4/2/12-FROM THE DESK OF DR. HILDY-Series 2- BioEthnoticity and Nanotechnology - Cinnabar and Nanocheops

From the Desk of Dr. Hildy™

© March 6, 2012

Series 2: BioEthnoticity & Nanotechnology 

CINNABAR and NANOCHEOPS

Emperor Qin Shibuangdi, First Emperor of the Ming-dynasty

Cinnabar was “truly one” with Qin Shibuangdi, First Emperor of the Ming-dynasty (ruled 221-210 BCE) and the earliest known imperial patron of alchemy, next to Rudolf the Great of Hapsburg in 1218 AD for Europe.  Despite the time periods Confucian disapproval of both the First Emperor and his fondness of alchemy, the ingestion of gold – or, rather, the transformed gold- appears to have remained quite popular throughout the Han dynasty.   However, most Han dynasty alchemists worked with cinnabar, sometimes with fatal results.  Cinnabar (mercury sulfide) is an ore of mercury that is a deep vermilion in color.  When heated, cinnabar produces liquid mercury, and further heating and combination of mercury and sulfur will in turn reproduce cinnabar (a cyclical transformation that particularly intrigued Chinese alchemists).  Mercury was further amalgamated with other metals (gold and lead in particular) producing elixirs to be ingested. While cinnabar itself was non-toxic- indeed it still maintains a prominent place in traditional Chinese medicine –

Terracotta Soldier from the Ming-dynasty

the mercury amalgams with lead, could be lethal when ingested.  There are accounts of a number of emperors and other devotes of immortally cults who died as a result of their alchemical practices.  This may have been a catalyst for the subsequent development of internal alchemy, although not everyone necessarily regarded this sort of death as a failure.  Some alchemist explained these deaths as “corpse release,” the sloughing off of the mortal body and allowing the soul or souls within to become immortal, flying off to take their place among other immortals. Emperor Qin Shinbuangdi was probably the first to use an elixir made of cinnabar, but now through the advent of nano medicine of applying Traditional Chinese Medicine remedies, one can be given a prescription for nano tranquilizing cinnabar for the treatment of arrhythmia, premature beat, myocarditis, neurasthenia, insomnia, and hypomnesis.  The nano medicinal formulation is prepared from Cinnabaris, Rhizoma Coptidis, Radix Rehmanniane, Radix Angelicae Sinensis and Radix Glycyrrhizae by microwave extracting; concentrating extacive solution under reduced pressure; spray drying with supersonic get to make nanometer materials and making them in the form of a capsule or injectable, nano needle delivered patch or simply a pill.  

Bronze Horse statues found with Terracotta Soldiers under Emperor Qin Shibuangdi, First Emperor of the Ming-dynasty

Nano researchers in Russia under Nanocheops have developed new hair dying formulations based on ancient hair dyeing formulas that utilized cinnabar.  White Hair + PbO + Ca(OH)₂ under a pH of 12.5 = BLACK Hair.   Through the synthesis of mercury sulfide nanocrystals in R cysteine using metacinnabar and the hexagonal phase (cinnabar) for the mercury sulfide source the hair will blacken with nano formulated hair dyes due to the formation of nanocyrstals inside the structure of the hair.   This reaction causes the accumulation of nano particles at the junctions between the cortical cells and the macrofibriles as a mechanism full of cations diffused within the hair shaft.   Actual chirality of the cubic nanocrystals and its effect on their optical properties can be seen through EDX-SEM mapping techniques. 

YES, our ancient ancestors from China would say, CINNABAR is for IMMORTALITY not for hair dye.  Little did our ancestors know that there would definitely be a day of NANO throughout the world?

“Cinnabar: The Chinese Art of Carved Lacquer.” Photograph of an exhibit piece on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Taken from the New York Times Arts and Design section, August 21, 2009.

REFERENCES:

1)  Shaughnessy, Edward L.   China:  Empire and Civilization. Oxford University Press.  London, England.  © 2005 Dunchan, pg.  145

2)  Yang, Mengjun.  China Patent:  A61K009/48 Region: CN 11 Beiging.  Nano tranquilizing cinnabar medicine and its preparation/A medicine for the treatment of arrhythmia, premature beat, myocarditis, neurasthenia, insomnia, and hypomnesis and its preparation method. January 5, 2001 – China http://patents.jiehe.org/drug/0426/3103/01100046.htm

3)  Walter, P. Welcomme, P, Hallegot, NJ, Zaluzec, C. Deeb, J. Castaing, P, Veyssiere, R. Breniaux, J.L, Leveque, G, Tsoucaris. NANOLETTERS, vol 6, 2006, p. 2215  NANOCHEOPS

G. Patriarche, E. van Elslande, J. Castaing, P. Walter, Proceeding IMC17, Rio de Janeiro, 19-24 September 2010, m20.4

www.rmnt.org/com/J3N2010/…/10_08-NANO-019%20Nanocheops.pdf

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