this is rhodium, the rarest and most expensive metal ever sold as bullion, currently sitting at an astronomical $10,000+ an ounce(!) Many would say that its exorbitant cost is \u003cem\u003estill \u003c\/em\u003eundervalued relative to its rarity!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eEach cube holds a one gram sample of 99.95% pure rhodium metal as scattered flakes that sparkle like jewelry. Each cube comes in optical clarity Lucite acrylic worthy of a museum display! Larger samples are available on request.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018748581,"sku":"Rh2x2","price":765.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Rhodium50mm_ccc060fa-1dba-42bb-8cd8-5643797065cc.webp?v=1778165211"},{"product_id":"mercury-50mm-lucite-cube-hg2x2","title":"Mercury 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eNot too long ago it used to be the case that you could walk into any drugstore and pick a mercury thermometer off the rack for a couple of bucks. Many of these wound up being broken up on purpose by kids who could play with the fun little metal balls that scurried to and fro. But times have changed and mercury is synonymous with poison so a safety conscious world has seen to it that those thermometers share the same historical fate as shoe fitting X-ray scopes and cocaine tonics.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut this reputation is in large part undeserved. True, mercury organometallics remain among the most feared of poisons and it's caused terrible environmental damage. But uncombined in its elemental state mercury is fairly inert which means it doesn't do much of anything. And locked up inside an ampule within a chunk of super inert acrylic resin makes it even safer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmbedded ampule contains 30 grams of 99.9% pure mercury.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018814117,"sku":"Hg2x2","price":120.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Mercury_74043c00-6bd6-4c99-9c64-6ae1556b8a1f.webp?v=1778165211"},{"product_id":"potassium-50mm-lucite-cube-k2x2","title":"Potassium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe health conscious will know that potassium is good for the heart and you can get plenty by eating bananas. Not too many people know, or care, that potassium is a silvery \u003cem\u003emetal\u003c\/em\u003e. A good reason for this is that it only stays a metal in the vacuum of space or when surrounded by a noble gas. The slightest trace of oxygen - or most any other element for that matter - quickly reacts with it to form compounds. Even under mineral oil, which is very inert, a piece of potassium will manage to tarnish from trace impurities.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePotassium in elemental form is quite difficult to find generally speaking but is an even bigger challenge to get it in ampule form where that delicate mirror finish can be appreciated. This cube guarantees it will stay free of oxides permanently.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018912421,"sku":"K2x2","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Potassium_282_29_7d9e68b6-acd7-4666-91b8-cf46c1180bb9.webp?v=1778165214"},{"product_id":"praseodymium-50mm-lucite-cube-pr2x2","title":"Praseodymium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eHere we have precious, praiseworthy praseodymium (chuckle! snort!)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eThis rare earth element is a good contender for most exotic sounding name on the periodic table. It is, as comparisons go, one of the easier lanthanides to acquire as it makes up a good portion of the bulk in the monazite and bastnaesite ores from which it's refined. Element 59 is reactive in air and quickly goes from shiny metal to pile of dust. For this reason we always have it stored in ampules under argon. Our samples weigh approximately 5 grams and have been refined to an impressive 99.99% purity.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806018977957,"sku":"Pr2x2","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Praseodymium_285_29.webp?v=1778165215"},{"product_id":"barium-50mm-lucite-cube-ba2x2","title":"Barium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eIf it means anything at all to most people \"barium\" will most likely trigger unhappy memories of a nurse watching over you while you guzzle down glass after glass of a gross drink that tastes like liquid chalk. This its most popular use is due to the element's being opaque to X-rays. That way all that chalky juice perfectly silhouettes your gut for the doctor to make out what's wrong with your tummy!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe pure element itself is very reactive and tough to isolate too. Since it's also a metal with few practical uses this makes it a two-fold problem for collectors. On the one hand being little more than a laboratory curiosity going through the trouble to get the metal is costly and, secondly, its high affinity to combine with other elements presents challenges to keeping it from doing just that. Typically, it's dunked into mineral oil which is cheap and inert enough. Inert enough for a lot of elements; barium not being one of them! In oil the outermost crust will hungrily sniff out every last trace of oxygen to form dulling oxides. The most efficient way to maintain the metallic luster of this metal is to encapsulate it under argon. \u003cem\u003eNothing\u003c\/em\u003e combines with argon!