Talk:Uranium glass
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Hallgrímur: It wasn't a typo. In the previous paragraph, I specifically talk about the 1840s, then in this paragraph, I say "the end of the century". Keith D. Tyler ¶ [AMA]
Trinitite is also light green; since actinides are so similar, chemically, should we discuss that material in this article?--Joel 23:30, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
- I'd say not. I'm pretty sure that trinitite's colour isn't down to actinides, but (like green bottles) to reduced iron. Check out this PDF paper which contains an analysis. Tearlach 04:23, 26 July 2005 (UTC)
Riedel confirmed. It's a glassmaking dynasty: see history page at www.riedel.com. The uranium glass one would be Josef Riedel the Elder of Polaun (the German name for Dolni Polubny). Tearlach 18:42, 26 July 2005 (UTC)
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[edit] Old images -- ????
What the hell? The Image:Vaseline Glasses.jpg did work once, it was uploaded to the Commons after I made a request in Picture Requests. Where on earth did it go to? - Keith D. Tyler ¶ 20:32, July 26, 2005 (UTC)
I dont understand why the image
was deleted, I can see it very good. I downloaded 4 images, if anyone want to use it in the article, its possible I dont have enough of experiences of it /sorry for mt english :)/
--Nolanuss 04:02, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Please clarify the origin of "vaseline glass"
Two different reasons are given for the name "vaseline glass", namely:
- "changing from its normal transparent yellow or yellow-green with increasing opacity to, ultimately, opaque white. This material, technically a glass-ceramic, inspired the name "vaseline glass" due to its similar appearance to petroleum jelly."
and:
- "Vaseline glass gets its name from the original formula for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly which was yellow-green much like the color of antifreeze."
These two versions are not consistent, could someone with experience in this field plase clarify? --Paiconos 20:47, 21 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] What is considered an EXCEPTIIONALLY large collection?
What is considered a LARGE collection? reffering to "However, the radioactivity of the glass is widely considered to be negligible and not harmful, although it is still recommended that exceptionally large collections be kept behind leaded glass." Because I have a neighbor who collects these peices and he has like 50-60 peices ranging from cake containers to punch bowls, Im wondering if his collection should be behind leaded glass....
--N00b 18:20, 14 June 2006 (UTC)
I'm kind of wondering about the validity of that statement. Our article on uranium states that uranium decays by releasing alpha particles, which "are easily absorbed by materials and can travel only a few centimeters in air. They can be absorbed by tissue paper or the outer layers of human skin (about 40 micrometres, equivalent to a few cells deep) and so are not generally dangerous to life unless the source is ingested or inhaled." I don't think leaded glass would be necessary. I just wouldn't, say, eat the cake containers or punch bowls themselves. The lead glass article itself says that lead glass is used to stop x-rays; alpha particles are nothing like x-rays. TomTheHand 17:49, 19 March 2007 (UTC)
I believe that TomTheHand is correct, Uranium only decays via alpha-particles, so it wouldn't be necessary to place the glass behind lead screening. I think that I shall make the alteration that he suggests.
Honestyisthebestpolicydude 19:56, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
While it is true that uranium decays mainly by alpha-particle emission ( there is some spontaneous fission, with associated neutron-emission as well ) it is worth noting that radioactive decays tend to leave the resulting nucleus in an excited state, and it is when THIS nucleus decays that you get gamma-rays ( similar to X-rays ). The amount of gamma emission from Uranium is quite low, and I don't think it should pose a problem, but I'm no doctor so don't quote me on that. Another concern is that Radon is produced as a part of Uranium's decay chain, and being a gas it can enter the lungs (see the article on radon for more on this ). Leaded-glass will do nothing to prevent this, but other measures, such as adequate ventilation can help. I strongly doubt that the small amounts of radium from a glassware collection will be much of a concern as compared to naturally occurring radon from uranium decays in the soil ( Radon is a noble gas, and hence tends to diffuse through the structural materials in buildings ). While I don't have the time to so do so at the moment, one could probably estimate the "safe" amount of uranium to keep in a room since uranium's half-life is known, there are guidelines for how much radon is acceptable in the air, and thus one can estimate how good ventilation one would need for any given amount of uranium ( my guess is no specific measures are necessary, but that is mere guesswork, it would be good with a cited source. ). 85.224.77.223 (talk) 02:33, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
- The number of neutrons produced by the spontaneous fission of uranium is way too low to pose a problem. From here, it is only 0.0136 neutron per second per gram of U-238.
- Uranium in secular equilibrium with its daughter nuclides (e.g., uranium minerals) can pose a radon problem, but purified uranium (e.g., in uranium glass) cannot. This can be seen (or computed) from the U-238 decay chain.
- Usually, the remaining nucleus immediately after a radioactive decay is in an excited state, and it'll soon shed off the extra energy in the form of gamma radiation. So most radioactive decays will be accompanied by gamma rays. In the case of uranium, the gamma radiation is weak.
- The beta radiation is the most concerned form of radiation from uranium-containing products. It comes from the two immediate decay products of uranium: Th-234 and Pa-234m.
[edit] Refs
- Skelcher, Barrie (2001). Uranium Glass. The Journal of the Glass Association. The Glass Association. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
- [1]
- [2]
- Riedel glass]
[edit] Earliest use?
I arrived on this page from the article on uranium. There, a source is cited as saying that uranium was used in glass in oxide form as early as 79 AD. As the source is a government website, I believe it is trustworthy, but I will entrust that conclusion to you guys. 69.246.150.153 22:04, 21 March 2007 (UTC)
- I don't have JSTOR access to the full paper, but it seems to check out: Google Books finds the source of this statement to be The Earliest Known Use of a Material Containing Uranium by Earle R. Caley, Isis, Vol. 38, No. 3/4 (Feb., 1948). [3] I've added some detail on this and other early use, partially from already sourced material from Uranium. Tearlach 20:29, 25 March 2007 (UTC)
- I'd just like to note that the Glass Association reference cited in the article, Uranium Glass., is skeptical of the 79 AD find.209.189.225.226 02:32, 5 June 2007 (UTC)
