Talk:Ash (analytical chemistry)

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So when the non-chemist refers to ash and ashes, is this the stuff they are talking about? For example: "When I was done with the campfire, I poured water on the metal salts and trace minerals (ashes)."

Or are ashes something else entirely? If we were to write an article about ashes, or as the fire article describes; "The unburnable solid remains of a combustible material left after a fire are called ash." Should it begin here, or start a new category?--Knulclunk 19:40, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

This article on ash is very different than ash from a fire. Currently there is no article on ash from a fire (see Ash (disambiguation)). This article is about any substance that isn't organic, i.e. doesn't contain carbon and hydrogen. If you feel there is enough information about ash from a fire, then I would go ahead and start an article. -- MacAddct1984  19:54, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Interesting. So when the ash content is measured in coals or Pyrolysis oil, it is unrelated to this process? I came accross because I was doing the ash disambiguation link repair.

That is the same, I believe. It's also a term used in pet food. However, the more I read into it, the more it seems like they may actually be the same thing. From the Coal assay#ash, it says:
"Ash content of coal is the non-combustible residue left after coal is burnt. It represents the bulk mineral matter after carbon, oxygen, sulphur and water (including from clays) has been driven off during combustion. Analysis is fairly straightforward, with the coal thoroughly burnt and the ash material expressed as a percentage of the original weight."
It may be that all ash (fire) is ash (analytical chemistry), but not all ash (AC) is ash (fire). We really need someone who knows more about it... -- MacAddct1984  16:44, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
Ash in this article's context refers to the ash after a fuel is burnt in fire. For example, when wood is burnt until it stops burning, what is left is by layman's term, ash. Precisely speaking, what is left is carbonaceous material and inorganic elements that cannot be burnt (oxidized). Lets say we wanted to analyse this ash in lab. We would put all this leftover carbon and inorganic elements in a furnace to remove the carbon. Whats left is the ash that this article refers to. ie: Inorganic noncombustible material. The residue may then be mixed with analytical flux and fused with the elements in another high temperature furnace. The fusion mix is then digested with acid and diluted with water to a specific volume. The sample is then analysed by aspirating into an analyser, typically an Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometry. Hope this answers your question. Venny85 (talk) 21:19, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Nutritious?

When "ash" is digested, as in honey, are the minerals it is comprised of digested? In other words, does it have a nutritional value? The Jade Knight 00:38, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Cat Food

So is this the ash that's in my cat's food?

[edit] Minerals

I've been wondering the same things but I do believe the minerals in ash from honey are nutritious being found as ions, and deposited by a bee after digesting nectar... Bees only consume nectar right?! Humans can absorb minerals from plant and animal sources but not the compounds found in the soil. I'm interested also in the viability of fire ash.