Eric Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 More than one of us has wondered what happens to metals when they are burned. However, the Word of God answer is pretty vague and simply doesn't satisfy my curiosity. Josh: When non-god metals are burned Allomantically, what happens to the metals? Are they crushed into tiny specks? Do they disappear?The metals become a key conduit through which the power is delivered. So they are actually sort of vaporized, and the atomic code is a key by which the power is drawn in. Now, I have a specific problem with this explanation. The phrase "atomic code" doesn't mean anything specific to me (outside of certain types of computer programming code that I just learned about with a Google search), so I'm assuming it involves the structure of the material on the molecular level. If it does not involve the structure, then swallowing carbon and iron pellets in the proper proportion would give you a Steel reserve instead of an Iron reserve and carbon tummy, which is totally a real thing that I just made up. So I'm going to substitute "crystal structure" for "atomic code", because that means something when dealing with metals and alloys. Both of the following questions/theories stem from the FTL theories, for the following reason. If you can achieve FTL travel with the methods, but the metal used is rare on Scadrial, then you need to have an alternate means of acquiring the metal in order to utilize it effectively. So, question one: if another material had the same or exceptionally similar crystal structure on the molecular level, could it be substituted for the metal itself? If you can duplicate effects chemically, then you don't need to find reserves of the metal. Scarcity becomes less relevant. (Kelsier states that the metal doesn't have to be exact to work, it just works better and with less risk the more accurate it is. If one can get the material nearly right, it might be theoretically possible. Very much speculation) Question two: since the crystal structure tends to apply only in the solid state, does this mean that liquefied, vaporized, and atomized* metals would be incapable of being burned (ignoring the fact that the typical method of achieving these effects is "apply excessive heat")? Following the logic, if the metal burned is vaporized (and presumably exhaled), could it be filtered out of the air and refined back into usable metal? If you can reclaim the metal after it has been used and utilize it again, then initial rarity doesn't matter once you acquire enough to burn continuously during the refining process. You could loop it forever. * - This is my second reason for assuming that "atomic code" is less accurate than "crystal structure". Vaporizing things doesn't change the nature of the atoms. Question 2 actually leads to a pretty nifty idea: a breathing apparatus that refines vaporized metals out of the air an Allomancer exhales and consolidates them back into usable form. It wouldn't work terribly well if you burned a base metal and its alloy (well, it could, but I wouldn't expect it to be easy for a personal apparatus as compared to a building with a room dedicated to combing the vents for burned metals), but for a Compounding Twinborn, it could be brilliant. Anyway, thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commander Spoonface Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Under normal circumstances it would be nearly impossible to burn anything other than solid metal- all metals except mercury (which does nothing allomantically) have to be extremely hot to be liquid or gaseous, and would cause horrible, lethal burns going down the throat of the allomancer. However: If the allomancer in question was a twinborn for Brass Feruchemicly, then could they store heat in such a way that the metal wouldn't hurt them? Or would the drop in heat just cause it to become soild in the allomancer's gullet, choking them to death? Or can the heat even be stored before it it fully ingested? In order to know, I think we'd need a better understanding of how storing/tapping warmth works. I think that you might only be able to store direct body heat, not heat from external sources, in which case drinking a liquid steel protein shake is a tremendously bad idea. Oooo... in the future, do non-alcohol drinking allomancers ingest metal flakes as part of protein shakes? P.S. Kudos for the topic subtitle, Billy Joel is awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuoni Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 (edited) There is a followup question that has been bothering me for a while: Why do they put metals in alcohol? Alcohol reacts with metals better than water, so part of the metal becomes alkoxide salt solution. What is more, the alloys become just a mixed solutions. So, do these solutions work, or is metal wasted when dissolved? If they work, then crystal structure is not important. If not, then putting metals in water is much more economic. [EDIT] OK, so the reaction is slow, comparable with water. Still, part of the metal dissolves,etc. So, why alcohol? Edited January 13, 2012 by Satsuoni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aradel Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 There is a followup question that has been bothering me for a while: Why do they put metals in alcohol? Alcohol reacts with metals better than water, so part of the metal becomes alkoxide salt solution. What is more, the alloys become just a mixed solutions. So, do these solutions work, or is metal wasted when dissolved? If they work, then crystal structure is not important. If not, then putting metals in water is much more economic. [EDIT] OK, so the reaction is slow, comparable with water. Still, part of the metal dissolves,etc. So, why alcohol? Liquids are easier to swallow, and suspended metal in alcohol has a longer shelf life than metal suspended in water. There's a reason allomancers use 'rust' as a curse word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuoni Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Liquids are easier to swallow, and suspended metal in alcohol has a longer shelf life than metal suspended in water. There's a reason allomancers use 'rust' as a curse word. Are you sure about longer shelf life? Especially considering that they don't use pure anhydrous alcohol (which is rather painful to drink), so it is essentially water/alcohol mixture, with a few acids thrown in for a good measure. Why not use something like a Pez dispenser for small tablets of metal, anyways? Or cooking oil (it is quite drinkable. I tried.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Posted January 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Under normal circumstances it would be nearly impossible to burn anything other than solid metal- all metals except mercury (which does nothing allomantically) have to be extremely hot to be liquid or gaseous, and would cause horrible, lethal burns going down the throat of the allomancer. However: If the allomancer in question was a twinborn for Brass Feruchemicly, then could they store heat in such a way that the metal wouldn't hurt them? Or would the drop in heat just cause it to become soild in the allomancer's gullet, choking them to death? Or can the heat even be stored before it it fully ingested? In order to know, I think we'd need a better understanding of how storing/tapping warmth works. I think that you might only be able to store direct body heat, not heat from external sources, in which case drinking a liquid steel protein shake is a tremendously bad idea. According to the fluff (non-mechanical) description in the RPG, storing Warmth lets you withstand hot weather, and even resist damage from fire. So I think that as the heat is transferred to your tissues, you can store it immediately. Placing your hands into a fire may be a great way to store warmth quickly. This makes me lean towards the "choke to death" option.P.S. Kudos for the topic subtitle, Billy Joel is awesome. Thank you. @Satsuoni: I always thought a light oil would be the best option as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aradel Posted January 13, 2012 Report Share Posted January 13, 2012 Are you sure about longer shelf life? Especially considering that they don't use pure anhydrous alcohol (which is rather painful to drink), so it is essentially water/alcohol mixture, with a few acids thrown in for a good measure. Why not use something like a Pez dispenser for small tablets of metal, anyways? Or cooking oil (it is quite drinkable. I tried.) Remember, the first trilogy takes place in a time where the most advanced technology was a pocketwatch. The Lord Ruler wouldn't appreciate forward thinking messing up his eutopia. So tech. remained unchanged for almost a thousand years. We'll see new and better ways to consume metals in the coming books Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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