What could be causing my cloud chamber experiment to fail?

[whitay]

I'm conducting a cloud chamber experiment using:
Jar (black lid)
Felt(black)
Methylated Spirits (96% ethanol)
Water
Cobalt 60
Dry Ice

Concentration about 50-50 with the spirits and water then soaked the felt. Using a projector which produces heat to main a temperature gradient. So far in the 2 runs I've done it has been unsuccessful in producing a cloud, however it is visible that there is rain and the diluted alcohol is being evapourated. One run was straight spirits solution and one was diluted. When I took the lid off the jar after, which was immediately after ceasing the experiment, mist bellowed out and the jar lid had like a liquidy/water feel it to.

I'm going to try it again tomorrow in the hope of success and with Americium as it's a alpha emitter so ionisation should be far more effective.

If, from my brief description of how I'm conducting this experiment, you find something errornous tell me. However my question is I'm curious as to the reactions that would be occurring with the free electron(s) floating around? With the naturally occurring equilibrium of H20 -> H+ + OH-, would the electron be attracted to the H+ ions causing H++? Also what would the ionisation be doing to the alcohol?

 

[ZapperZ]

Does our recipe actually calls for water?

Usually, when you are using dry ice to cool it into a saturated condition, you don't want any kind of moisture. That's why it is always recommended that you use denatured ethenol - it has less water. If you do have too much water, it will freeze instead.

Zz.

 

[whitay]

Dry ice is approximately -78.5 degrees C, Langsdorf experiment says the experiment should be conduct with cooling to -40 degrees C. Does this -38.5 degree difference have great effect?

 

[Danger]

What on Earth level are you doing this at? The last time that I paid attention, Cobalt 60 was about $10,000 per ounce. I can't help with your question, but that ingredient really caught my attention.

 

[jtbell]

The last time that I paid attention, Cobalt 60 was about $10,000 per ounce.

He's probably using small encapsulated sources at the microcurie level, such as these:

http://www.canberra.com/products/822.asp

Sources such as these are commonly used in undergraduate laboratories. They're not very expensive, and they don't require elaborate safety precautions.

An ounce of cobalt-60 would definltely require elaborate safety precautions!

 

[Danger]

Well then, I think that I feel a new hobby coming on...

Nice link, JT. I don't have time to check it out completely, but I added it to my 'favourites' list.

 

[whitay]

Yeah my teacher said it was cobalt but it wasnt, turned out ot be strontium. I've ripped apart a smoke alarm and using the americium now. However no success.