Cinnabar content. To produce liquid mercury (quicksilver), crushed cinnabar ore is roasted in rotary furnaces. Pure mercury separates from sulfur in this process and easily evaporates. A condensing column is used to collect the liquid metal, which is most often shipped in iron flasks. Associated modern precautions for use and handling of cinnabar arise from the toxicity of the mercury component, which was recognized as early as in ancient Rome. Because of its mercury content, cinnabar can be toxic to human beings. Though people in ancient South America often used cinnabar for art, or processed it into refined mercury (as a
The K-Metal from Krypton The K-Metal from Krypton "The K-Metal from Krypton" is an unpublished Superman story written by Jerry Siegel in 1940 and originally illustrated by the Joe Shuster Studio. The reason why National Comics (later to become DC Comics) never published the story is not known. This storyline features the precursor to Kryptonite called "K-Metal" and Lois learning that Clark Kent is Superman. Like all Superman stories of the 1940s, the adventure originally had no title. The earliest known occurrence of the name "The K-Metal from Krypton" for the tale was in Gerard Jones' 2004 book "Men of Tomorrow". The story remained