The Heart of Brazil is the most expensive gemstone in the world. It cost several hundred million dollars to synthesize and stabilize, and continues to cost millions to protect it.
It's not much to look at — it certainly doesn't appear edible. The untrained eye might mistake it for quartz, and even the trained eye (noting its monoclinic rather than orthorhombic structure) might still dismiss it as an admittedly unusually well-formed rod of gypsum.
In fact, the Heart of Brazil is made entirely of crystallized theobromine.
Of the five most recent attempts on it, four were by amateurs who admitted they intended to eat it; the fifth had been hired, and his employer had intended to sell pieces of it as very expensive candy to very rich idiots (several of whom had already prepaid for the chance to eat it).
Considering that a) crystalline theobromine is actually merely bitter, b) the company that produced the Heart is currently beginning mass production of theobromine for use as a food additive (not available in retail, but still obtainable), and also c) LD50 for theobromine is believed to be around 175mg/kg — less than 25 grams, or 15 cc, and d) facts a through c are posted on the placard next to the Heart...
(... I am not at all satisfied with this one.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment