h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'll explain later why Red lead isn't Cinnebar in the write-up / points. There's a historical confusion over the names.

At one time it was called Cinnabar but it isn't realy.

Lead tetroxide - to give it it's proper chemical name. (which might give you a clue as to how you make it and why it's found in such large abundance in certain places...)

Heading out the door to college - don't forget post #293!

Back in a bit....

I'm guessing that minerologists might not like it if it has a habit of getting in with other things and makes extraction harder. Tetroxide suggests its chemical composition is something like PbO4. Is it a by-product of heating lead?

I remember long ago, my dad putting a first coat of minium when he was repainting our house's drainpipes. That's where I learned the word, which I found amusing because it sounds like 'aluminium'. So I remember the drainpipes being flashy orange for a few days, and me wondering whether it was to be their new colour henceforth

Hmm. Linking the undercoat and the crib-sheet, makes me think of a primer. Is that it?


Geggs

Yes it is created through heating. Which should help with the bonus questions...

Good anecdote TB, amazed you didn't work out the clue before Van Smeiter did.

Not it is not primer but good guess.

Think 'educational assessment' as the meaning for 'score': the word I'm after means in this context 'marking scheme' and in another 'to colour in red'

I didn't have much time to devote to the thread. In fairness, even then I don't think I would have remembered: it was the mention of minium which triggered this little madeleine moment.

Is it found around Volcano vents, like Suplhur?

Bleh! Sulphur!

is it found around volcanoes

thereis an interesting article on minium at
http://www.galleries.com/minerals/oxides/minium/minium.htm
I had never heard of it before this forum.

That would be using google.

Shabark - diaqualified. Sorry but them's the rules.

(if you can ignore that link, which contains a spoiler )

No the largest supply of Minium does not come from around volcanoes.

I forgot you were in extra credit mode. I was thinking that this was a post-mortum where the rules no longer applied -sorry.

I'm out. I've read the link.

Diamond mines? They got very hot back in the dim and distant past, else it wouldn't be diamond.

The word meaning to colour certain words in red (esp. in t'Bible) is 'rubric'. Is that anything to do with it? I got back to this and there were EIGHTY-NINE new posts, which I read quite quickly, so I may be going off on a tangent.