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Techniques for CollectorsAny Use for Bicarbonate Soda?

12th Jun 2016 19:47 UTCJonelle DeFelice

When I try to read all the posts here regarding chemicals used for cleaning minerals specimens, I get all fumble-brained. I didn't take chemistry in school, which is one reason I get all befuddled.


BUT something did pop into my mind a few minutes ago: can bicarbonate soda (aka: Arm & Hammer baking soda, etc) be used to clean anything off of our specimens? I did see in a post that it can be used to stop an acid process (like in a stomach) but what about actually removing ich from a rock? Is it simply too mild to be a cleaner?


JD

13th Jun 2016 02:04 UTCWayne Corwin

Jonelle

It can be used in a sandblaster for cleaning ;-)

13th Jun 2016 02:22 UTCNelse Miller

I haven't used it directly for cleaning. I have used its ability to neutralize acid. After cleaning a specimen in acid, I will soak it for several hours in a water solution of sodium bicarbonate. That will get rid of any residual acid on the specimen. The specimen is then soaked in several changes of purified water.

13th Jun 2016 02:30 UTCDoug Daniels

I've used it to somewhat clean tarnished pennies, something I tried as a young lad while fooling with those dang hazardous chemistry sets they used to sell. Don't know that I'd use it to clean native copper though. As others have said, its main use for use is to neutralize acids used in cleaning.

13th Jun 2016 02:46 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Sometimes it has been used to loosen dirt from fissures by the mechanical action of bubbling. Soak specimen in bicarbonate of soda solution, then put it into a weak acid. Vigorous bubbling as they react can loosen dirt in deep fissures. "Allegedly"... I haven't tried it myself. But I can imagine if the dirt has just the right degree of compaction/porosity, it could indeed work.

Cheers,

Alfredo

13th Jun 2016 03:13 UTCDana Morong

As with vinegar, baking soda has lots of uses. I use it (wetted) to brush teeth (then I floss). Teeth are a sort of mineral, in a way, as they are made up of an apatite (and likely a bit of something else to hold it all together well). Baking soda, a little in water, is also handy to clean a hair comb (okay that isn't mineral at all, but it works great). I usually get one at the barber's, use it for years. Vinegar has so many uses, one of them to slowly clean excess calcite from grossular garnet from skarn zones (however, if there are parallel layers of calcite between layers of grossular, the specimen might fall apart). If one uses it internally, make sure it is cider vinegar, Not white vinegar. If for cleaning minerals, either will work. Vinegar is also useful too for removing the scale from 'hard' water (usually calcium deposits). Both of these very opposite household chemicals are useful in many ways.

I once used baking soda (bicarbonate of soda, or sodium bicarbonate) to neutralize traces of acid (some specimen I had once soaked). Forgot the stuff in the water and months later found in bottom of container some 'crystals' of baking soda, but I don't think it lasted - was too delicate and fell apart.

13th Jun 2016 11:25 UTCHarjo Neutkens Manager

Sodium bicarbonate is used for buffering a solution with sodium citrate and sodium dithionite.

This Waller solution is very effective in getting rid of iron stains off mineral specimens, it can even be used for vulnerable minerals like calcite.

14th Jun 2016 01:47 UTCDon Saathoff Expert

I have used it as a flux (when I ran out of sodium carbonate) to decompose metallic ores on charcoal blocks as well as on platinum wire beads (be carefull and be prepared to loose the bit of wire to alloy!)


Don S.
 
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