Testing A Possible Origin To Alchemy: The Golden Rain Experiment

I've had this idea for a few years that the Golden Rain experiment (a double displacement reaction between potassium iodide and lead nitrate) might be one of the early inspirations for alchemy and the idea that lead might be transformed into gold. In this video I attempt to make all of the compounds required for this reaction from ingredients that would have been accessible in ancient history.
One of the key ingredients, lead nitrate, would not have been available at the time according to my research (please leave a comment below if you have information showing otherwise), so instead I attempt to use lead acetate which I was able to make via acetic acid in vinegar. I believe the most likely ancient source of an iodine component is the ash from burnt seaweed. While I myself was only able to extract a small amount of iodine from ground kelp (you will see in this video that I supplement my yield with commercially made potassium iodide) you can see a more successful extraction on the channel Cody's Lab to prove a larger quantity is possible: • Extracting Iodine From...
This video was unscripted and filmed as I made my very first attempt at testing this idea. I take a while to reach the final result but I hope you enjoy watching the process! I really want to thank my Patreon supporters for helping me to keep this channel going, especially my top patrons: Syniurge, Matthew Leitzke, & TheBackyardScientist
You can check out my Patreon page if you'd like to support my channel yourself through this link: / nighthawkprojects
Thanks for watching!

[@joer8854]

When I was in public school my teacher was talking about the periodic table and how the numbers work and atoms. I said to him, "so if you could find a way to add a proton to an element or take one away you could change it from one element to another?" Some of the kids laughed. The teacher said, "I don't know what you find so funny, that question is what led to nuclear reactors."

[@hatsukegero]

ho...

[@holdthis_l6157]

Science is based on questions, without them we wouldn’t be where we are today

[@Redtailedhawk99]

Also Technetium. The original versions I have found in numerous books suggest that the three elements for the transmutation of lead into Gold were Mercury, Sulfur and Salt. However through many many books I’ve seen variations where some said you needed a tiny amount of actual gold to seed the process. Others claimed that it was Fools gold used in the process. Also that this process of achieving what they called “The Philosophers Stone” takes some time. Maybe even years of dilution, hydrating and Dehydrating and pulverizing the elements to weaken the atomic structure. The dilution process again was also mixed as I saw Phosphoric Acid and Citric acid and a few other acids. Never saw Nitric Acid however. Finally at some point you reach a certain point and the elements were supposed to be hermetically sealed in rock Crystal and then heated to a high temperature and that process is repeated for some time. Then in the final stage you reach a point where the elements become black but have a rainbow appearance and thus is called “Ravens Wing.” At some point you see a reaction that looks like stars and then it’s supposed to be taken to a dark place and unsealed and the substance is supposed to be kept in the dark. A small piece was supposed to be taken and wrapped in beeswax and then dropped into molten lead. The reaction is supposed o change the lead into gold. The secret they don’t say in all the versions of this formula I read was that if you succeeded in changing the lead into gold. You remove the gold from the crucible and then add water to the crucible and drink it. It’s supposed to make you young again. Some say immortal? Other versions say the water has to be drunk from the rock Crystal the “Ravens Wing” which successfully made gold. Is any of it true? IDK but I read a lot about it over the years. This is one of the stories which were attributed to the story of Compte De Saint Germain. Some say he discovered the secret and his death was never documented. Some claim he’s still alive. Again IDK? However there were also numerous cases of people poisoned by formulas that they thought would extend their lives. But I gathered none of those successfully transmuted lead into gold.

[@grimesresurrection9357]

@@Redtailedhawk99 I enjoyed reading this. The murcury sulphur and salt are specific processes. You have to change the plant through each process. Lots of hermetic or Magick books have blinds (fake spells or lies) that can be dangerous to someone who isn't savvy with magick or even been able to find the answers with it. I hate blinds, it's just entitled a**hats who don't want to share knowledge.

[@theFLCLguy]

@@holdthis_l6157 science is trying to debunk your own theories.

[@NoobNoobNews]

As a wizard, I can confirm that the king was indeed fooled by my alchemy craft.

[@tombirmingham7033]

may i borrow your grimoire?

[@poyrikkanal]

@@tombirmingham7033 just get 69 gold coins from the minions at the big cave and trade 69 gold coins for one from the shop down the path

[@tombirmingham7033]

@@poyrikkanal lol

[@wompstopm123]

@@poyrikkanal if everybody did that they would stop paying so much its basic economics

[@juliolp95]

It's true, i was the king 🤴

[@skychaserthedragon2046]

Can you imagine just sitting in an early alchemist's lab, no knowledge of the periodic table or really any chemistry, just messing with random ingredients, and suddenly a bunch of gold starts floating around in a jar of what was random crap? Wild.

