[meteorite-list] question on performing a nickel test

From: Michael Murray <mmurray_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:09:34 -0700
Message-ID: <ADE0A0B4-93DC-43E7-BB39-FE291AD85C20_at_montrose.net>

Hi List,

If someone has experience with the Allerderm Nickel test and wouldn't
mind sharing their knowledge of how to do it...

I am attempting to do a nickel test at home here and I ran into a bit
of a snag. I have a piece of iron that most likely is not a piece of
meteoritic iron that I was using as a test piece. I sanded a surface
on it, cleaned it with alcohol several times, got out the trusty
Allertest NI test kit from Allerderm, placed a drop each of the
little bottles onto a cotton swab, and placed that on the cleaned
surface of the metal. Using this piece of iron as a control piece, I
wanted to be sure I wasn't doing something in the steps I was using
that would cause me to get a false positive. On this test - test,
the swab turned pink quickly. If I do the exact steps only add in
placing a drop of white vinegar on the cleaned surface, wait a couple
minutes and then apply the nickel test, I get almost a blood red swab
in just the first second. The first time I did this test and saw
this, I thought I had contaminated the surface so I sanded it again
down to a fresh surface, cleaned it several times again with alcohol
before attempting the nickel test without vinegar. Second time, same
result. When using a drop of vinegar again, same result - blood red
quickly.

What am I doing wrong, if anything? Could I still have contamination
on the metal that the sanding and cleaning with alcohol is not removing?

Mike in CO
Received on Fri 19 Dec 2008 03:09:34 PM PST