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["Karen L. Black" <karen AT plamondon.com>]

I'm not a chemist, but I've had some training along those lines. Besides, a
physicist is supposed to have the 30,000-foot view of chemistry (and all
other sciences), so I'd be happy to take a stab at Bill's questions.

Bill Jones writes:
> OK, I've put you in suspense.  Here's a hint: uranium (a metal) has a
hexa*fluoride.  IOW, six atoms of fluorine (the non-metal) and one of
uranium can form a "salt" together.  If you look inside the cover of
your CRC manual, you'll see that this is pretty rare among the
elements.  I think only chromium can do this.  Well, now look beyond
uranium to the first three man-made elements.  They can also have a
charge of +6.
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Looking at my CRC manual (doesn't *everyone* have a _Handbook of Chemistry
and Physics_ laying about her house? :-)), I see that chromium's columnar
neighbors, molybdenum and tungsten, also have a +6 oxidation state. So do
technetium, rhenium, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium. It's unusual, but not
all that rare. Now +7, that is rare -- only iodine, technetium and rhenium
achieve that lofty level of ionization.

Bill continues:
> Now, I've been asked to accept on faith that the _first_ sustained
nuclear fission occurred at the U. of Chicago during the early 20th
century (other than those which have occurred spontaneously in nature, a
fascinating but extremely rare event).  If you simply question this
notion, it leaves open the possibility that someone long ago found this
signpost and sent a warning to future generations.
**********************************************************

I don't quite follow. Are you saying that the "number of the beast" is a
warning not to stack bricks of uranium metal too closely?

>From what I've seen, it might as easily be a warning not to inhale sulfur
fumes, eat locoweed, or try synthesizing technetium.