Metal Virus

[mpd@netcom.com (Mike Duvos)]

With all this talk of germ warfare and carbon fiber attacks, I
started thinking of another useful technology which made its
appearance a number of years ago, and promptly vanished from
sight.

Not so long ago, some university scientists invented a catalyst
which, even in microscopic amounts, would prevent formation of
the contiguous oxide film which protects metals from rapidly
reacting with the oxygen in the air.

They called a press conference to demonstrate their new
invention, which was carried on CNN, and after placing one drop
of their magic solution on a metal plate, held it in front of the
cameras as white power erupted from various points on its surface
and it promptly crumbled to pieces.

Now I found this quite an interesting demonstration, and much to
my non-surprise, this invention was never mentioned in the media
again.

A few years later, in an article for Omni Magazine on
scientifically advanced technologies for knocking out critical
infrastructure, G. Gordon Liddy made mention of a "Classified
Liquid Metal Embrittlement Technology," in which a liquid
catalyst could be concealed in a object like a magic marker, and
applied in small amounts to structurally significant components
of aircraft, which would later undergo catastrophic structural
failure in fight.

This sounded to me a whole lot like the stuff the scientists had
shown on CNN in the press conference.

Anyone remember this?  Would any chemists in the audience care to
hazard a guess as to the chemical composition of said catalyst
and the mechanism of its interaction with the target to be
destroyed?

--
     Mike Duvos         $    PGP 2.6 Public Key available     $
     mpd@netcom.com     $    via Finger.                      $