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D4RR3N
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Solid Mercury?
In India there are objects used in worship that are said to be made of solidified mercury. Some of these objects are very large and heavy and have
unusual properties.
If you place gold leaf on one of these objects they will absorb the gold leaf literally eat it up (nice party trick!)
In the picture you an see a (parad lingam) large object made from solidified parad (mercury) and in the video you can see a pendent made of parad eat
gold leaf.
In the video the Indian man says mercury will absorb its own weight of gold.
Whats your thoughts on what these objects could be made from. Would mercury become solid if you saturated it with gold and if so would it still
remain silver in colour?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQZxp2TXpNc
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blogfast25
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The object in the photo could be a disused water kettle as far as I’m concerned.
The guy in the video was hard to watch (you sure the gold didn’t end up in one of his pockets?) and after 3 minutes of this impressive display of
ignorance, obscurantism and yoga-style snake oil merchandise I quit. I kind of expected ‘quantum brain states’ to be dragged into it after that
and wasn’t prepared to suffer that.
As far as scientific evidence for a solid mercury alloy capable of absorbing solid gold goes, this is worthless.
The only solid (at STP) mercury that can exist is a mercury alloy of sorts.
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D4RR3N
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Firstly I don’t think there is anything mystical here. We all know that gold will dissolve in mercury so my question is if you saturated mercury
with gold or another metal would you get a solid alloy?
Basically I think its an alloy of mercury although if you google search the topic the claim is made that these objects are made of pure mercury. What
I do know about these objects is that they are very heavy for their size.
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D4RR3N
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Think I found the answer, basically those things are made from mercury amalgam.
In the photo below is a solid lump of gold/mercury amalgam a gold miner made (bit suprised its still silver in colour)
Interesting party trick though to show a lump of mercury amalgam eating gold leaf. You can imagine in ancient times how people would think this is
magical!
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Sedit
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So who's going to be the first to make a piece and see if it eats gold leaf? Any takers?
Knowledge is useless to useless people...
"I see a lot of patterns in our behavior as a nation that parallel a lot of other historical processes. The fall of Rome, the fall of Germany — the
fall of the ruling country, the people who think they can do whatever they want without anybody else's consent. I've seen this story
before."~Maynard James Keenan
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mr.crow
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Gold leaf is very thin, probably a few atoms worth
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble
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D4RR3N
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I think its totally possible, basically the gold/mercury amalgam will absorb gold leaf until it reaches its saturation level.
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Endimion17
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Just imagine the amount of fumes it gives away. Holy fuck...
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D4RR3N
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Would not like to be in a hot temple in India sitting next to one of those huge ones
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ScienceSquirrel
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I suspect that the above are broadly true.
The object is made of a mercury amalgam that is rich is mercury.
It contains enough of other metals to make it solid like dental fillings but it is still capable of absorbing more.
Pressing a sheet of gold leaf against the side of the object will result in it dissolving in to the bulk amalgam.
No trickery is needed.
When the amalgam is saturated with gold, it can be melted, distilled and then a portion of the gold can be added back to make a new object.
The remainder is available as profit or to dedicate to the god.
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Poppy
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Absolutly shold produce smoke in order to gold to be consumed
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D4RR3N
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Quote: Originally posted by ScienceSquirrel  | I suspect that the above are broadly true.
The object is made of a mercury amalgam that is rich is mercury.
It contains enough of other metals to make it solid like dental fillings but it is still capable of absorbing more.
Pressing a sheet of gold leaf against the side of the object will result in it dissolving in to the bulk amalgam.
No trickery is needed.
When the amalgam is saturated with gold, it can be melted, distilled and then a portion of the gold can be added back to make a new object.
The remainder is available as profit or to dedicate to the god.
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What a wonderful way of making money! make a few of these and invite people to feed the magical stone with gold hahaha
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Mr. Wizard
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Even a brass bell covered with a mercury amalgam would do the same thing. You could make a brass egg or even a hollow brass egg filled with lead, coat
it with a thin layer of mercury and let the rubes have at it. As a child I put some mercury on a gold ring, and it still looked like mercury.
