Improve chemistry by replacing Lithium with Magnesium (Dolomite).
Naughty_Naut
Join Date: 2019-01-03 Member: 247907Members
Join Date: 2019-01-03 Member: 247907Members
Part of why Subnautica is so appealing, is that it uses realistic Sci-Fi. Congratulations on not using BS unobtainium, adamantium or magic and similarly dumb and lazy comic book tropes. Biology and Evolution play prominent roles in the story and those descriptions are written particularly well. I'm also delighted to be able to make HCl, bleach and find real naturally occurring periodic elements and their compounds.
Suggestion
There is no need to change tech-trees or much at all. Just replace the name and description of Lithium to Magnesium, for a more plausible chemistry and metallurgy. Magnesum is a very light metal that is actually used in durable metal alloys including even auto and ship parts (maybe even a thing called Plasteel some day). Magnesium ions are an essential electrolyte for the human body, but it's even more important for photosynthesis in plants and phytoplankton. It does naturally occur in a mineral called Dolomite, named after Dolomite mountains usually prominently featured in the Tour de France. Maybe it's better to use Dolomite because it's a cool name that unlike Magnesium isn't easily confused with Magnetite. Better yet Dolomite is produced by sedimentation of plant life (see wikipedia article "Low-temperature dolomite may occur in natural environments rich in organic matter and microbial cell surfaces.")
Why not Lithium?
Lithium is a metal of many superlatives. It is the first metal on the periodic table, it's the lightest metal, it's the least noble metal, it is the most electro-positive of all metals, which is why it's the ultimate thing for batteries.
But it reacts violently with water, in fact it's probably the first experiment you've witnessed in chemistry class, to learn about exothermic reactions, drop Li metal into water, to see it react and sometimes (if you use foil) even catch fire and burn with a bright red flame. This violent reaction makes a metal lithium alloy like plasteel rather impractical and likely susceptible to water.
You see, how finding chunks of lithium on the ocean floor can make someone who likes chemistry cringe! Moreover all Lithium salts are very easily soluble, which means that Li is only found naturally occuring in brines (in solution) or dried up lakes. You'd have to use water desalination to produce Lithium salts and electrolysis to produce metallic lithium.
Even the part where the old Degasi survivor, talks about "There's enough lithium there to fabricate a hundred tons of plasteel. Enough for a damn FLEET of Cyclops submarines." can be explained by him being the ignorant fool in charge. - Surely you meant to say Magnesium, Paul !?
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link videos of chemical elements, but just type periodic table of videos Magnesium into the search bar or periodic table of videos Lithium for a fun experimental introduction to these elements.
Suggestion
There is no need to change tech-trees or much at all. Just replace the name and description of Lithium to Magnesium, for a more plausible chemistry and metallurgy. Magnesum is a very light metal that is actually used in durable metal alloys including even auto and ship parts (maybe even a thing called Plasteel some day). Magnesium ions are an essential electrolyte for the human body, but it's even more important for photosynthesis in plants and phytoplankton. It does naturally occur in a mineral called Dolomite, named after Dolomite mountains usually prominently featured in the Tour de France. Maybe it's better to use Dolomite because it's a cool name that unlike Magnesium isn't easily confused with Magnetite. Better yet Dolomite is produced by sedimentation of plant life (see wikipedia article "Low-temperature dolomite may occur in natural environments rich in organic matter and microbial cell surfaces.")
Why not Lithium?
Lithium is a metal of many superlatives. It is the first metal on the periodic table, it's the lightest metal, it's the least noble metal, it is the most electro-positive of all metals, which is why it's the ultimate thing for batteries.
But it reacts violently with water, in fact it's probably the first experiment you've witnessed in chemistry class, to learn about exothermic reactions, drop Li metal into water, to see it react and sometimes (if you use foil) even catch fire and burn with a bright red flame. This violent reaction makes a metal lithium alloy like plasteel rather impractical and likely susceptible to water.
You see, how finding chunks of lithium on the ocean floor can make someone who likes chemistry cringe! Moreover all Lithium salts are very easily soluble, which means that Li is only found naturally occuring in brines (in solution) or dried up lakes. You'd have to use water desalination to produce Lithium salts and electrolysis to produce metallic lithium.
Even the part where the old Degasi survivor, talks about "There's enough lithium there to fabricate a hundred tons of plasteel. Enough for a damn FLEET of Cyclops submarines." can be explained by him being the ignorant fool in charge. - Surely you meant to say Magnesium, Paul !?
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link videos of chemical elements, but just type periodic table of videos Magnesium into the search bar or periodic table of videos Lithium for a fun experimental introduction to these elements.