Dr. Joe Schwarcz, Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, on this incredible liquid element, its properties, dangers and uses through the ages.
As a kid, I remember my Mom bringing home a small jar of mercury for me and my siblings to play with. Oh yes - the good old days when "ignorance was bliss" (about 45 years ago). I think I'm a little more enlightened now thank goodness!
My grandfather in mexico had invested in mine exploration in the in the 50s-early-60s before I had been born, he struck mercury in one of his mines and because of his lack of knowledgable education and thinking that gold was the more valuable element he sold his mine at the advise of his then partners in believing that their was little value in mercury at that time. What remained from his unsuccesful mining ventures were several large jars of liquid mercury, as children my brother and I would play for hours with some of that mercury, as so did others before us had also played with that mercury and no one was poisoned by this element substance.
Good video. Additionally, there are 7 isotopes of Mercury. One of these isotopes is only one subatomic particle away from gold; indeed it can be converted to gold via neutron bombardment, or to some extent in an electric arc. Mercury vapor, although toxic, is used in the older lamps as you know, and emits light when exposed to high voltage. Over time trace amounts of gold can be identified from these processes although such transmutations are not economically viable. One method of obtaining gold using mercury is not by transmutation but rather, via solubility. Mercury dissolves gold, forming what is known as an amalgamation. Mercury can be used to extract gold from soils rich in gold flake; the mercury is vaporized by heating and the gold remains, although this method is environmentally dangerous. Other interesting properties of mercury include it’s relationship with electricity and magnetism.
Props to him for mentioning both Paracelsus and Jabir ibn Hayyan in a short video about mercury. I can't find any documentaries about them online, or very much info about them at all on youtube. The word "gibberish" is derived from Jabir ibn Hayyan's name because his books were written in code so only his students could read them. He's known as the father of chemistry, and Paracelsus is known as the father of toxicology. Just a couple of the many important historical figures who are overlooked while a few others get a great deal of attention.
("few others get a lot of attention")....Brother, Nobody gets anywhere near the attention they should, given all the work that has been put in over the centuries. I'm talking about from ANY AND ALL cultures. Pick a continent and a century, and I can show you several great thinkers whose work is underappreciated.
@@samuelluria4744 What I said was, _a_ few others get a lot of attention. There's a few great thinkers that are focused upon, because those are the ones everybody are already familiar with, so those are the ones that can be exploited for a quick buck regurgitating the same things that have already been said over and over for entertainment. Yes, there are many, many more who are virtually unknown by the general public, unfortunately; a few random obscure references will not have much educational effect.
