For some absurd reasons, some of my coins that I used to protect with moisture absorbant, (not silica gel, but a plastic container with some dry chemicals to absorb moisture) spilled over some of my rare and boxed proof coins, so yes... pretty badly shaken over it. It almost ruined my proof / proof-like 1834 Alexandrine Column ruble... >_< Good lord I had coin capsules... or I would be peeping now...

I was told by my dad that it is quite corrosive, as it is some high calcium solution, although he wasn't too sure if that was the exact chemical compound. Any suggestions on what to do with some of the ruined coins and paper boxes that I have?

Wow, what did it do to them?

Appearently it gave the coins some "greasy" effect, but I don't know what the side effects will be...

That is why I have been awfully silent these few days... The damage was a lot worse than what I hoped for

If you knew the composition of the powder you could do something specific
I only know about silica gel
How about putting the coins in distilled water should not damage them more then they are
If distilled water does not work try acetone
Boths should do no more damage then done allready

"If distilled water does not work try acetone"

Always know whay you're dealing with when acetone enters the picture.
Acetone becomes self-igniting when mixed with MANY chemicles.

the best advice I can give is find out what it exactly is that's on your coins and withthat info find the proper way to neutralize it

The only thing I know that becomes self igniting is white phosporus and pure sodium when put in water
Also sulphur in solutions may self ignite when the solvent dries out
Otherwise the word selfignating is abused
Unless you mean flamable at room temperature
If you put a match to strobander rum at room temperature it will burn

Acetone

Flammable Properties Flash Point: 14 deg. F (-20 deg. C) Method Used: TCC Flammable limits in Air, % by Volume lower limit: 2.6% upper limit: 12.8% Autoignition temperature: 869 deg. F (465 deg. C)

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES __ Boiling Point : 133 deg. F (56 deg C) Melting Point : -95 deg. C Vapor Pressure : 177 mm at 20 deg. C Vapor Density : 2 Viscosity : 0.322 cP at 20 deg. C Sol. in Water : miscible Appearance : colorless liquid Odor : sweetish

STABILITY AND REACTIVITY __ Reactivity Data Stability: (Conditions to Avoid) Keep away from flames and spark producing equipment. Incompatibility: (Specific Materials to Avoid) Nitric plus acetic acids and nitric plus sulfuric acids. Hazardous Decomposition Products: Carbon dioxide and some carbon monoxide. Polymerization: will not occur.

Add Lithium, Potassium and Cæsium to that list, plus a few others. I bet Francium is fun.

Was it that calcium chloride granule material sold under the name of Damp-Rid? That stuff is corrosive to most metals when wet. I hope your collection isn't too badly affected.

Thats awful, hope it doesn't turn out too terrible for you.

Yikes. I've never heard of anything like that before, so nothing for me to help with...

Well if it's anything with that in then there's your problem. Chlorine is very reactive and gets on with metals far, far too well. Also avoid Fluorine which is even worse.

If you think about it there's not many silver compounds out there when compared to say iron or copper, but you'll note that chlorides go way down the reactivity lists.

As do nitrates.


Although i am somewhat puzzelled, did you say the coins were silver or copper? Silver and copper are less reactive than calcium and thus i would have though that the chlorine would have remained with the calcium. Unless it's done something more complicated and come up with a more complex compound involving the coins as well.

Chlorine is about one of the only products that will eat stainless steel
by pitting corrosion
Means surface may look allright but you got pits right through the pipe or whatever
stainless container you have

If chlorine came free about the only thing you can do is wash and wash in the liquid of your preference ( distilled water eg )

Francium, if you could find it would be fun/deadly. But it's radioactive, and nobody likes radiation.

Ha that reminds me. I remember a certain Chemistry teacher at school was trying to get the point across about how some metals were unsuitable for certain tasks. We got onto the topic of lead roofing and he said "ah here's a point in question, i mean you couldn't realistically use magnesium for such a task", whereupon on member of the class turned around and said "Sir, what if the roof was lined with Francium", the reply "we'd be dead... and there'd be no school left". Whereupon i said "and knowing us it'd be acid rain as well that day..."


It'd be interesting though to see what would happen, would moisture in the air force the Fr to react and explode before a raindrop even touched it? Or would the instability of the element itself be the deciding factor?

