[meteorite-list] Steve Schoner's hydroxide/alcohol meteorite cure

From: Michael Gallant <miga_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:13:10 2004
Message-ID: <3EAAAFD8.17D34BF_at_metrocast.net>

Hello List,

I had the sincere pleasure of communicating with Steve Schoner regarding
the history of his alcohol
/hydroxide
cure and he was gracious enough to permit me to share this with you:

 --- Michael Gallant <miga_at_metrocast.net> wrote:
Hello Steve,
 ........ I have managed to gather a modest meteorite collection and
learned early on the importance
of care and
preservation. That's when I was first learned your name.

I just have to ask you about your alcohol /hydroxide cure. I use your
method frequently, and very
pleased to say works flawlessly every time. I would most appreciate
hearing how you discovered
the process, if you don't mind sharing.

Steve Schoner wrote:

Well, Mike,

I was a curio and relic gun dealer many years ago, and there were times
when I did gun restorations

bringing
the bluing back to its full color. One of the chemicals used was sodium
hydroxide, among other
agents added that would rapidly oxidize the outer layer.

I did some reading and found that the sodium hydroxide is an electrolyte
in water. In fact, it is often
used in relic preservation.

But would it work on meteorites... That was a question that I was
pondering in the 1970's.

Nininger told me about his method, because I had some Brenhams that were
rusting away. "Soak it

in alcohol for a few days and when the solution becomes slightly rust
colored from "Lawrencite"
(that *was* considered a meteorite mineral then) throw the solution away
and pour more alcohol
over the specimen. Do this several times, or until the solution no
longer takes up Lawrencite."

Well "Lawrencite" was found to be a bogus meteorite mineral and it
actually is FeCl3, and there is
also a chloride of NI, which I think, as I remember is NiCl2. Both of
these are extremely
hydroscopic and absorb water from the air. Both dissolve in alcohol,
but I think that FeCl3 is more

inclined to do so, than NiCl2.

Nininger's alcohol treatment nominally worked because it tended to leach
these compounds out of
the meteorite-- but it left residual amounts still active in the
specimen. Chlorine is almost like a
catalyst in iron. It jumps from Fe0's to fresh iron, and continues on
till the iron is rust. All that is
needed is moisture from the air. (This is the reason for iron cancer--
it is caused by chlorinated
iron)

So, my thoughts were to make the process better by neutralizing the Cl
in FeCl3 and NiCl2.

Now, Red Devil lie is NaOH. When added to water it forms ions of Na and
OH. These are free
radicals in solution. Adding isopropyl alcohol to the solution allows
for breaking down oils and
other things that have been put on the specimen for preservation, and
also allowing for a lower, yet
effective concentration of Na and OH ions to do their work.

What is happening here is something like this:

> 3Na + 3OH + Fe+ Cl3 = 3NaCl + FeOH3

 The Fe0H3 is converted upon drying to FeO or iron oxide. (I am not sure
if this chemical equation
is exactly right, as at one time I had figured it out using chemical
valences. But it is the general idea)

What is happening is the chlorine is being removed by the lye solution
and turned into table salt and
the formerly chlorine infested iron is turned into FeOH3 which is ferric
hydroxide.

Ferric hydroxide is unstable and forms gelatinous masses on the
meteorite. Ni hydroxide forms
green gelatinous masses. Now when these are exposed to dry air, the H is
lost and the Fe and Ni
hydroxides become oxides minus the hydrogen. There will also be some
salt on the meteorite. But
this in the presence of water is not hydroscopic
because the bond of Cl to Na is much stronger than it is with iron. The
residual salt can be rinsed off

in another
solution of the same, and a final soak in distilled water will eliminate
it.

When finished as you noted, it works quite well. So, that is how it in
theory works.
Received on Sat 26 Apr 2003 12:12:08 PM PDT