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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red mercury | 4/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_mercury | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T07:10:28.719930+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Saudi Arabia === In April 2009 it was reported from Saudi Arabia that rumors that Singer sewing machines contained "red mercury" had caused the prices of such machines to massively increase in the Kingdom, with some paying up to SR200,000 for a single machine which could previously have been bought for SR200. Believers in the rumor claimed that the presence of red mercury in the sewing machines' needles could be detected using a mobile telephone; if the line cut off when the telephone was placed near to the needle, this supposedly proved that the substance was present. In Medina there was a busy trade in the sewing machines, with buyers seen using mobile phones to check the machines for red mercury content, while it was reported that others had resorted to theft, with two tailors' shops in Dhulum broken into and their sewing machines stolen. At other locales, there were rumors that a Kuwait-based multinational had been buying up the Singer machines, while in Al-Jouf, the residents were led to believe that a local museum was buying up any such machines that it could find, and a number of women appeared at the museum offering to sell their Singer machines. There was little agreement among believers in the story as to the exact nature or even color of the red mercury, while the supposed uses for it ranged from it being an essential component of nuclear power, to having the ability to summon jinn, extract gold, or locate buried treasure and perform other forms of magic. These beliefs in the supernatural properties of red mercury are rooted in medieval Islamic conceptions of the alchemical properties of mercury. The official spokesman for the Riyadh police said that the rumors had been started by gangs attempting to swindle people out of their money, and denied the existence of red mercury in sewing machines.
=== Egypt === Some local folklore and popular beliefs hold that red mercury or similar mystical substances were associated with Pharaohs and their mummies, thought to possess protective or supernatural powers. These beliefs suggest that such substances could influence outcomes, guard treasures, or provide mystical advantages, though they are entirely legendary and have no scientific basis.
=== Syria === In July 2025 some Syrian media reported story about "criminal groups" offering red mercury and other radioactive elements for sale, which they allegedly obtained through bribery from "corrupt officials of ministry of defense of Ukraine".
== Fictional references == In the 1995 PlayStation game Warhawk, red mercury is used by the mad warlord Kreel in his bid for world domination. In the BBC spy thriller series Spooks, red mercury is portrayed in the second episode of season 3 (released in 2004) as a nonexistent substance used to trap a terrorist group planning to make a nuclear bomb. The terrorist group offers to pay 5 million US dollars for 5 grammes of the substance. Red Mercury is a 2005 thriller film in which terrorists plan to use the chemical in a bombing attack. In the 2006 video game Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, red mercury is used by the terrorist group JBA, to create multiple nuclear devices intended to bomb three major American cities. The 2013 Bruce Willis movie Red 2 features a nuclear weapon containing red mercury as the main explosive component. The 2019 Bengali adventure film Sagardwipey Jawker Dhan involves the protagonists hunting for red mercury to save an alien child.
== See also == Dimethylmercury Fogbank Mercury(II) oxide Meson bomb Nuclear isomer Philosopher's stone
== References ==
== Further reading ==