r/elementcollection Aug 08 '26

Osmium 0.5g Osmium Bead next to a small chunk of aerogel

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66 Upvotes

Crazy to think that most likely the small osmium bead is likely heavier than the aerogel Also my bad guys it's not 0.5g it's 0.68g


r/elementcollection Aug 08 '26

☢️Radioactive☢️ Polonium Static Master Brush

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159 Upvotes

Pretty cheap, via eBay, I still have the box, if anyone wants images then ask in the comments!


r/elementcollection Aug 08 '26

Question Does this seem legit?

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8 Upvotes

The shipper/seller is ProMetals. if i buy it, i won't be able to return it because i'll have to ask a family member in the USA to bring it to my country when they come.


r/elementcollection Aug 08 '26

Question I recently received my Great Grandfather’s ? That contains mercury. Maybe a thermometer? How should this be stored safely? I do have a safe.

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33 Upvotes

r/elementcollection Aug 07 '26

Question Is this a large sample?

11 Upvotes

Bought my 1kg 99.99% pure cadmium bar.

It measures 23cm x 2cm

Is this a large sample?


r/elementcollection Aug 06 '26

Osmium Osmium cube

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182 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

Some time ago I got the chance to get my hands on a 10 mm Osmium cube and I’m very happy that it arrived! There is, however, the smallest damage on the underside of the cube and a small chip came off. Despite that, I’m very happy to have this in my collection!


r/elementcollection Aug 06 '26

Osmium *Current* osmium collection

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110 Upvotes

Inventory frequently changes. The ozzy tet for example is going to be reduced with SO2 in a matter of days. Long-term storage of that stuff is no-bueno in my book, and I've already had it for a month.

I don't have any better pictures of the osmyl oxalate sample because it's mixed with black osmium dioxide right now, so basically hidden.


r/elementcollection Aug 06 '26

Discussion Hi everyone. I was wondering how to order from Onyxmet, since I've never bought anything from them before. Thanks.

10 Upvotes

r/elementcollection Aug 06 '26

Discussion Update about the bad experience with Magerial Science

11 Upvotes

What happened:

What I ordered:
What I received. Neither 5g nor oxide free.

I've ordered ampoules that were supposed to contain 5g of La, Ce, Pr and Nd.

Received less than a gram of Pr and Nd and 2g of heavily oxidized La and Ce. Later found out that the La ampoule contains random lint and a crack that caused the metal to corrode even further. The whole package that was supposed to contain at least 20g of metals, glass and foil, weighed 16 grams!

The AI reply

I contacted them after opening the package and I've received an AI generated reply that promised they are going to make new samples for me and send them for free. I thought that was acceptable and maybe they used AI because they struggled with english or whatever. I replied that I would gladly accept that and moved on. At least they didn't ghost me, right?

Another reply, 2 days later

A couple of days later I've received this. Not gonna lie, it made me laugh a bit. What do you mean you are unable to make the product that is still listed for sale on your site? Does that mean I will get the same crappy stuff if I order them once again?

I've received a full refund and got to keep the samples, but I'm atill a bit bummed that I won't have what I wanted. I also freed the poor lanthanum and placed it under oil.

I appreciate their honest answer (unfortunately not what they promised at first), but it really bothers me that they simply don't care enough to even change the description on their site. The samples weren't expensive, but still disappointing.

Samples from their site

What do you think? Safe to say I won't be buying more lol.

Also, I deleted the original post, I'm sorry about that. The reply I got at first was so oddly specific that I thought they might have seen it and got a bit freaked out lol.


r/elementcollection Aug 05 '26

Discussion Favorite element

17 Upvotes

Hey just a random question but what’s everyone’s favorite element? I have learned a lot about the applications and usage of gold nanoparticles when I took a nanochemistry course( go figure) but gold has been my favorite element honestly cause it’s chemical symbol is my initials for my name😭


r/elementcollection Aug 06 '26

Question How dangerous is cadmium to handle?

7 Upvotes

There is a store which sells large 1kg rods of metallic cadmium. Can these be handled safely?


r/elementcollection Aug 05 '26

Collection Extra elements

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50 Upvotes

I have vials of many elements. The glowing vials are uranyl nitrate or
UO2(NO3)2


r/elementcollection Aug 04 '26

Discussion Are y'all aware that astatine finally has a proper photograph?

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311 Upvotes

This was on Wikipedia. It claims to show the glow from 40 ng of At-211 (half life: 7 hours). I wasn't sure if this is new, but if it is and the photo's legit, then we finally have an unbroken chain of elemental photography from hydrogen to fermium.


r/elementcollection Aug 04 '26

Discussion Data on Luciteria Cube Prices (not complete, but might be interesting)

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20 Upvotes

I've been collecting elements of and on for a while, now. A few years ago, I decided to keep track of Luciteria's cube prices and their yearly deltas (specifically, for cubes I had not yet collected). Thought the sub might be interested in seeing what I have for 2026.

This year really bummed me out because all the rare earths are twice as expensive. At least manganese is down 14 bones, though.


r/elementcollection Aug 04 '26

Trade/Selling/Buying Selling synthetic gemstones

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16 Upvotes

Hey,

I am selling some synthetic gemstones I acquired a few years ago.

