A Professor in a Science College performs experiments with the students. Says, ‘We are celebrating 150th birthday of the periodic table. Thus, I am going to prepare gold particles. They will start separating as golden drops. Hence, we term as Golden rain.
He mixes up two solutions. As a result, it forms yellow precipitates into the solution.
The professor heated this solution containing the precipitates to boiling. Therefore, the yellow compound dissolves. The content in the beaker now becomes clear.
As the solution in the beaker cools down, ‘gold’ particles appear. Thus, they slowly crystallize. We know this as Golden Rain.
The students are very excited to see this phenomenon. They take pictures of the golden rain. Some students put these photographs on WhatsApp. They pass the images on to friends & parents & relatives & so on. It goes viral. The laboratory peon & the assistant also think that the Sir has prepared gold.
Now, people from outside rush into the college campus as the rumor spreads. To see the gold & to get the gold. Cheap gold prepared in the lab. Therefore, a slowly big crowd gathers on the campus. People also start inquiring in the office. It’s a gold rush.
The Principal interrupts & comes to the lab building.
He clarifies. ‘It’s not gold. It’s one compound that looks like gold. We cannot prepare gold in the lab. In fact, the ancient Indian scriptures say that we can prepare gold from the liquid metal Mercury. But we do not know of the method. Friends, all that glitters is not always gold.’
The professor explains. ‘The aqueous solution of Lead Nitrate & Potassium iodide are mixed. As a result, we get the precipitates of Lead Iodide. But these precipitates dissolve at a higher temperature & crystals reappear at a lower temperature. These are the crystals of Lead Iodide that appear as gold particles. Thus shining like gold, but it’s not gold.
Thus, the mob disperses slowly from the college campus.
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