Fitzroy storm glass

I've just submitted a request for the full-text of this: **LINK**

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/249883017_The_chemical_weather_glass_Composition_and_operation

'though, as it's dated 2008, I may or may not receive it.

MichaelG.

Here is Fitzroy's TheWeather Book ... See book page 439 et seq.

**LINK**

https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_qNK7AAAAIAAJ/page/n454

MichaelG.

.

Saw this on the News feed, Anthony, and thought of you: **LINK**

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-49583338

MichaelG.

This is turning into a major research project. Checked up on bio ethanol. Seems to be 97% ethanol with the remainder presumably additives to prevent people drinking it. Virtually identical to meths (without the dye?)

Isopropyl alcohol has virtually the same density as ethanol, but nearly twice the viscosity. It's molar mass (molecular weight?) is bigger (ethanol 46.069, isopropyl alcohol 60.069). How these differences would alter the precipitation or crystalisation process in the mixture,I don't know. It's nearly 60 years since I did my Chemistry A levels.

Now is the time for some empirical design work AKA suck it and see.

Edited By Anthony Knights on 05/09/2019 06:55:20

This comment on Wikipedia suggests the exact composition may not be critical: " he compositions of the liquid in a storm glass varied but usually contained "camphor, nitrate of potassium and sal-ammoniac, dissolved by alcohol, with water and some air."

I suspect variation won't have much impact on it's spurious ability to forecast the weather; I suspect its appearance is a complex result of its recent 'thermal history'.

Neil

P.S. my Dad has one and considers it no more than a 'novelty'.

I believe in my first post I said I was making it as a "novelty".

I have calculated with my rusty maths that adding 33ml of meths or similar. to 100ml of 40% vodka should give me the correct ABV of 54.8%. A good excuse to buy a bottle of decent vodka anyway.

Beware the fake Vodka, apparently fairly common.......

Disagree comments about nasties additives to stop it being drunk. Many years ago I and a colleague finished overtime and went into small pub near work, in Brighton. Very small bar crowded with drinkers obscuring goings on. Two scruffy men sitting at next table with half consumed pint glasses of beer. One looked around to see if anyone looking what he was about to do and furtively pours meths from a blue can (Boots) in brown paper bag. When the glasses were topped up with meths, the mix went the colour of "Esso blue"!

Got it wrong, memory. Concoction went pink, like Shell's "Aladdin pink" paraffin.