Biodeterioration of the RMS Titanic

[John M. Feeney]

Roy and Lori:

An excellent and highly professional research paper! Thanks especially for tabulating the myriad possibilities for disintegration timeframes. One usually hears -- through the grapevine, at least -- only the extremes.

One question, which may forever date my chemical knowledge: In citing the "green rust" iron oxide sulfate complex as

(Fe[sup]+2[/sup][sub]3.6[/sub] Fe[sup]+3[/sup][sub]0.9[/sub] (O[sup]--[/sup], OH[sup]-[/sup], SO[sub]4[/sub][sup]--[/sup])[sub]9[/sub])​

you employed what appears to be an empirical formula using fractional subscripts. Is this indeed the case, and if so, is this identical to

(Fe[sup]+2[/sup][sub]4[/sub] Fe[sup]+3[/sup] (O[sup]--[/sup], OH[sup]-[/sup], SO[sub]4[/sub][sup]--[/sup])[sub]10[/sub]) ?​

If so, can you advise what the significance of the decimalized subscripts is (or if not)? If the explanation is lengthy, just point me to the appropriate field -- biochem, etc. -- and I can probably locate a text.

Thanks!

 

[John M. Feeney]

Oh well, I thought it was excellent.

And if you heard otherwise, well ...
Take it as a compliment!

:^)

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

Well, I like your formula John!

 

[John M. Feeney]

Thanks, Phil (blush):

And sorry about that slight sullenness last night.

Six hours of research on top of very little sleep wears me a bit thin ...

(By the way, these quick responses on your part are actually a little scary. Makes you seem a bit like God, if you know what I mean.) ;^)

Cheers!

 

[Encyclopedia Titanica]

I do thunderbolts too ;o)

 

[Geoff Whitfield]

My chemist has a cure for those Phil!

 

[John M. Feeney]

Hey, Phil:

Shame on you! I just noticed that all of the links to this article show "by Roy Cullimore".

But they completely omit Lori Johnston!

It *is* a co-authored piece.

Cheers!

 

[John M. Feeney]

Phil:

But of course, I mean that (above) in the nicest possible way ...

Cheers!