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis acrylic cube contains approximately three grams of very pure barium metal fully free of oxidation. The ampule is permanently sealed in a cast Lucite acrylic cube measuring 5cm to a side.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019043493,"sku":"Ba2x2","price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Barium_dc43962c-228a-4987-908d-e65894b67103.webp?v=1778165217"},{"product_id":"oxygen-50mm-lucite-cube-o2x2","title":"Oxygen 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eWe can't live without it, of course. Making up 21% of the air we breathe, oxygen is also the \"O\" in H2O meaning that it's probably the single most important element necessary for life. And yet in pure form oxygen is extremely toxic. It would thoroughly ravage a fine pair of lungs within a couple of breaths and the very air around you would ignite if you so much as thought of fire. Out of all the elements this one atom also indiscriminately pairs itself with just about every other to produce, of course, \u003cem\u003eoxidation \u003c\/em\u003e- sometimes a good thing, often not. Trapped as it is in here though, this little amount of 99.9% pure oxygen is completely harmless and you can safely mock it or admire it. Up to you!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019076261,"sku":"O2x2","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Oxygen_569b2ea9-8ab6-4216-bc4c-80d4fd0ce180.webp?v=1778165218"},{"product_id":"lithium-50mm-lucite-cube-li2x2","title":"Lithium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eLithium's good name has been put through the ringer of late what with the public being half scared to death their cell phones will torch them in their sleep or bring down an airliner in flames. But no one, absolutely no one, wants to go back to the old tech days of Ni-Cad or alkaline batteries either. And so, despite the black eye, lithium is here to stay for the foreseeable future and, thanks in large part to Elon Musk, we can now expect it to power an increasing number of cars on the road.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBolivia has a near-limitless amount of lithium locked up in its famed salt flats but the country is so hopelessly backwards that most of those Lithodollars remain only a fantasy of desperately needed revenue. By the time they finally figure out how to get their lithium on the market it may be too late for them as safer and better alternatives are rapidly being developed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the meantime consider lithium's interesting characteristics. It is the lightest of all metals. So light in fact it will float in water. It'll float, sure, but it'll do so while it also does its favorite thing, which is.... catching on fire! You see, lithium just loves getting jiggy with oxygen and their two atoms' passionate embrace releases a very literal flame. Keeping the two away from each other is argon's job (argon doesn't date \u003cem\u003eanyone \u003c\/em\u003eon the whole of the periodic table) and so you get to see in this offering a lonely strand of lithium looking out from its glass-and-lucite cell to the outside world so full of the oxygen it craves.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019469477,"sku":"Li2x2","price":80.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Lithium_100098ad-0b9c-4325-acfd-2bec0f772b93.webp?v=1778165224"},{"product_id":"hydrogen-50mm-lucite-cube-h2x2","title":"Hydrogen 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eLook up at the night sky with the naked eye or through a telescope and practically everything you will see is hydrogen. Very, very hot hydrogen. You could call it the universe's MVP because wherever you have stuff this, the smallest atom, is bound to be nearby.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHere on earth though hydrogen is practically nonexistent in gas form. That's because it either floats up out of the atmosphere or grabs on to the nearest atom it can find. We've trapped a few gajillion of these wayward atoms for you and put them in this attractive cube that sits at the tippity top of the periodic table.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019502245,"sku":"H2x2","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Hydrogen_ee993f2e-b12b-4164-b76f-0084a0ea7a8c.webp?v=1778165225"},{"product_id":"helium-50mm-lucite-cube-he2x2","title":"Helium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf it wasn't for the recent spate of evil clown sightings the Clown Association of America would be feeling a little less on edge now that Tanzania has recently reported discovering vast deposits of helium. Up until recently dire warnings about the scarcity of helium reserves were pushing the price of this commodity up in step with the angst felt by those who depend on its supply. This houseword gas became notorious after the Heidenburg zep blew up way back in 1936. Germany didn't have helium and the U.S. didn't want to sell the Nazis a key strategic resource so they had to make do with all-too-flammable hydrogen. Scorched to metal bracing in a matter of seconds, it was the first and most dramatic tragedy to be caught live on camera. That was the end of the zeppelin age. And all that helium? Yeah, it ended up being put to use puffing up latex poodles at birthday parties for the next few decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe helium atom is so small that it seeps through the tightest rubber webbing which explains why those Get Well Soon balloons sag down after a couple of days. But the wily helium atoms are no match for glass and a couple inches' worth of acrylic. Far into the future the little pocket of helium in this ampule may still lay trapped within this 50mm cube.