Still i bet Francium Hydroxide is particularly powerful.

At least radiactivity can be easily tracked (geiger counter, scintillation, etc). Some compounds that are probably as bad or worse are much hard to keep an eye on.

Oh but I like radiation
How else would I read my old analogue watch in the dark ?

I think Hydrofluoric acid has got to be one of the worst, really nasty stuff.


Which suddenly doesn't make this stuff seem quite as bad;

Back to the subject at hand. The way you described the drying agent suggests that it actually is calcium chloride. That would impart a greasy feel to a surface when wet and should be rinsed thoroughly with water until it's all gone. If you left it in contact with the coins, they're most likely ruined by now, assuming that calcium chloride is the compound.

The prohibition against cleaning coins shouldn't be taken to such an extreme as to keep one from saving one's coins from chemical damage.

Yes, it is pretty greasy at touch. Well I guess the worst it has done is ruining several mint boxes and a few coins. The worst damage it has done is to a mint box and almost the coins, which is Japan's 2001 3rd coin medal series...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...8318214324&rd=1

Pretty similar to it...

The rest of the coins are pretty much ok, as I was clever enough to waste enough plastic bags and wrapped them, so... they weren't as bad as I would have hoped.

Details of calcium chloride: http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/c0357.htm

Nasty stuff... I still can't believe how the contents leaked out...

In the winter Belgium puts tons of table salt Sodiumchloride on the ice and snow
When the temperature goes lower this salt does not work any more and they swithc to Calciumchloride and put tons of it on the road so that my car often is covered in the stuff up to the complete roof
I am still cofused this stuff would absorb air moisture well


http://www.chemicalland21.com/arokorhi/ind...%20CHLORIDE.htm

Ageka, even plain table salt (natrium chloride) attract moisture. Leave a jar without a lid open for a few weeks, in the fall, and the salt gets wet.
In salt shakers in restaurants you will often find a few grains if rice, because those even attract the moisture more than the salt, so the salt will stay dry and can be "poored" out easily.

Trantor I know about the rice in salt shakers
The larger rice will also mechanically shake loose lumpy salt
But I guess that only is necessary at 90% humidity
Since in my heated home the salt never gets wet

Since you can regenerate silica gel in the oven I do not
understand why calciumcloride would be intresting to use
With silica gel the color shows saturations with calciumchloride
I guess you would not even know when to replace it

Ouch, I am out of luck I ruined a Japanese 1894 die at the same time. It is quite rusty and I am on my way to restore it at the moment...

Calcium chloride is useful for large cabinets and other enclosed spaces. It's usually loaded into a fine mesh bag and suspended over a plastic bucket. The water it attracts from the air works its way to the bottom of the bag and drips into the bucket.

The water always carries some of the chemical with it into the bucket, really just a trace, but enough to cause corrosion. It's a method best confined to closets for clothing, IMO. Silica gel is my choice for keeping moisture out of my storage boxes and bins.

Amazing I never heard of the calcium chloride trick and I live in a country were it seems to rains 5 days out of seven
In fact I got an hygro meter and most of the time I live between 70 and 90 % moisture because on top of all I live on the riverbank of an above ground canal that seeps water all the time into the underground

This sounds familiar.

No wonder why the house turns into a humidity box around this time of year.

It's pretty humid here(central Virginia), too. The water table is so high that bored wells are productive as shallow as 20-30 feet. I've developed an allergy to mold spores which seem to be airborne here year-round.

now that sounds familiar....




I have one of those at home, for in my cellar.

And indeed, the water in the bottom of this thing feels a little bit greasy.

These "moisture eaters" (vochtvreters) are quite common here. The original is from "Bison", the barand that also makes lots of different kinds of glue

I only have to go one feet deep to have water forever because the canal is 10 feet above ground and water seeps out
In the rainy season for some days water level is half an inch above ground
I was diagnosed with an atypical allergy and take Zaditen year around for my allergy they probably missed out on spores because me working for Monsanto
they tested 30 chemicals and then went on to parasites and other exotic things
Since all tests were negative I got pills ( no innoculation determined like innoculation against grasspores alleregy )