[@kyokoyumi]

Unfortunately it wasn't random ingredients nor random crap. Most of these things have names and symbols in alchemy. There were seven metals known then and each was attributed with one of the seven planets/planetary bodies (at the time) and usually refered to as such: Sun - Gold Mercury - Quicksilver Venus - Copper Earth's Moon - Silver Mars - Iron Jupiter - Tin Saturn - Lead This naming system survives even today in the form of mercury where chemists have decided that the planetary name for quicksilver was preferable, as well as "saturnism" (lead poisoning). Alchemy is the precursor to chemistry and it was a lot more structured and planned out than you might think. They still had to be safe in the face of caustics like aqua regis, aqua vitae, and the various vitriols among other acids and bases, after all.

[@skychaserthedragon2046]

@@kyokoyumi I was kinda making a joke, but that's super interesting

[@thestudy4880]

@@kyokoyumi the true alchemist can turn lead into gold. I know how.

[@OmniversalInsect]

@@kyokoyumi But what about before that system was created, it probably was just mixing stuff randomly and finding an unexpected result

[@cessposter]

@@thestudy4880 obviously, particle accelerators

[@CoolAsFreya]

The way he holds the beakers while talking to camera really makes it look like he's about to take a swig

[@glennwilliams8224]

I thought I was the only one lol

[@macoppy6571]

Chug! Chug! Chug!

[@devashish8588]

@@glennwilliams8224🤗🤗

[@TheonlyKK0325]

Forbidden Sunny D

[@baha17222]

It’s giving me anxiety

[@Evanski]

Thank you for being a non click bait king of random

[@ShifuCareaga]

ETM654 amen to that

[@JordanSchaeffer]

King of Random used to be so good... it’s a shame

[@Ryan-pp4ks]

I miss the homemade king of random. Now it feels like a business.

[@JuliusUnique]

well I have to disagree, King of Random summorizes better and speaks more the language I do if that makes sense

[@rydohg]

Ryan🔥 I completely agree. He was good until he started to clickbait and make videos everyday. It was obvious at that point that he was just in it for the money.

[@razzmatazz1974]

I have just read some books about the history of alchemy and the best explanation i found was that the base ore used by several alchemists (stibnite) has small amounts of dissolved gold. The alchemical process purifies and separates the gold creating a dark deposit with an upper crust of real pure gold. This seems to be the origin of the lead to gold legend. Actually no gold is created just a separation of already existing gold in the sample

[@dumbassweeb5702]

Holy shit... you read books?

[@DominoMarama]

@Rad Derry That sounds like an Egyptian technique from one of their alchemy papyrus: Mix lead dust and gold dust with gum (I'm guessing this looks black). Paint on. When fired the lead burns off, leaving gold plating. Edit: A mix of gold dust & glass dust is used in more modern recipes for pottery glaze.

[@dogodogo5891]

what's book?

[@ForestAnon]

@@dogodogo5891 I second this question, what book?

[@hardwirecars]

@W0Y4K gold is always the end goal lol. still remember the first time a person came into the computer shot looking for circuit boards. had to quickly explain how much the chems cost and how little gold is recovered to my boss.

[@theelitistjerkmetalhead8047]

As someone speaking from the point of view of having a degree in anthropology and also an interest in chemistry as a hobby, I find this video very intriguing and entirely plausible. People were experimenting a lot back then, and it is entirely plausible that if these ingredients were available to them, then they could have come up with something like this.

[@jeffharp4644]

This video is old enough that you probably won't ever see this comment, but since you asked for historical ideas on it I'll continue to tell the story. I was a chemistry major in college. In Chem 1 the professor showed us a way that it was believed was used to "turn lead into gold". Remembering that during the alchemy days there were 4 elements; Wind (Air), Water, Earth, and Fire. The alchemists would experiment with combining different proportions of them to see what they made. Metals were considered an Earth element. Of course, lead was considered to be very close to gold because of it's weight. I don't remember all of the reagents the professor used, but he started with a penny because copper was also considered an Earth element and to be related to gold because of the similar color. He plated the penny with lead using an aqueous solution. Then he held it with tongs and put it into a flame. The lead and the copper slowly melted enough to make a heavy alloy that looked strikingly like gold. I believe that may have been another experiment that they believed was the transmutation of lead to gold.

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

I'm familiar with the experiment, I've seen it done with a tin plating to create brass when it's alloyed with the copper of the penny. Styropyro has a short video on it.

[@05-01]

Pfff , the internet is near perpetual besides when we fall and the systems erode .

