3 ms·

Thanks for pointing this out, I'm from the Daily Sabah team and asked the editor of the article to make sure the numbers aren't off. The legit price of it is $4

by ax0ar 9y ago

Thanks for pointing this out, I'm from the Daily Sabah team and asked the editor of the article to make sure the numbers aren't off. The legit price of it is $4m/g, but apparently the guys were going to sell it for $70m on the black market. The article will be clarified.

maxerickson 9y ago
It's rather more likely that they seized 1.4 grams. (even that's questionable as it is much more than the licit, annual global production)
wcarss 9y ago
You might also want to ask them to change the way red mercury is referred to near the end, as its existence is generally believed to be a hoax[1]. Charles Stross actually wrote a fun short story that uses references it[2]. 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_mercury https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_mercury 2 - https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/ https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
Erlangolem 9y ago
Some other issues... Red mercury doesn’t exist. Californium isn’t used in nuclear warheads, it’s a neutron source with a short half-life. As such it can be used to startup a reactor, or more typically in neutron diffraction spectroscopy. 1.4 kilos of Califorium? No. Microgram quantities of californium-252 are available for commercial use through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.[50] Only two sites produce californium-252: the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, and the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, Russia. As of 2003, the two sites produce 0.25 grams and 0.025 grams of californium-252 per year, respectively.[54] High purity aluminum is not controlled, is used in aerospace and electronics, and while it would have applications in enriching Uranium, so do concrete and steel. The entire article is a farce.
- jsjohnst 9y ago
  > High purity aluminum is not controlled That’s a separate article, but agree completely. I know multiple people who routinely have it (all build parts for aerospace contracts).
- eesmith 9y ago
  To add to that, https://www.metalary.com/californium-price/ https://www.metalary.com/californium-price/ says "Since the discovery of californium in 1950, scientists have only succeeded in producing just 8 grams of californium-252." Wikipedia has a picture of the 50 ton container used to transport up to 1 gram of californium-252 safely, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium#/media/File:CfShield.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium#/media/File:CfShie... .

by ax0ar 9y ago

maxerickson 9y ago

It's rather more likely that they seized 1.4 grams. (even that's questionable as it is much more than the licit, annual global production)

wcarss 9y ago

You might also want to ask them to change the way red mercury is referred to near the end, as its existence is generally believed to be a hoax[1]. Charles Stross actually wrote a fun short story that uses references it[2]. 1 - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_mercury https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_mercury 2 - https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/ https://www.tor.com/2012/07/20/a-tall-tail/

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

Erlangolem 9y ago

Some other issues... Red mercury doesn’t exist. Californium isn’t used in nuclear warheads, it’s a neutron source with a short half-life. As such it can be used to startup a reactor, or more typically in neutron diffraction spectroscopy. 1.4 kilos of Califorium? No. Microgram quantities of californium-252 are available for commercial use through the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.[50] Only two sites produce californium-252: the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States, and the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, Russia. As of 2003, the two sites produce 0.25 grams and 0.025 grams of californium-252 per year, respectively.[54] High purity aluminum is not controlled, is used in aerospace and electronics, and while it would have applications in enriching Uranium, so do concrete and steel. The entire article is a farce.

jsjohnst 9y ago
> High purity aluminum is not controlled That’s a separate article, but agree completely. I know multiple people who routinely have it (all build parts for aerospace contracts).
eesmith 9y ago
To add to that, https://www.metalary.com/californium-price/ https://www.metalary.com/californium-price/ says "Since the discovery of californium in 1950, scientists have only succeeded in producing just 8 grams of californium-252." Wikipedia has a picture of the 50 ton container used to transport up to 1 gram of californium-252 safely, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium#/media/File:CfShield.JPG https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Californium#/media/File:CfShie... .