Nexus - 0606 - New Times Magazine-pages

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NEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCE employed... It is at least possible that such "Treating Hg" with spark discharges, Erich Tiede et al. reported: "Hg distilled was the case... Perhaps it will be cathode rays and canal rays. The according to Miethe still had 0.3 mg Au discovered that some minor and unnoticed difference of potential could be between per kg Hg. After two high-vacuum detail in the arrangements or in the conduct 100-150,000 volts; capacitance was distillations, no more Au could be detected. of the experiment was really responsible adjustable. Paraffin, ether or carbon With this preparation, the experiments of for a successful transmutation in Prof. tetrachloride were used as dielectrics.” Miethe were repeated in several forms; no Miethe's case... We must confess, Other researchers were not so optimistic. resultant Au formation was observed in however, that we do not believe that this Erich Tiede et al. reported: "The any case." E. Duhme and A. Lotz will prove to be the case. On the basis of transmutation of Hg into Au is considered confirmed this finding. all the evidence now available, including _ theoretically possible, but all experiments Duhme and Lotz also conducted the experiments of Dr Sheldon and Mr carried out under strict control of the numerous experiments with the initial Estey...it is our belief that a transmutation original Hg proved to be failures. When cooperation of Miethe and Stammreich. of mercury atoms into gold atoms does not the Hg, which was purified according to They used very large arcs: 1.6 metres occur and will not occur under the Miethe and Stammreich, was distilled in an long, carrying 10 kW at 40 kV/800 amps conditions which have been described by all-glass apparatus similar to the one used __ per sq. cm through Hg vapour. Gold was Prof. Miethe. by Bronsted and von Hevesey to separate found in some instances, such as when a "It is to be freely admitted, of course, sufficiently powerful current was passed that a transmutation of mercury atoms into between electrodes dipped in mercury, but gold atoms is a theoretical possibility. The those experiments were rejected because internal structures of the two atoms are there had been too much contact with similar. The removal of one unit of foreign metals. They found that Au will positive electric charge from the nucleus of escape detection if certain impurities are a mercury atom, or the insertion of one additional electron into this atomic nucleus present, producing an inhomogeneous distribution of Au which becomes Scientific American would result, it is believed, in the published another detectable only after the arc treatment has conversion of the mercury atom into an " . coagulated it. atom indistinguishable from the ordinary report, More Mercuric Prof. Fritz Haber et al. made careful atoms or cot Quis ae rom tne failure Gold from Germany", wrens epeat the work of Nagaoka and to confirm the results of Prof. Miethe, it . . iethe. Mercury in which no Au could be remains entirely possible that one of these In April 1926, detected was subjected to six different changes of atomic structure can be announcing that a treatments, but no Au was formed. In accomplished by some physical or some cases Au was found, but only in 10,000-fold increase in yield had been obtained in the production of mercuric gold. amounts smaller than what could have come from the materials or from contamination. Nor could the yield be increased at will. The applied treatments were made with liquid and solid dielectrics with high-tension discharges, arcs in low, normal and high pressures, and high-vacuum electron bombardments. The extraordinary sensitivity of their detection methods was exemplified by the instance of a co-worker who potential drop per mean free path of an suddenly found traces of gold in some Hg molecule is only about 0.1 volt in material he was analysing. No one else these arcs." the isotopes of Hg, it still showed up to could detect Au in the other samples. It Scientific American published another 10°% Au. Optical detection is not was found that the chemist habitually report, "More Mercuric Gold from _ sufficiently accurate, so they considered it removed his gold-framed eyeglasses before Germany", in April 1926, announcing that necessary to melt the Au granule, which making an observation. On this occasion, a 10,000-fold increase in yield had been — still held Hg, and weigh it on a_ he had removed the glasses and then chemical method yet to be discovered." The scientists concluded with sardonic solemnity: "Gold can be extracted from mercury, but mercury cannot be transmuted into gold." Sheldon and Estey reported elsewhere (Phys. Review): "The suggested explanation of a change of the number of electrons in the nucleus changing mercury to gold seems good in theory, but incredible in fact, for the obtained in the production of mercuric microbalance. picked up a strip of ultra-pure lead to gold. In his first experiments, Miethe Milan Garrett (Clarendon Lab, Oxford) perform an analysis. found one part Au per 100 million parts — published completely negative results of Another incident occurred when a lab Hg. The Siemens Works in Berlin his repeated attempts to reproduce the Hg- worker was melting some Au. Soon bombarded Hg with electrons in extremely Au transmutation experiment by several afterwards, another worker in the next high vacuum, and obtained 100 mg Au methods. Garrett also attempted to prepare room found Au in material which from | kg of Hg. In June 1925, Siemens & indium from tin and scandium from __ previously had none in it. Halske Akt.-Ges. registered its German titanium by X-ray bombardment, also The authors described their results as Patent Specification (No. 243,670) for — without success. "proving merely that no method has yet report, "More Mercuric Gold from Germany", - AW saan the isotopes of Hg, it still showed up to 10°% Au. Optical detection is not sufficiently accurate, so they considered it necessary to melt the Au granule, which still held Hg, and weigh it on a microbalance. Milan Garrett (Clarendon Lab, Oxford) published completely negative results of his repeated attempts to reproduce the Hg- Au transmutation experiment by several methods. Garrett also attempted to prepare indium from tin and scandium from titanium by X-ray bombardment, also without success. NEXUS - 53 Scientific American published another mercuric gold. OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 1999