[@carlwilson1483]

The origins are satanic. It's in the Kabbalah.

[@johnsears436]

That ‘lead’ into the start of alchemy

[@TheChemicalWorkshop]

john sears this comment is underrated...

[@fridgebeer6897]

john sears *ba-dum-tss*

[@justinbalacuit6507]

john sears this comment is *gold*

[@KowboyUSA]

john sears Ahhhhhhhh ..., report for writing duty at How It's Made first thing tomorrow morning.

[@justinbalacuit6507]

apollo launched wow, what a *hard* sentence you made. But this comment is *thick*

[@Chewyness]

Quit holding everything like you're about to drink it, you're just getting my hopes up for nothing

[@ryebread_7229]

Chewy V I was looking for a comment like this

[@helenblatsky1015]

True

[@Templarfreak]

That would actually kill him, or at least make him very ill. Most of what he is working with is lead.

[@trewq_7224]

Templarfreak thatsthejoke.png

[@Templarfreak]

you think alchemy is a fucking game??? we're making fucking gold here, god dammit

[@Scott-vn1ov]

"How do you turn lead into gold?" War. Sell lead bullets for money.

[@vinny5638]

@International Man Of Mystery i think i like this option better

[@LalramnunkimaCE--]

Damn, Hellsing Ultimate vibes

[@69NOMAN69]

@International Man Of Mystery only the old wealth not the new wealth. the new wealth are the self made guys and we need them!

[@dustinmann7031]

Most underrated comment ever!

[@openmindedinquisitivethirs5013]

@@dustinmann7031 Agreed, It needs pinning buddy😉👍

[@BrianFedirko]

Awesome. Great to see ancient alchemy brought to light, and to show an understanding of how chemistry and it's thinking got started. The techniques described here could have taken place far far in the past, maybe even before the smelting of copper, which is how we generally assume time periods of thought and invention. The wheel didn't even have to exist for this experimental avenue to take place. Fantastic. Keep em coming.

[@OldBuford]

this is the kind of stuff that would have kept me more engaged in chemistry during my school years. just listening to someone drone on about the periodic table and writing down definitions (though important) isnt the best way to get students excited about what theyre learning. great video!

[@excitedbox5705]

Yea we didn't do a single experiment in science class in all my years of school, and I was in a Very rich area that claimed to be in the top 2% of schools in the country. I think that is like when you realize earning 100k puts you in the top .1% in the US, but you are by no way near what people would consider rich. There are just so few schools that are not crap.

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

Definitely ❤

[@englishmaninco8711]

@Princess Babydoll Riot John Taylor Gatto, a great author. NY school teacher of the year thrashes public uneducation.

[@Signature-C]

He would be a badass teacher

[@dulfinz5254]

Teacher by day, meth cook by night

[@murderlesson101]

Dulfinz pours water into a pot, meth comes out the bottom.100% casual

[@justinpatterson7700]

I wish meth wasn't so bad nor illegal nor a drug because I would love to try its synthesis, but you know, I enjoy living and not being in prison so...

[@bensons999]

It's about as simple a home 'synthesis' as you can get. (Well, if we're going _super internet seekrits_ crazy- TATP would have to be the *most* simple)

[@comradegarrett1202]

chloroform is also pretty simple

[@memehaus2811]

Most underrated channel on KZbin. Should be in classrooms for real.

[@Dsschuh]

Great job. First of your videos I watched. Fascinating and I liked how you did your best to stick to ancient alchemy. Beautiful result.

[@MisterZealot]

12:00 I keep thinking "he's drinking it! oh no! he's drinking it!" lol

[@Not_Whelan]

Pablo Carnovale Just an homage to CodysLab ;)

[@MisterZealot]

Cody is like a proper mad scientist xD

[@franciscobecerra5660]

Hahhaha I thought the same exactly

[@hofnarrify]

yepp i thought the same >.

[@Hash-Slinging-Slasher]

the main goals of and alchemist are 1. philosophers stone 2. make a living homunculus 3. turn base metals into gold 4. universal solvent

[@danielnash2143]

Anemos Gaming a universal solvent that doesn't dissolve glass. That way you could cary it around.