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Sedit
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You guys suck, you heard the Yogi, "its alchemy not chemistry" don't ruin the magic god damnit!
Now rub the foil on its skin or else you get the hose again!!
Knowledge is useless to useless people...
"I see a lot of patterns in our behavior as a nation that parallel a lot of other historical processes. The fall of Rome, the fall of Germany — the
fall of the ruling country, the people who think they can do whatever they want without anybody else's consent. I've seen this story
before."~Maynard James Keenan
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D4RR3N
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Reading further into this tradition I found that in the temples in India it is mandatory for worshipers to make an offering of gold powder to the
parad lingam on holy days.
There are also mysterious reports of how some lingam are growing in size, these ones are especially scared and attract even more worshipers who
travel from all over India to bring an offering to the lingam!
The only way those can be growing in size is that when the temple is closed the priest must be washing the lingam in fresh mercury thus preparing it
for the following day.
I wonder how long the people who make these objects live for
Still nice to see that alchemy is still alive in some parts of the world, gives me a warm feeling in my heart
you can see one being made here V
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=dp5-un5...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Lll7ioB...
[Edited on 1-12-2011 by D4RR3N]
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Endimion17
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It doesn't give me warm feeling at all. Those people are quacks and frauds leeching money from stupid people that don't really live like proper human
being should live (sanitation, etc.).
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ScienceSquirrel
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| Quote: Originally posted by Endimion17 | | It doesn't give me warm feeling at all. Those people are quacks and frauds leeching money from stupid people that don't really live like proper human
being should live (sanitation, etc.). |
I think D4RR3N may have switched in to irony mode back there.
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blogfast25
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| Quote: Originally posted by D4RR3N | Still nice to see that alchemy is still alive in some parts of the world, gives me a warm feeling in my heart
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That's a simplistic and reductionist view of alchemy. The 'magical' or 'supernatural' aspect of alchemy wasn't its predominant component. Alchemy was
a true precursor to modern chemistry but due to some hoaxers and supernaturalists it obtained a bad name in 'modern' times.
Using an amalgam to make gold 'disappear' and presenting this as something 'divine' or 'supernatural' is quackery born out of ignorance. Nothing to do
with alchemy.
[Edited on 1-12-2011 by blogfast25]
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D4RR3N
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Only an Alchemist can know what alchemy is about and perhaps in reality it is an unusual knowledge that most will never grasp
I think the alchemists say it best 
One becomes two, two becomes three, and by means of the third and fourth achieves unity; thus two are but one.... Invert nature and you will find
that what you seek... Join the male and the female, and you will find what is sought...
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blogfast25
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| Quote: Originally posted by D4RR3N | Only an Alchemist can know what alchemy is about and perhaps in reality it is an unusual knowledge that most will never grasp
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Nonsense. You're dismissing the vast amount of modern research (by historians of science) carried out on what the alchemists really achieved with a
ridiculous cliche. Most of alchemical knowledge wasn't unusual either, unless you would call extensive knowledge on the preparation of many alkalis,
acids and salts 'unusual'. The more 'metaphysical' aspect of alchemy have also been well studied.
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D4RR3N
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| Quote: Originally posted by blogfast25 |
Nonsense. You're dismissing the vast amount of modern research (by historians of science) carried out on what the alchemists really achieved with a
ridiculous cliche. Most of alchemical knowledge wasn't unusual either, unless you would call extensive knowledge on the preparation of many alkalis,
acids and salts 'unusual'. The more 'metaphysical' aspect of alchemy have also been well studied.
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Nonsense, I see....What then is the philosophers stone (lapis philosophorum)???
Btw I studied alchemy for 15 years so probably know a little about it
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Sedit
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Mercury Sulfide is the philosophers stone.
Study Alchemy all your life but it can never replace modern chemistry and in that respect I feel you have a long ways to go. You seem to forget that
the Alchemist where wrong...