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen ionized, helium shows a pale gray glow discharge.  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019666085,"sku":"He2x2","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Helium_301610f8-3f69-463b-887e-0142f98092bd.webp?v=1778165226"},{"product_id":"gadolinium-50mm-lucite-cube-gd2x2","title":"Gadolinium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eGadolinium is a member of the so-called Rare Earth metals family of elements; a section of the periodic table comprising elements which are very similar chemically to one another. In nature, they're all found mixed together in a cocktail that is ungodly difficult to tease apart into their pure state which explains to some degree why metallurgists often don't bother messing with them. While remarkably unremarkable so far, gadolinium's prospects of breaking out into fame and fortune brightened considerably when it was discovered that the metal makes for an ideal ingredient in magnetic refrigerators. Yes, some day the old noisy compressor fridge in your kitchen might be replaced with one that runs on whisper-quiet, environmentally friendly gadolinium!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eIn the meantime why not become an early adopter of this presently obscure but soon to be famous metal? In the middle of this 5cm Lucite acrylic cube is suspended a very generous sized chunk of ultra pure (99.95%) gadolinium in a wonderfully textured rock-like shape.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019731621,"sku":"Gd2x2","price":90.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Gadolinium_282_29_4b718ff9-4e18-4e67-98b6-bf2923d68124.webp?v=1778165227"},{"product_id":"selenium-50mm-lucite-cube-se2x2","title":"Selenium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp\u003eSelenium is little known other than for its use in dandruff shampoo and as a vitamin supplement of dubious medical value... hardly a glamorous claim to fame. Things are more interesting on the chemistry side with this particular element having several different allotropes. Gray is the most readily available followed by black and the quite rare red form which is little more than a lab curiosity. Although the gray allotrope is the most commonly seen, which this is a specimen of,  the industrial samples typically come as ugly small spheres. Here however a special casting has turned it into a nest of crazy swirls the better to appreciate the texture and character of this rather obscure element.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019928229,"sku":"Se2x2","price":100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/700_2599_6ac76093-d96c-41a4-9e31-51b586d6ea42.webp?v=1778165228"},{"product_id":"nitrogen-50mm-lucite-cube-n2x2","title":"Nitrogen 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eEvery lungful of air you breathe is mostly nitrogen, a harmless and near-inert gas. It is essential for life as proteins are carbohydrates with added nitrogen. And you also know it as that very cold liquid which tends to shatter anything dipped into it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"\u003eWith this addition to your element collection you are getting a sealed glass ampule filled with 99.9% pure nitrogen gas inside a Lucite acrylic block five centimeters per side that is beautifully finished. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806019993765,"sku":"N2x2","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Nitrogen_282_29_7ed64fc1-4631-4ea0-ac71-3f23d2ab8caf.webp?v=1778165229"},{"product_id":"germanium-50mm-lucite-cube-ge2x2","title":"Germanium 50mm Lucite Cube","description":"\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThis element resides in the periodic table boundary dividing metals and non-metals. Often called metalloids, germanium shares with the former its unmistakably metallic luster but, unlike a soda can or a pair of scissors, if you drop it on the floor it’ll shatter into a million particles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eGermanium also happens to be fairly rare. A bucketful of earth chemically separated into its constituent elements and then split into a million equal portions will yield one tiny speck of pure germanium. That rarity explains why, in part, the total annual production is measured in the tens of tons - compare that to the 1.7 billion tons of steel made worldwide!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp style=\"white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eToday most of the paltry amount of germanium extracted goes into making specialty glass like fibre optics and infrared lenses. A little less than 1% however is “wasted” in the new in the new industry of making useless trinkets that look cool sitting on a display - ahem!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Luciteria","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47806020321445,"sku":"Ge2x2","price":130.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8833\/6805\/files\/Germanium_285_29_3282fd81-56d3-44e0-8814-6ada5b8b576c.webp?v=1778165231"}],"url":"https:\/\/luciteria.com\/collections\/periodic-table.oembed?page=44","provider":"Luciteria","version":"1.0","type":"link"}