[@Killmate50]

+Anemos Gaming Alchemy was actually more for making tonics and cures for ailments that plagued the people of those times. Early Penicillin was made via a chemical function very much similar to Alchemy. The Philosophers' Stone, or the Blood-Sun Stone, was an idea that would be the Heart of the Gods. Able to create life, destroy it, and enable it to go further. A small piece was completed in 301 BCE and in 1539 via undisclosed documents found in secluded scriptures. A Homunculi was an idea for artificial beings for slavery and testing different poisons and tonics on. Turning base metals into gold was a fool's errand and was not actually successful. The Universal Solvent idea is what made people look more into acids and into natural phenomena. It was actually made in 1433 by an unnamed Scientist accidentally. It corroded through his station and through his leg. It's much more powerful than the acid in your stomach, which is the strongest acid known at the moment. (Hydrochloric acid) I've spent much of my life searching for some of these truths and it seems they _are_ possible. A man has successfully made 2 Homunculi recently and I decided to look back into some of the other items. But the main thing _all_ Alchemists sought after was the *Elixir of Life* It would grant the drinker a sort of 'Immortality' that would increase their lifespans by at least 4 times. This concoction has never been successful and usually ended up in the Alchemists' death due to the ingredients. It is said the Glass Library that H.P. Lovecraft talked about holds the key to making it work as intended but the Glass Library resides in a place that is not easily reached. Its doors are always open to you, just make sure you bring the 'Price of Admittance'.

[@thenewkenedy6721]

Well I did 2 and 3

[@gregfar6398]

Xul'gehn Dravein first things first look into super acids we have already discovered a plethora of acids stronger than HCL acid such as the most basic being sulfuric acid and the more complicated ones being fluoroantimonic acid flourosulfuric acid and trifilic acid. Secondly homunoculi are fake. And lastly h p lovecraft was a author who wrote fictional stories.

[@Hash-Slinging-Slasher]

Xul'gehn Dravein the elixir of life could also be substituted with the philosophers stone and homunculus are real and very easy to create.. USA labs do it all the time for stem cells and growing human organs

[@citizent6999]

I like the consistent clarity of your words. It's reliable.

[@ianbd77]

An impressive experiment. I didn't expect such a vivid colour and strong reaction. Interesting. Well done.

[@cosmicjenny4508]

"After literally a countless hour searching, I finally have it! Gold, purest gold!" "Percy... It's green."

[@ryanpeck3377]

“Could it be true? That i hold here, in my mortal hands, a nugget of purest green”

[@SwallowForge]

Really interesing experiment. I can see a lot of thought went into this video. I was very impressed with the results.

[@tristangriswell2034]

We need more comments on this

[@donmackshanks832]

@@tristangriswell2034 l

[@Original-Phantom]

Yall think back in the day alchemist ordered ground seaweed online?

[@cezarcatalin1406]

18:30 THE FORBIDDEN ORANGE JUICE

[@Strawberrysprout]

@@Original-Phantom I don’t see your point?

[@user-vc6pi9hd8g]

Excellent work, what a beautiful result! Thanks for the demonstration, professor.

[@MemesnShet]

One of the most beautiful experiments I've ever seen wow

[@MiauxCatterie]

as someone who has always had a hard time with chemistry, i found this video extremely engaging as well as easy to follow. i think that you would be excellent at teaching chemistry the way alton brown teaches food science- by getting into the details. great video, great music choice, this was exciting to watch.

[@azuregriffin1116]

Join us. Join us XD Seriously though, I'm glad. Science is a fundamental subject and I am personally of the opinion that it is most important to human progress (if you have any alternatives I'd love to listen, figuratively).

[@AuroraLalune]

MiauxCatterie They didn't teach us chemestry at all

[@ryanpfeiffer42]

I miss Good Eats.

[@charliewells9595]

The music just makes this video 100% better

[@jacksongollasch]

Wow!! This was really awesome. I was surprised how easy it was to make this reaction. I'm thinking about giving this a go myself!!

[@Nograc_]

Scoop Science same

[@thehungrylittlenihilist]

"contemporary" alchemists generally believe that the philosophers stone was a metaphorical idea. "Lead to gold" was a metaphor for perfecting the human spirit, based on neo-platonic ideals and the belief that the physical world reflected the spiritual world.

[@thehungrylittlenihilist]

Also, medieval alchemists would have had access to aqua regia, and would have known whether or not they had made gold.

[@grimesresurrection9357]

Both can be done

[@Syllaren]

@@thehungrylittlenihilist and never before in scientific history has a scientist used shady methods in order to avoid their experiment funding being cut off. I think the alchemist being able to distinguish it does exactly remove the plausibility of the theory.

[@SpaceFaceFPV]

what a stunningly beautiful result in the flask at the end, all those sparkles in the clear\white part, just floating there weightless. so pretty!

[@gilbet]

Love the golden snow globe and music. I bet people would really enjoy a whole video of just relaxing music and a beautiful slow-motion display at which to stare, and dream.