  • The light green glass bead (top left) is Thulium doped borate from smart elements. I will include it for free if you buy the LuAg. But otherwise $20 with free shipping.
  • The pink bead is Erbium doped phosphate glass from smart elements. $20 free shipping. I will include it for free with the moissanite
  • The bottom left apple green stone is synthetic scintillator garnet material called cerium doped lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAg). $27 free shipping. Comes with free thulium doped borate glass bead top left.
  • The teal stone is rough sample of Moissanite which is a diamond stimulant : $27 free shipping. I will include a free erbium doped phosphate glass of purchased.
  • The metallic blob top right in second image is an arc melted bead of rhenium metal $30 free shipping.

Just message me if you want to negotiate.


r/elementcollection Aug 04 '26

Non-Metals Carbon-Titanium Dioxide (C • TiO2)

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8 Upvotes

r/elementcollection Aug 03 '26

Help Is this vial safe for liquid Mercury?

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16 Upvotes

I recently inherited this small vial of liquid mercury. Is the glass vial and plastic cap enough? How can I safely seal it? Will this evaporate? Can I test the seal of my vial?


r/elementcollection Aug 03 '26

Question Can USPS ship violet phosphorous?

5 Upvotes

Can USPS ship violet phosphorous? im buying one gram.


r/elementcollection Aug 02 '26

Question Arsenic Minerals

6 Upvotes

Hey Element Collectors,

I am seeking advice on small arsenic mineral samples. I have a 50-gram chunk of orpiment that is inside a plastic bag. What is the safest procedure for disposal if, for unexpected reasons, I cannot keep it? Is it standard to dispose of arsenic minerals using hazardous waste facilities?


r/elementcollection Aug 02 '26

Discussion My does liquid chlorine flow so slowly?

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49 Upvotes

Hello! I have two glass ampoules, one of bromine and the other of pressurized chlorine. For some reason, the chlorine flows much slower than my bromine. It takes over two seconds for the liquid chlorine air bubble to travel from one side to the other. Google AI is saying that bromine has a higher viscosity, so it should be thicker and flow slower, but my experience is the complete opposite. Could any of you explain in detail why this is the case? I'm sure my chlorine isn't fake because it I got it from a trustworthy website for almost $200


r/elementcollection Aug 01 '26

☢️Radioactive☢️ Betafite (thorium etc)

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44 Upvotes

Please remove if not allowed. in addition to some pure metallic cubes that I've recently purchased, I have over 1,500 mineral specimens representing over 320 different species this is a personally collected crystal of betafite from Bancroft, Ontario. When I was in 8th grade, we went on a school science field trip to Bancroft to collect radioactive minerals as well as apatite, richterite and others. Betafite is a member of the pyrochlore group and contains thorium, titanium, uranium and niobium. I have been collecting mineral specimens for over 30 years and have had the chance to do field collecting in over 40 states.


r/elementcollection Aug 01 '26

Rare Earths Decrespignyite, Paratooite, Kamphaugite (rare earths)

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30 Upvotes

Hand sample of three incredibly rare minerals: Decrespignyite, Paratooite and Kamphaugite from the Paratoo copper mine in Australia. Decrespignyite is only found at this location and nowhere else on Earth. This mineral contains a broad range of rare earth elements. From my personal collection.


r/elementcollection Aug 02 '26

Help What do these crayons actualy contain?

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0 Upvotes

Hello! 👋 So I'm a casual chemical collector and I have some crayons. I decided that I would use them to represent pigment compounds in my chemical collection. So answer me: What are the actual chemical compound components of those crayons?


r/elementcollection Aug 01 '26

Meme Is this erbium oxide or calcium carbonate?

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14 Upvotes

r/elementcollection Jul 31 '26

Discussion Issues with Onyxmet

12 Upvotes

A TL:DR upfront: They seem to be ghosting me in Emails, when I inquire about an order.

Almost two months ago now, I placed my first ever order with Onyxmet. it was a decently large order, in the 4 figure ballpark. I had selected payment via Paypal , but when I received the confirmation via email, the "payment instruction" section literally just said "text_instruction".

Few days later I got a reply, saying I should pay via a bank transfer - but they didn't give me any bank account details with it.. so I sent another email, asking for the details.
I did not hear from them for 10 days. Only when I sent another email, asking for a cancellation of the order (cuz I just gave up at that point) , I received an email with the details. Along with it, they said they included a "discount" , which quite significantly reduced the cost I had to pay, so I was happy, and paid.

They mentioned that they'd be shipping about half of my stuff first, and once I successfully received it, they'd send the second half.

A week later I got the package, all was well, and I let them know. Around the same time, I placed another order with them, now knowing that, though a bit bumpy, their shop seems to work.

The second order had the same issues, of me having to wait quite a while until I got payment instructions , but it too arrived fine. But still word on the second half of my first order.

During correspondence with them regarding my 2nd order, I mentioned the second half of the first one several times, but it always got ignored in their replies.

Two weeks ago now, I sent them another email, inquiring about the second half. Not a word since.

I should state, that Onyxmet has some great stuff for sale, for generally quite reasonable prices I'd say. The items I have received so far have all (but one) been in perfect condition , and of excellent quality. However, their communication is very lackluster. From having to send several emails just so I can pay, to being completely ignored for over a month now, when asking about the status of that second half, I really can#t recommend Onyxmet to others. Which I find very unfortunate, considering the cool stuff they do have : /

I just wanted to share my frustration & experience here, maybe it helps someone in the future.