Editing Red mercury (section)

{{distinguish|text = [[cinnabar]] or other forms of [[mercury (II) sulfide]], often used to produce red [[pigment]]s}}
{{short description|Alleged chemical substance}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Cinnabar_on_Dolomite.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|right|Crystals of [[mercury(II) sulfide]] and several other mercury compounds are deeply colored red, but have no publicly known use in nuclear weapons.]]

'''Red mercury''' is a [[discredited substance]], most likely a [[hoax]] perpetrated by [[confidence trick|con artists]] who sought to take advantage of gullible buyers on the [[black market]] for [[weapon|arms]].<ref name=Grant>{{cite journal |doi=10.1007/BF02385950 |issn=0236-5731 |volume=235 |issue=1–2 |pages=129–132 |last1=Grant |first1=P. M. |first2=K. J. |last2=Moody |first3=I. D. |last3=Hutcheon |first4=D. L. |last4=Phinney |first5=R. E. |last5=Whipple |first6=J. S. |last6=Haas |first7=A. |last7=Alcaraz |first8=J. E. |last8=Andrews |first9=G. L. |last9=Klunder |first10=R. E. |last10=Russo |first11=T. E. |last11=Fickies |first12=G. E. |last12=Pelkey |first13=B. D. |last13=Andresen |first14=D. A. |last14=Kruchten |first15=S. |last15=Cantlin |title=Nuclear forensics in law enforcement applications |journal=Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry |year=1998 |s2cid=97122353 |url=http://www.akademiai.com/content/ql824682435543u0/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117033706/http://www.akademiai.com/content/ql824682435543u0/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 January 2013 |access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref>  These con artists described it as a substance used in the creation of [[nuclear weapons]]; because of the secrecy surrounding nuclear weapons development, it is difficult to disprove their claims completely.  However, all samples of alleged "red mercury" analyzed in the public literature have proven to be well-known, common substances of no interest to weapons makers.<ref name=Rensselaer>{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Rensselaer |title=Smuggling update |journal=The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |date=May 1997 |volume=53 |issue=3 |page=53 |issn=0096-3402|doi=10.1080/00963402.1997.11456737 |bibcode=1997BuAtS..53c..52L}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Cherry red and very dangerous |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14619750-300-cherry-red-and-very-dangerous/ |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}}</ref>