[@omermagen824]

I was 100% sure it was a NileRed video

[@lhman2000]

Same, I only looked at the thumbnail and was super surprised when I saw nighthawkinlight

[@alper8825]

Ikr the background and the glass is the same

[@theginginator1488]

Omer Magen the exact same thing happened to me

[@tmoneytechnic]

Me too......

[@isavedtheuniverse]

Yeah, I just watched some NileRed last night, including a bunch about Lead acetate. Those crystals are also nice looking.

[@harrywebb6022]

I think you did a job well done,i enjoy the chemistry you have when you present each procedure, its not complicated...

[@davidgillespie3406]

Right on. Keep the videos coming. I believe a lot of people like your presentations. Definitely.😊

[@kentworch]

The reaction itself may have just been somewhat novis chemistry, but the variation of it was original, and showing how it's can be done with such crude primitive equipment and materials such as seaweed is very amazing. I definitely appreciate the quality of work you put into this and historical recreation in your own back yard. Definitely quality content and this was an amazing video. Thank you for your awesome work.

[@teosteverlynck-horne9351]

Nighthawkinlight wears gloves while touching lead, Cody dips his hands in mercury and nitric acid

[@holdmybeer]

yes. make a new show called. "ancient alchemy busters."

[@TheChemicalWorkshop]

holdmybeer nah, thunderfoot is the ultimate buster

[@Hash-Slinging-Slasher]

The Chemical Workshop thunder foot is a bitch thou.. just saying

[@funboxentertainment1745]

The Chemical Workshop SOLAR FREKING THORIUM POWERED WATER GENERATION HYPERLOOP SELF FILLING ROADWAYS

[@Hash-Slinging-Slasher]

my point exactly... spends over 75% of video of making stupid word combos and other shit that no one cares about... but it would only take about 3 minutes to do

[@auscaliber1]

Don't you mean 'ankshent'

[@pyro-millie5533]

Ugh that result is so magical looking!! Definitely looks just like gold!!

[@florianiscrown]

I always enjoy watching your videos. You do a great job at it. Well done.

[@insanity1reaper]

This video was quite enjoyable even though I have no intention of recreating this experiment. Great video as always.

[@slimshady8252]

It was resistant to burning because you ground the seaweed into a powder so there wasn't enough space for air to be present. Sort of like how you can't burn cornstarch, until you blow it out of your mouth with a flame

[@Kevin-jb2pv]

Always wanted to try that trick, but fire breathing does not mix well with long hair XD

[@jakeeclouse4799]

Trippy. Just started watching your videos and they got me hooked for sure.

[@Lotek117]

This was an awesome video man, this absolutely could have sparked alchemy and infact i think its quite likely. That final reaction of the crystals forming in the spherical beaker was astonishingly beautiful and mystifying, it would have absolutely drove common man and kings alike mad.

[@Meowfy]

I suddenly regret never taking a chemistry class

[@hardwirecars]

hated our chemistry class our teacher was super smart he just didnt trust any of us to not catch the place on fire so we never got to do anything.

[@nczioox1116]

As someone who's taken several high school and college chem classes, it is no where near as fun as this when you are learning in a setting like that

[@Ivana-xm4wi]

My teachers actually ruined chemistry for me, as they weren't very good at explaining things and they never knew how to make things interesting

[@breimalislobodnoime]

We only did theory. Helps me understand the world a bit better, but was NOT fun cramming it all

[@surveyingfleaproductions]

Imagine not being offered it

[@jorgepadilla9945]

he looks like he would be a bartender in the 1900's

[@charliewells9595]

I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult

[@strawberrycow6614]

yes

[@ryanincro17]

Or an old timey Ted Cruz barber

[@chrischris7805]

He is. The time machine is covered in another video.

[@Oliver2Jarvis]

@@ryanincro17 just hot Ted Cruz.

[@Nightstick24]

Really interesting experiment - I'd never seen this one before, and it was beautiful to see the end result.

[@channelcircuitzilla7339]

That rain was beautiful. You did a great job bro with minimal ingredients 👌👌

[@CriticalEatsJapan]

You're a wizard, Harry...

[@ABlackGuy10]

Critical Eats Japan na thats bruce banner

[@braxtonhill3616]

I'ma a what

[@DeadExpresso]

Critical Eats Japan you're a harry, wizard

[@doubledoubleusmokymirror4d405]

This is my first time watching this guy??? His names Harry? Oh Man that joke was "pure gold".... [crickets]

[@jaysonhahn5881]

Truly, more than people know.

