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2004-05-17 Europe
Ukraine Says It Seized 'Red Mercury'
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Posted by Steve 2004-05-17 1:09:43 PM|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Jeez. I've seen the rumors, too. If someone got 24 pounds of that stuff, it's extremely worrying. (If it exists.)

Does anyone remember a story about Ukranians seizing some tritium a couple weeks back? I wonder if it's related.
Posted by Pete Stanley 2004-05-17 2:09:24 PM||   2004-05-17 2:09:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 "No, no, we said Freddy Mercury."
Posted by Robert Crawford  2004-05-17 2:17:30 PM|| [http://www.kloognome.com]  2004-05-17 2:17:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 LOL RC
24 lbs. of Freddy Mercury?
Posted by Shipman 2004-05-17 2:22:05 PM||   2004-05-17 2:22:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 24lbs of Freddy Mercury?

Did al-Zaqawi cut off his head too?
Posted by BigEd 2004-05-17 2:34:22 PM||   2004-05-17 2:34:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Well, this "Red Mercury" could be moderately radioactive slag, and still be hazardous to human life.
Posted by Mitch H.  2004-05-17 2:42:35 PM|| [http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]  2004-05-17 2:42:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 A Ballotechnic Mercury Compound
Presumably red in color. Ballotechnics are substances which react very energetically in response to high-pressure shock compression. Google's Sci.Chem group has had a lively ongoing discussion about the possiblity of a an explosive form of mercury antimony oxide. According to some reports, red mercury is a cherry red semi-liquid which is produced by irradiating elemental mercury with mercury antimony oxide in a Russian nuclear reactor. Some people think that red mercury is so explosive that it can be used to trigger a fusion reaction in tritium or deuterium-tritium mixture. Pure fusion devices don't require fissionable material, so it's easier to get the materials needed to make one and easier to transport said materials from one place to another. Other reports refer to a documentary in which is was possible to read a report on Hg2Sb207, in which the compound had a density of 20.20 Kg/dm3 (!). Personally, I find it plausible that mercury antimony oxide, as a low density (nonradioactive?) powder, may be of interest as a ballotechnic material. The high-density material seems unlikely. It would also seem unreasonably dangerous (to the maker) to use a ballotechnic material in a fusion device. One intriguing source mentions a liquid explosive, HgSbO, made by Du Pont laboratories and listed in the international chemical register as number 20720-76-7. Anyone care to look it up?

If contaminated during the irradiation process, it may be useful as a radiological bomb component. Beyond that, it sounds more like a scam.
Posted by Zenster 2004-05-17 2:46:41 PM||   2004-05-17 2:46:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Red Mercury - Hoax, Scam or a breakthrough in nuclear physics. You decide.
Posted by Lux 2004-05-17 2:47:08 PM||   2004-05-17 2:47:08 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 My hypothesis concerning the utilisation of this substance as an agent for cold fission relies on two mechanisms. One is muon induced atomic fission (initiated by cosmic radiation) and the other is a neutron cascade due to the neutron mirror effect of mercuric ions trapped between antimony and lead atoms at temperatures in excess of mercury's normal boiling point. The analogy between the densification of tinted lead in the (so-called) alchemical gold and that of mercury, amalgamated in a 5 MW reactor with the pyro-antimonate, also represents an important condition for and strong constraint upon this hypothesis. It is the point at which RM and PS become crucially codependant on each other's existence. If the one never existed then, in all likelihood, the other never can.
Posted by Zenster 2004-05-17 2:53:04 PM||   2004-05-17 2:53:04 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 "Google's Sci.Chem group has had a lively ongoing discussion about the possiblity of a"

Whoever wrote this originally seem that think Sci.chem belongs to Google. Usenet != Google. Google just archives Usenet posts.
Posted by Liberalhawk 2004-05-17 3:53:12 PM||   2004-05-17 3:53:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 I'd heard of Red Mercury as part of a sting operation about 15 years ago. Perhaps the term has been reused in recent years?
Posted by eLarson 2004-05-17 5:21:18 PM||   2004-05-17 5:21:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Red Mercury

Perhaps this link will be of help from chemistry.about.com

Posted by BigEd 2004-05-17 5:36:47 PM||   2004-05-17 5:36:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 Only way to get Red Mercury is through a cold fusion array.
Posted by Shipman 2004-05-17 7:20:36 PM||   2004-05-17 7:20:36 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Just so long as they don't get a hold of green kryptonite.
Posted by A Jackson 2004-05-17 9:52:01 PM||   2004-05-17 9:52:01 PM|| Front Page Top

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