FACT CHECK: Do these `magical stones' melt metal nails?
A video of iron nails that seem to melt after being placed on a black stone is viral on social media.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 13 Dec 2021 7:12 AM GMT
HYDERABAD: A video of iron nails that seem to melt after being placed on a black stone is viral on social media. It is being claimed that this stone is from Afghanistan and that it is "magical" in nature. Although the stone is cool from the outside, it can melt anything made of steel and iron when in contact.
Social media users are sharing the video with the caption: "A rock has been discovered in Wardak province of Afghanistan which is cold from above but melts if steel or iron is placed on top. Which stone could it be?"
FACT CHECK:
NewsMeter performed a reverse image search and found an article on a website called masralyoum.net. It quotes M. Majid Abu Zahra, founder of the Jeddah Astronomy Society, who put forward a scientific explanation for the melting of nails. He says that the nails are made up of a metal called gallium that has a low melting point of around 29ºC (85.6°F), this explains why the nails easily melt when brought into contact with the stone.
A Facebook post carried in the article dated November 27, 2021 mentions that even sunlight easily melts galium when placed on a warm surface.
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Gallium is a soft, silver metal that is used in electronic circuits because it is solid but is also easy to melt, as gallium melts at a temperature of 29 degrees C (85.6°F), which means it can melt from the warmth of a human hand or in a very warm room. However, it remains solid at room temperature. It also has an extremely high (4044°F) boiling point.
An ABC10 news report from April 12, 2018, also mentions that the nail placed on the stone is made out of gallium, which has a melting point of 29 degrees C (85.6°F), and that it can melt easily.
This confirms that the stone in the viral video is not magical, but the nails in the video are the cause for melting as it is made of gallium, a metal with a low melting point of 29 degrees C (85.6°F).