[@Eloxist]

I have interest in anthropology and I've been studying about witchcraft, alchemy, multiple religions and comparing them to modern day science to see certain similarities. What you did was astonishing and for me it means the first few steps on how humans got to know about chemical reactions, like you said; someone of that era who didn't have the scientific method and little was known about how substances reacted to each other and were not capable of studying their compositions would be easily fooled by this, however it would still cause commotion among the people of that time, it would be like if someone managed to create oil from water using alchemy/chemestry, that would spout a lot of controversy in todays time and could affect the economy greatly. So it would be better to keep it as a secret. Also, one misconception that people have is that alchemy is not only about trying to turn lead into gold or things of the like, it's also about purifying certain substances into their purest form which could have been the grandad of the purification methods we have today, such as filtration and evaporation, just to name a few. It truly makes you think about a lot of things for the future. Could we be able to alter matter in such a way that we could turn a gas into a metal? Just to say something insane, we never know what we could be able to do in the future. Great video! I'll make sure to link it to some people that have the same interest.

[@ronaldinocrosdale7622]

How does one go about studying this world properly, sorry i didnt know how to word my question

[@wrongfootmcgee]

@@ronaldinocrosdale7622 it is all over the place, pieces here and there, it has become more difficult in this age, and the distance grows each day, it easy to scrub the web... there is no 'proper' way, but when you feel completely lost, you will know you have begun. The central mystery is transformation. Classical education could be a start...

[@Amunsoldasun]

@@wrongfootmcgee Absolutely my friend

[@Kraus-]

We already have the technology to turn a gas into a metal. It's just not widely useful.

[@juliangrabowsky6418]

@Elox I do realize I'm incredibly late to the party, but from reading your comment, You said study. I am currently trying to develop a game which I want to orient along alchemy, problem is: I do know next to nothing about it, except the general idea of it and the fact that it was the predecessor to modern Chemistry. So here my question: any books that you could recommend about Alchemy, Witchcraft (specifically potion's/ potion brewing) or Early medicine?

[@92greypilgrim]

THIS IS AMAZING. thank you so much for explaining everything so well!

[@G-LoTheHero]

Yeah. I really liked it. That was mind-blowing! You're my hero. Bravo good sir!

[@ThePaulPyro]

I really love these types of videos! Its neat to see the whole process from raw material to chemistry.

[@BonesMcoy]

This video was perfect, that footage of the crystals in the vile was AMAIZING

[@jarrodfrankum]

Miss seeing you on APC and Pyroguide man. Still happy to see you making awesome content!

[@mikeviard8195]

Wow, you had a great Time,, what you do IS pure fun extra science, the way i love to practice it. Beautiful, Amazing, thrill all along the expérience. Congrats man!

[@GuitarSamurai17]

I love your videos man! So informative and entertaining, high quality! Keep up the amazing content!

[@creamcheesejoe]

I don't think I blinked for the last twenty minutes! You have blown my mind!

[@theBATgoesUPoh]

I wish I wasn't 4 years late to this party. Absolutely incredible job!

[@zapmansi107]

At least you're not 5 years late.

[@SeegerG]

Great! Very impressive to see worked up from raw ingredients. My favorite type of chemistry as familiar transforms to isolates.

[@dr.nohaelnagdi415]

I am a chemist and interested in history of alchemy and I am assuring you that what you did is just great! It explained too many alchemical symbols and drawings that I could not find an explanation for before. Keep the good work

[@angelasgreenarts9124]

Here you go: ) kymiaarts as excellent info on true alchemical processes

[@steveheuser7382]

Try the wordless book. 1500s

[@grimesresurrection9357]

@@steveheuser7382 is it called "the wordless book" or is it a nickname?

[@steveheuser7382]

@@grimesresurrection9357 you May get my response I posted it but it can not be found Have to try agin

[@steveheuser7382]

I’ll try to post agin. It appears it was removed

[@BoredomBee]

Wow...! That ended up looking so pretty, like something you'd see in a snow globe. I especially liked the final bottle you put it in -- I don't know what it's actually called anymore (it's been a few years since high school), but it looks like something you'd pour potions into. Watching the precipitate glitter in the light was so lovely...!

[@k3ith29]

Thats a florence flask.

[@daisymeroalin2372]

This is so cool, I absolutely love your content

[@petalumapapi]

Thank you this is probably the best video watched this year on chemistry

[@lokinya]

I like how 2lb of seaweed weighs in at 9 KG in other parts of the world.

[@TheScaryName]

Ha ha ha, you beat me to it!

[@10goni]

Fenrir earth isn't a perfect sphere!!!1!1!1

[@lazandrei_19]

I think that they actually meant .9 kg

[@Cadwaladr]

It is about 9 hectograms, you can see how someone might get confused.

