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NaK is pretty terrifying. It is highly reactive toward water, just like Na and K alone. But NaK alloy is a liquid--so much more reactive since the surface doesn't passivate as well. Tom called up his retired colleague Arthur F. Scott and asked for advice. 6/n
Arthur Scott is a bit of a Reed legend. He was a well recognized chemist in his day and a champion of radiochemistry. He was also responsible for Reed's nuclear reactor. He was the president of Reed during WW2 and both the old and new chemistry buildings were named for him. 7/n
At the time of the story, Tom is in his late forties and Scotty was in his late seventies. Apparently, Scotty said two things: (1) to take the NaK out by the loading dock and pour it slowly into a bath containing isopropyl alcohol. And (2) 'I want to come watch.' 8/n
Tom and Scotty meet at the loading dock and Tom says it is the most beautiful day--not a cloud in the sky, which is not a given in Portland. After a bit of setup, Tom starts pouring the NaK in using some long tongs and fireproof gloves. And it's vigorous! 9/n
It's going a bit wild, but it seems that it will work. But just then, Tom and Scotty look at each other because they both hear the sound of rushing water. They look up the sloped driveway leading to the loading dock and see a wall of water coming down the hill! 10/n
"So what happened?" I asked on the edge of my seat. "What do you think? I poured the rest of the NaK in, grabbed the flaming bath, and ran for higher ground!" "Were you okay?" "Burned the hair off my forearms, but otherwise yes" 11/n
But where did the water come from? It turns out that the nearby Studio Art building was nearing completion and they had installed a fire hydrant as part of the project. The fire department decided that it was a perfect day to test out the new hydrant. 12/n
They didn't consider that someone was downhill from them disposing of half a liter of NaK! Well, why would they? 13/n
So, there's two of the many stories that I heard from Tom over the years. I miss him already, but glad that I was lucky enough to have him as my thesis advisor. Rest in peace. 14/14
