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what is red mercury?

andyandy

anthropomorphic ape
andyandy
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
Messages
8,377
I've put this on the politics thread too....but here I want to know if red mercury exists - and if not, who started the hoax?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5176382.stm

Three men have been cleared of trying to procure the raw ingredients for a "dirty bomb" which the prosecution claimed could have devastated a British city if it fell into the hands of terrorists. But mystery surrounds the material at the centre of the plot. So what exactly is red mercury?

If real, a red mercury bomb might cause radioactive devastation

The most bizarre aspect of the trial of Abdurahman Kanyare and his two co-defendants was the fact that no-one in the court could be certain whether the terrifying substance on which the entire prosecution case was based actually existed.

The prosecutor, Mark Ellison, admitted the police had no idea if there even was such a thing as red mercury - supposedly the main ingredient for a "dirty bomb" which could have devastated London.

But he told the jury at the outset: "The Crown's position is that whether red mercury does or does not exist is irrelevant."
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That red mercury is a reference to cinnabar, a naturally-occurring mercuric sulphide. The red pigment derived from cinnabar is known as vermillion.

That it is a reference to the alpha crystalline form of mercury iodide, which changes to a yellow colour at very high temperatures.

That it is simply referring to any mercury compound originating from the former Soviet Union. The 'red' tag would simply be a legacy of the Cold War era.

That it is a ballotechnic mercury compound which just happens to be red in colour. Ballotechnics are substances which react very energetically when subjected to shock compression at high pressure. They include mercury antimony oxide which, according to some reports, is a cherry red semi-liquid produced in Russian nuclear reactors. This theory contends that it is so explosive that a fusion reaction - a nuclear explosion - can be triggered even without fissionable material such as uranium.

That it is a military codeword for a new nuclear material, probably manufactured in Russia.
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It must be nearly 15 years ago when I first started reading Fortean Times, and one of the first articles I read went over all the rumours about what red mercury was purported to be.

It's gratifying to see that nothing has changed in 15 years, which strongly indicates to me that red mercury does not exist.

If it did, even if it was a sooper-sekrit classified material, something would have been published about it by now. But there is nary a spectrum of any kind, not even its formula. It's not like the properties of mercury are a mystery, or that no-one does any research into mercury compounds.
 
I like this explanation (cut from the wikipedia article on red mercury):
One televised report indicated that the Soviet Union, which had a vested interest in nuclear non-proliferation, encouraged the KGB and GRU to arrange sting operations for the detection of those seeking to deal in nuclear materials. The Soviet intelligence services created a myth of the necessity of "red mercury" for the sorts of nuclear devices that terrorists and rogue governments might seek. The substance is a mere pigment devoid of properties suitable for nuclear weapons; it is speculated to be mercury sulfide (cinnabar), mercury(II) iodide, mercury antimony oxide (Hg2Sb2O7) or any other red-colored mercury compound. Possession of this substance as the result of undercover deals with Soviet law enforcement was an obvious ground for immediate arrest and likely conviction in criminal courts, with severe punishment following conviction.
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Mercury Isotopes would be an illogical choice fot a dirty bomb. With the exception of 194 all the isotopes are either stable of have far too short half lives.

At 444 years 194 may be a little stable and in any case decayes by electron capture.
 
Many years ago there was something of a ruckus here in South Africa over Red Mercury and some people got killed, allegedly over a deal that went sour involving this substance. Red Mercury supposedly is a mercury compound that has been irradiated in a breeder reactor. It is further supposed to be indispensable in the manufacture of small, portable, low-yield nuclear devices - just the kind of thing that makes for a low-budget thriller. Having some experience of the arms industry in South Africa, my best guess is that it is hoax dreamt up by some shady characters to fleece other shady characters with.

'Luthon64
 
The TV series Spooks had an episode about a Nobel laureate who is persuaded to spread the rumour that he can create red mercurty, in order to bring some terrorists into the open.
 
Mineralogical point: cinnabar is definitely real. Very red, and sometimes you can even shake droplets of liquid mercury out of it. But it's nothing to do with atomic weapons, it's just a metal ore.
 
Red Mercury Could also refer to the following commercially used Mercury Compounds

1) Red Mercuric Oxide, HgO, used as a pigment in some marine bottom paints for ships, porcelaine glaze, in batteries, and as a topical Antiseptic.

2) Red Mercuric Iodide, HgI2, used as a topical Antiseptic.

3) Red Mercuric Sulphide, HgS, also known as Vermilion, or CI Red 106, or Cinnabar. used as dye, and many moons ago, as a topical Antiseptic.

bonus question, are there ANY Mercury compounds that has NOT been used as a topical antiseptic at one time or another?
 
I first heard of Red Mercury a couple of years ago from an Iraqi exile who claimed that it was this rare and mysterious substance that was the real reason the US invaded Iraq. He claimed that it was a naturally occurring substance that is more valuable than oil. My sceptical replies were met with the usual knowing looks and 'shows what you know' utterances. It seems to quite a common theory amongst some Iraqi's here in the UK.

My attempts to discover more about what it is supposed to be were not too fruitful so I have read this thread with great interest. Red Mercury seems to be a 'mercurial' component that can fit into many conspiracy theories, its definition changing to suit the needs of the believer.
 
Hmmm... I wonder whether Mercutio has any socialistic -- "red" -- leanings...
 
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