[@JustinAlexanderBell]

.9

[@Neumonics429]

I'm pretty sure the Lead to Gold idea was more about the commonality of Lead ( being used for pretty much everything ) and turning it into gold ( a rather rare metal ) it would be the equivalent of growing money on trees.

[@JUNIsLuke]

Super neat!! Beautiful cinematography too!!

[@robertketcham9576]

Great job. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@elibitrick]

Well this is the second time I have watched this video 3 years apart I still find it interesting i would love to see more like this if possible

[@TheDaggwood]

Awesome stuff mate! Love the grass roots approach.

[@dusk108show]

I completely loved this vid and how you present the info.

[@typograf62]

Yes, that was well done. Covering iron with a layer of copper by dipping a nail into a solution of cuprisulphate is often mentioned as a source of alchymistic ideas. Or fraud. But I think that I prefer this (having made both experiments in my childhood).

[@Kydrou]

You should sell snow globes with the stuff

[@nollie_ollie8358]

Kydrou Kair Renner Oudre that would be a bad idea. Imagine if someone dropped it. You would have lead iodide everywhere.

[@shaynehughes6645]

@@nollie_ollie8358 don't drop it

[@nollie_ollie8358]

Shayne Hughes wow i never really thought about it like that lol

[@WiKiTWoNKa]

Great idea 👍

[@hellboy6507]

Fakas Crip Build it out of plastic instead of glass

[@ykjt91]

That shot of the golden rain suspended in the beaker is awesome!

[@CommentsAllowed]

Yes. You did a great job with this video!

[@emraanqureshi6514]

Thanks bro for a wonderful experiment. I understand lot of things. Thanks 👍👌

[@roberts.3055]

Really interesting video. I would like to try this at some point. Great job at explaining each process and the reasoning behind using substitute ingredients. Thanks for the post. :)

[@AmericanRustWorker3369]

That was pretty cool, thank you for taking the time and effort for us to learn

[@chadhumbert1791]

Beautiful work Ben

[@Valou_56]

Hello ! Well personnally i don't understand a lot of things in Alchemy but i find this video very intersting for real, good job ! I d'like to see more videos like that in the futur, i wish you the best for the futur, amazing video :D

[@azuregriffin1116]

I'm guessing you're an anime fan. Also, no offense, but why can you not spell all that well? Are you not natively an English speaker, or dyslexic or just plain suck at English (I am not trying to be rude, I can't detect social queues well if that makes you fell better XD)

[@Valou_56]

I'm french and ? i'm sure i'm gonna laugh if you speak my language lol. and your answer has no interest, i dont' care, nobody's gonna come to congrat you, you're just here for nothing right ?

[@amandawoods4449]

Caleb Griffin feel*.... Check yourself before you correct other

[@pikachupro81yugiohgx47]

Calm down ladies

[@braelinmichelus]

I love stuff like this! Alchemy is often compared to magic, especially in fantasy stories, though it really was not! Alchemy was the proto-science that lead to modern chemistry. It was based on some semblance of truth, just misunderstood.

[@nicechoicee]

The grandfather of science really, its amazing

[@hackarma2072]

That's not what alchemy was. Alchemists were not concerned about learning more about chemistry. Everything was done in secrecy and information sharing was a blunder most of the time. If you want a concret exemple the chemicals bore a wide variety of names. It was a complex system of belief rather fascinating though. It is possible to see a step in the direction of what we call science in the XVII century but as you can see it was a very late development.

[@grimesresurrection9357]

Alchemy is Magick. That's where the planetary symbols come from, that's why things are supposed to be made on a certain day. Everything has a sulphur salt and murcury. It's more then just chemistry it's changing physical reality. It's hermetics. 🤦‍♂️

[@orionmedicalservice3842]

u r blind.

[@intrusivethoughts3601]

Science is magic

[@user-sc6xq9up7i]

What a beautiful experiment! Thanks a lot.

[@fluorescentblack4336]

Great vieo. I could watch that reaction at the end for hours. Reminds me of the gold leaf rain in A Dark Song

[@ultramegamighty]

I've been researching alchemy for a game I'm working on, and I wish I had found this video a long time ago. The translated alchemy texts are overly verbose and cryptic and this is about as straightforward as you can possibly be with it. This has been VERY helpful.

[@terranovarubacha5473]

How's the game coming along?

[@ultramegamighty]

@@terranovarubacha5473 hit a few roadblocks but still creeping along slowly.

[@zapmansi107]

@@ultramegamighty any update on the game? also what programing language are you using?

[@ultramegamighty]

@@zapmansi107 up to prototyping, and using C# with the Unity engine.