[Edited on 2-12-2011 by Sedit]
Knowledge is useless to useless people...
"I see a lot of patterns in our behavior as a nation that parallel a lot of other historical processes. The fall of Rome, the fall of Germany — the
fall of the ruling country, the people who think they can do whatever they want without anybody else's consent. I've seen this story
before."~Maynard James Keenan
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Endimion17
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I think we can all agree that alchemy is a precursor to chemistry, made up from protoscience and some kind of protopseudoscience. I wouldn't call that
part a real "pseudoscience" because that's something I link to the bullshit that continued to exist after the era of real science began. If you want
pseudoscience to exist, you need science to distinguish it from.
It's something like old astrology. It was a mixture, and after some time the good things were filtered and they're called astronomy, and the bullshit
remained to this very day, and it's called astrology.
Alchemy doesn't really have a sized match to astrology today, but it still exists. There are actually people that think you can make gold by chemical
reactions, and it's often jumbled together with New Age idiocy. They even have their webpages.
One of the most prominent examples of real, hardcore pseudoscientific shit is called "ORME", or "Orbitally Rearranged Monoatomic Elements". And when I
say hardcore, I mean it. I'm not joking here. If you're interested to find out more about it, google it. It's too ridiculous and shitty to put on SM.
[Edited on 2-12-2011 by Endimion17]
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blogfast25
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The problem with D4RR3N’s ‘study of alchemy’ is that in all likelihood he’s been studying the ‘metaphysical elements’ of alchemy mainly
and even then only through the lens of modern times. That’s also evidenced by his opening of this thread. I doubt very much if he could name a few
alchemical discoveries that still stand and are in use today.
Sedit:
<i>”You seem to forget that the Alchemist where wrong...”</i>
A ridiculous way of putting it and very typical of those who don’t understand the history of science. By your token most of pre-quantum mechanics
chemistry is also ‘wrong’. Scientific models evolve and reach maturity almost asymptotically in time. Clearly a lot of alchemical concepts were
wrong, even nonsensical in view of today’s knowledge but there could have been no modern chemistry without the best of alchemy.
Our more distant ancestors’ understanding of the process of making bronze and later steel was pitiful compared to today’s understanding of it.
Were they ‘wrong’? No, their bronze was good but their understanding of the processes involved was very incomplete.
Sooner or later in all likelihood adjustments will have to be made to quantum physics as well. Will you declare that ‘they were wrong’? It just
does not really work that way…
[Edited on 2-12-2011 by blogfast25]
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Sedit
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You can poke and prod every damn post I make from here to kingdom come but in this case, they where wrong, and in many cases, including that of the
OP, down right frauds and fakes perpetuating the myths surrounding the real chemistry involved and halting progress not forwarding it. To many of them
"succeeded" in transmuting gold...
Sorry if that makes me feel they where wrong. There direction was wrong, there understanding was wrong and in many cases there motivation was wrong.
I'm not saying no good came of it, I know where my roots lay but as it stands the scales are heavily weighted in the direction of WRONG.
Even today with our vast understanding of chemistry there is still "Alchemist" like that person the OP linked to. Is that fellow not wrong? They are
swindling gold from poor misinformed people with claims of better health and happiness. Is that not wrong? That's a large chunk of what Alchemy
consisted of, using your knowledge to mystify and swindle your unsuspecting victim. At least this guy shows us a neat trick, many of them just shoved
gold into a stick and capped it with wax... in front of the king or other wealthy financier would use that stick to stir a pot of hot brew and when
the dust settled, low and behold gold was made in the bottom of the pot by magic. Wrong if you ask me.
Knowledge is useless to useless people...
"I see a lot of patterns in our behavior as a nation that parallel a lot of other historical processes. The fall of Rome, the fall of Germany — the
fall of the ruling country, the people who think they can do whatever they want without anybody else's consent. I've seen this story
before."~Maynard James Keenan
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