Trivia
In his book Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sacks describes how his uncle—an avid fan of tungsten and tungsten chemistry—told him about the very high-density of gaseous WF6. Later, for his 65th birthday, Sacks wanted to have a WF6-filled balloon, but gave up, knowing that WF6 produces hydrofluoric acid on contact with atmospheric humidity. (Moreover, WF6 would react with most organic materials, including rubber, but not Teflon.)
Read more about this topic: Tungsten Hexafluoride
Famous quotes containing the word trivia:
“Pop artists deal with the lowly trivia of possessions and equipment that the present generation is lugging along with it on its safari into the future.”
—J.G. (James Graham)
“The most refined skills of color printing, the intricate techniques of wide-angle photography, provide us pictures of trivia bigger and more real than life. We forget that we see trivia and notice only that the reproduction is so good. Man fulfils his dream and by photographic magic produces a precise image of the Grand Canyon. The result is not that he adores nature or beauty the more. Instead he adores his camera—and himself.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)