[@zapmansi107]

@@ultramegamighty Cool. I don't have much experience with C based languages because I mostly just make ANSI text RPGs in python, but nevertheless I wish you luck on your game.

[@electronicsNmore]

Great video!

[@MaximusMuleti]

That was the most beautiful chemistry experiments I've ever seen!!

[@kenbehr5501]

Well done amigo. Keep up the good work

[@AynenMakino]

Nice video! I love the angle of trying to discover where the idea of creating gold from lead came from! More of this please! Question: When did people first start to understand what iodine is or how to isolate it? Was the seaweed in your theory just a lucky guess for the medieval chemist to have tried it? What other sources of potasium iodine might they have had access to?

[@the_dude9081]

u look abit like will wheaton

[@the_dude9081]

but iam also a stoner... :/

[@gusmcgussy3299]

Hwill Hweaton

[@aeriumsoft]

cool HWIP

[@missoula2213]

Looks more like Ted Cruz.

[@H3xx99]

Eric Wilsey NightHawk is much better looking than Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz looks like Martin Shkreli after a bad childhood.

[@perry44442000]

Great job all the way around on your video!!!!

[@lirnerpublishingnotes]

Yes, that is an awesome color, great job. outstanding with limited resources.

[@Khunvyel]

18:44 "This is clearly lead iodite" ... sir, I'm hungry now. It looks like the mixture I do for making omelettes.

[@MadScientist267]

IodIDE

[@Khunvyel]

@@MadScientist267 English is not my first language :) ♫ hooked on phonics worked for me. Thanks for the pointer.

[@boboloss6798]

Really impressive video !! I like it !! I'm fascinated by your motivation for this kind of project !! You should maybe buy a magnetic stirrer and a vacuum filtration system

[@KeeganDillon7]

your English isn't that bad I wouldn't have realized the difference if you didnt mention it

[@Roshkin]

DA City this was supposed to use ancient methods, which vacuum filtration and a magnetic stirrer isn't

[@naruto-4990]

hi sorry for my bad english

[@buttblug1990]

That was beautiful loved the experiment 😍

[@FredHsu]

This video is one of those rare gold nuggets one finds on KZbin. Thanks.

[@titansenpai1188]

More like Golden Shower

[@ficolas2]

Titan Senpai thats a different thing but... Do you want one?

[@ficolas2]

Kepkaaa This comment was required, there is a comment about a golden shower in every golden rain video.

[@terrandroid]

Titan Senpai do you like that

[@kaptein1247]

Titan Senpai is that a German thing?

[@georgiohenderson5998]

Kippenkop Kuikenei ask your mother, she can better explain it

[@drewga403]

Very fascinating work! Love how you show each step of the process -- even when things don't go quite as expected. Have to wonder though, even if these materials and substances were technically available to the people who developed alchemy thousands of years ago, is there any realistic reason anyone (not knowing the technical chemistry ), would have ever followed such a specific and complicated series of steps on these materials? Not knocking. Serious question. Is there any reason why someone who was cooking harvested seaweed some millenia ago, might have been using rough lead tools to work that fire, and been treating a wound with crude iodine at the same time? Then the substances accidentally mix?? Hmmmm.....

[@DioBrando-mr5xs]

People experimented at the time. Thousands of curious individuals just mixing shit to see what happened.

[@drewga403]

Just people being people, huh? I like that.

[@rvanbruggen87]

I've watched quite a few videos, including the wood gas series. I'm gonna subscribe now because I like your work, but I very much love my home state

[@degened2990]

That was amazing! I'd love to try that myself one day.

[@terriblegoatman826]

yes yes golden rain everyone immediately thinks of alchemy when they hear "golden rain" and nothing else

[@JustinRed624]

p

[@chrisbolland5634]

What are you thinking about?

[@Cb138inRs]

Every time you held a beaker up inside it looked like you were going to drink it

[@BrEaKiNg_Brad]

You always do a good job Man You ain't even got to ask.

[@babakalmasinia2376]

It was very excellent explanation. Thank you

[@ashleygray5986]

Warning: When a man says that he is going to give a golden shower. It is not golden rain.

[@MadScientist267]

Definitely not nearly as sweet

[@AverageAnnusEnthusiast]

@@MadScientist267 Much saltier

[@drBaenz]

@@AverageAnnusEnthusiast how do you know?

[@drBaenz]

@@MadScientist267 how do you know?

[@AverageAnnusEnthusiast]

@@drBaenz Sodium/salts exit the body through urine. That's why whenever you have too much sodium you get thirsty; your body wants you to drink more water to dissolve the excess sodium to pee it out.