Looking for a liquid with the following properties: 1. Heavier than
water 2.won't mix with water if not stirred 3. non-toxic 4. won't
vaporize at 170 f. Is there such an animal? I tried glycerin, it
mixes. Thanks ! Robert Williams 3rrotec

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Request for Question Clarification by andrewxmp-ga on 30 Apr 2003 08:22 PDT

Is this for making a lava lamp, as suggested below?  What is the
specific application?  If it's just to randomly find one for a
problem, then I have a few in mind, actually.  Please clarify?

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Clarification of Question by 3rrotec-ga on 30 Apr 2003 11:09 PDT

andrewxmp-ga Thanks for the attention. This is a r&d project for a
company. Interested in this fluid acting as a piston in a chamber.
This fluid will be pumped into and out of the chamber, thus creating a
positive or negative pressure on the water.

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Request for Question Clarification by andrewxmp-ga on 30 Apr 2003 16:13 PDT

In doing more research, I'm getting closer, but would like to know:
how important is the toxicity?  If this is a closed chamber, how
critical could this factor be? I've found a number of simple liquids
that fit the criteria for this use except they are slightly toxic in
some respects.  Thanks.

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Clarification of Question by 3rrotec-ga on 01 May 2003 05:35 PDT

I don't think the toxicity is that important as long as it won't
vaporize. The concept of this divice is to enhance water vaporization
and condensation by using pressure and vacuum as well as
heat(pressurize condensation chamber-negative pressure vaporization
chamber). The liquid I need will pressurize one chamber while pulling
vacuum on the other. Thanks! 3rrotec

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Clarification of Question by 3rrotec-ga on 02 May 2003 06:01 PDT

Thanks for the attention! Mineral oil meets all requirements except
the most important one- DENSITY. Compound must be more dense than
water. Perhaps some hydro carbon mixed with something?

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Request for Question Clarification by tehuti-ga on 03 May 2003 10:27 PDT

Hello 3rrotec,

Would either of these substances satisfy your requirements?

A Clear, colorless liquid 
Insoluble in water 
Specific Gravity:   1.23 @ 14C/4C 
Boiling Point:      298-299°c (568-570F) 
regarded as showing little acute or chronic toxic properties,
according to the Hazardous Substances Databank

B  Liquid clear, colorless 
Boiling Point: 231 - 234 deg C 
Specific Gravity/Density:1.1310g/cm3 
Slightly soluble in water
However, it is irritating to skin, eyes and respiratory tract,
although it is not features in the Hazardous Substances Databank

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Request for Question Clarification by tehuti-ga on 03 May 2003 10:33 PDT

or this one?

C. Clear oily liquid 
Specific Gravity @ 25/25oC    1.116 - 1.120 
Boiling Point,   324 deg C
Insoluble in water
relatively nontoxic but may irritate the skin and eyes.

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Clarification of Question by 3rrotec-ga on 03 May 2003 12:37 PDT

Liquid "A" Looks usable-wish s.g. was higher I could pull more vacuum.
I'll give it a try. What is it? Will tip $20.00 for more options if
your interested.

Hello 3rrotec,

Liquid A is Diethyl phthalate 

The properties, as given in the clarification request, are listed at
http://www.depdop.com/msds.htm  MSDS (material safety data sheet) on
the web site of Dep Dop Niraj Chemicals, India
http://www.nsc.org/library/chemical/diethylp.htm “Diethyl Phthalate
Chemical Backgrounder” National Safety Council, which also has the
following information: “Synonyms for diethyl phthalate are
1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid diethyl ester; ethyl phthalate; diethyl
o-phthalate; o-benzenedicarboxylic acid diethyl ester; diethyl ester
phthalic acid; phthalol; DEP; and diethyl-o-phenylenediacetate… CAS:
84-66-2… U.S. manufacturers of diethyl phthalate are Eastman Kodak Co,
Kingsport, TN, and Unitex Chemical Co, Greensboro, NC”

Otherwise, having eliminated quite a lot of candidates because they
turned out to be water-soluble, highly toxic, or else the information
supplied was inadequate to determine their suitability, I came up with
the following few tentatives:

Fluorocarbon liquids are used for liquid ventilation, a novel life
support technique in which the lungs are partially or totally filled
with a neat perfluorocarbon liquid that acts as the oxygen and carbon
dioxide carrier.  This implies they cannot be all that toxic, so I
searched on the individual chemical names and found the following,
which might be of interest:
1. Perfluorodecalin (APF 40)
SG  1.95  http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/chemtech/99/oct/table1.html
(ChemTech Volume 29, No. 10, 7-12)
“Chemically stable to acids and alkalis. Thermally stable up to 720°K.
Perfluorodecalin is insoluble in water and in traditional organic
solvents, it is unlimited in mixing with fluorocarbonic fluids and
coolants. It is incombustible, non-explosive and non-toxic.
Application: it is used as one of the basic components of blood
substitutes, as perfusion fluid in medicine, as a component in
health-and-beauty aids, as a dielectric.” Boiling point 142 deg C.
2. Perfluoromethyldecalin
Boiling point: 160.0°C.  Density: 1.9-2.0 gr/cm3. 
Thermally stable up to 447°C. Analogue: Flutec PP9
Application: as transformer fluid, can be used in drowned electric
pumps for oil production.
Information on both substances from Pribor Labs, Russia
http://www.priborlab.ru/products/fluorinated_fluids.htm
“Priborlab is one of the biggest Russian exporters of Fluorocompounds
such as refrigerants and fluoroplasts. We have a great experience of
working at American and European market.”
3. Perfluorooctane 
Colourless liquid  Boiling point: 99 - 100 C  Density (g cm-3): 1.73.
Insoluble in water
May be irritant, but no other toxicity data quoted.
From MSDS at Oxford University
http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/PE/perfluorooctane.html
4. F l u o r i n e rt™ E l e c t ronic Liquids by 3M
“a family of clear, colorless, odorless, perfluorinated fluids having
a viscosity equivalent to water but
approximately 75% greater density (1.73-1.87). These products are
thermally and chemically stable, compatible with sensitive materials,
including metals, plastics and elastomers, non-flammable and
practically non-toxic. Water solubility is on the order of a few parts
per million. The nominal boiling point of each fluid in this series is
determined during their manufacture; Fluorinert liquids are available
with boiling points ranging from 30ºC to 215ºC”
http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?WWWWWWECOgjWpzXWizXWWWZVYGSvvvvu-
 (NB this URL works, even though it has the appearance of being
truncated)


5. Cargille Heavy Liquids at http://www.cargille.com/ are precision
calibrated density liquids.  The Organic Series, all members of which
are water-insoluble, can be supplied in any specific density requested
from 0.80 to 3.31 gm/cc. The low end member is stable and nontoxic
High end members are halogenated organic compounds. The normal usage
is generally only up to a few cc at a time, so these products might
not be suitable for you if your project is large-scale.
The MSDS for the SG 2.97-3.31 series is at 
http://www.cargille.com/pdf2/MSDS-HL_Organic_Series_297-331.PDF 
Boiling point 181 °C (358 °F), slight solubility in water. The
products are not carcinogenic, but may cause irritation and affect the
liver and kidneys.
The MSDS for the SG 1.005-2.97 series is at 
http://www.cargille.com/pdf2/MSDS-HL_Organic_Series_1005-296.PDF
Boiling point 246 °C (474 °F), slight solubility.
Irritant and CNS depressant.

Search strategies: Diethyl phthalate was identified from the lava lamp
document cited in my comment below, which had been found using the
search strategy: liquid “heavier than water”
Other strategies: 1. “heavy liquid” insoluble  2. “high density”
liquid insoluble  3. searches on names of individual chemicals
identified in the previous searches, in order to obtain documents with
the relevant information on properties

Great answer! Saved me many precious hours. Very satisfied. Will try
to direct future questions to this researcher.

If you are thinking of making a lava lamp, this page might be of
interest, although I don't think any of the suggested chemicals were
totally non-toxic http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/lavasubs.htm

Tehuti,

I did't post this as an answer, because there's a good chance it would
not suit your specific needs, so I wouldnt want to risk charging you
for that, but here you go:

What you seem to be describing is a specialty hydraulic fluid.

"The most common hydraulic fluid used in today’s fluid power industry
is mineral oil hydraulic fluid. In any system, whether hydrodynamic or
hydrostatic, the prime requirement of the fluid is to transmit
pressure. Hence, low viscosity and low compressibility become
important properties."
[ http://www.etfluidpower.com/techtalk.html ]

The page above gives mineral oil's statistics, all of which seem to
meet your requirements (except the possible toxicity, which we've
already addressed).  It can be used well above 170 degree F (110
degrees C = 230 degrees F), is less For this type of application, you
would like a liquid with a fairly low viscosity so that it flows from
one chamber to another, and as you stated it must be immiscible in
water (doesn't mix).
However most hydraulic fluids, such as this, have a density LOWER than
water (this is the desired characteristic) so I didn't want to claim
that mineral oil is your desired liquid.  I'm assuming this specific
application requires this specific density for some reason.

I hope this helps.

-Andrewxmp

Dear Tehuti-ga, Now we are getting somewhere! Thanks! I will digest
this info and do some test. You'll be seeing my other questions in the
future. Thanks again! Robert Williams 3rrotec

Hello Robert, thank you very much for the kind words and the tip.