[Rockhounds] Axel's back!!!!

[Axel Emmermann]

> Axel  Emmermann wrote:
> > BTW: what's he specific mass of kryptonite?

Pete wrote:

> I guess you clarified this for me, Kreigh, I was still 
> puzzling over what "specific mass" meant.  Wondered if that 
> was just a  European term; in  truth, I'd never heard that 
> phrase before.  Evidently, you and Axel are  meaning the same 
> thing as "specific gravity" by it.  I didn't want to  
> question Axel too closely about this, he's still recovering 
> and may not be up to  too sharp interrogation.

Axel's reply
Yo Pete, thanks for the consideration but I'm already strong enough to
change my own diapers ;-))))
Yeah, I meant "specific gravity" but the long-term effects of deep narcosis
still haunt me, I guess.
Funny term BTW. I would interpret the term as "the gravity measured at one
place". Like gravity on the moon is only 1/6th of that on earth.
Specific mass would mean the mass that is represented by 1 cubic centimeter
of a substance in grams/cm³.
Apparently linguistic logic will only take you so far. I usually don't make
much mistakes like that but you got it figured out. No harm done ;-)))

Kreigh wrote: 
> Kryptonite is supposedly element 126, which would probably 
> put it  around 25.
> 

Axel's reply:
Hm, I think it will be less, Kreigh. Although a scientist should review my
babblings I'm pretty sure that the following is reasonably approximately
perhaps a bit true:
 
Specific gravity of the elements culminates around element 76 which is
Osmium. The osmium nucleus has the most "pull" on it's electron mantle of
all elements. As a result the atoms shrinks and thus becomes heavier.

This electromagnetic attraction between nucleus and electrons depends on:

A: the number of protons AKA which element is it. The more protons, the more
pull. 

B: A by proxy (1) the number of neutrons needed to stabilize the nucleus
rises disproportionately with the numbers of protons. If this number gets
really big, the "attractive force per volume" of the nucleus drops. Size
seems to matter whit matter too. A voluminous nucleus packs less positive
charge per cubic femtometer ;-))) 

C: A by proxy (2). The more protons, the more electrons. Electrons repel
each other. Inner electron shells repel the outer ones thereby "bloating"
the atom or ion. They also shield off the positive attraction from the
nucleus which enhances the effect even more.

So this is why Iridium, although it has more mass than osmium (a proton, an
electron and some neutrons), has a slightly lower spec.grav.

Also: the gigantic number of electrons swarming around the nucleus of
element 126 would allow almost no "leakage" of electropositive attraction
from the nucleus to get through. As a result, crystals of Kryptonite would
be VERY loosely stacked making the crystal light... VERY light (compare SG
of calcite to that of aragonite. The are both CaCO3 but the way that the
molecules are stacked determines the SG)

Taking all this into account I would not be surprised if Kryptonite were to
float on water. Spec. Gravity below 1.0.

There's a lot more to it and my explanation is a blatant simplification of
the phenomenon but hey... I'm no rocket scientist ;-)))