[CliffordK]

cos aluminium foil hat does not have the same ring to it and the following ditty would not work...

http://www.eclectech.co.uk/mindcontrol.php

our chemistry teacher insisted that aluminum was written al squiggle to avoid arguments about spelling (sorry, this does not work to well when typed...)

Oh,
Is that bad?

Perhaps only true Tin Foil hats are effective at blocking aliens from stealing brain waves.  And, those people using aluminum foil hats are just fooling themselves.

I suppose one might as well just go with an old Mercury Hat []

[Bored chemist]

cos aluminium foil hat does not have the same ring to it and the following ditty would not work...

http://www.eclectech.co.uk/mindcontrol.php

our chemistry teacher insisted that aluminum was written al squiggle to avoid arguments about spelling (sorry, this does not work to well when typed...)

Oh,
Is that bad?

Perhaps only true Tin Foil hats are effective at blocking aliens from stealing brain waves.  And, those people using aluminum foil hats are just fooling themselves.

I suppose one might as well just go with an old Mercury Hat []

Is it cold outside?

[CliffordK]

I suppose one might as well just go with an old Mercury Hat []

Is it cold outside?

Mercury Nitrate was used in the production of hats from the late 17^th century to the early 20^th century, and apparently caused hat makers to go mad due to the chronic exposure to the substance.  And, thus the "Mad Hatter" in Alice & Wonderland.

http://themercurial.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47%3Aof-mercury-and-mad-hatters&Itemid=56

Presumably the remaining dose of mercury in a 100 yr old hat would be minimal.

[Bored chemist]

But the point of a tinfoil hat is that it's a Faraday cage so it needs to be conductive. Mercury salts are rather poor conductors. Metallic mercury is a good enough conductor but is ordinarily rather runny. If you get it to about -40 it solidifies.
That's why I asked if it was cold outside.
The mercury in a felt hat might offer some protection from Xrays.

[CZARCAR]

so the tin foil hat should be grounded?

[Geezer (OP)]

so the tin foil hat should be grounded?

Only if you want it to double as a lightning conductor. In that case, you need to run some really hefty copper cable inside your trouser legs.

[Airthumbs]

Why do we call tinfoil tinfoil when it is made out of aluminum, or even occasionally, aluminium?

I guess the Americans might want the following changes made in the periodic table,

Titanum
Potassum
Calcum
Magnesum
Rubidum
Palladum.....

 [] [] []

[Geezer (OP)]

Why do we call tinfoil tinfoil when it is made out of aluminum, or even occasionally, aluminium?

I guess the Americans might want the following changes made in the periodic table,

Titanum
Potassum
Calcum
Magnesum
Rubidum
Palladum.....

 [] [] []

Oh yeah? So I suppose you'll be buying some platinium jewelry then?

[Airthumbs]

Oh yeah? So I suppose you'll be buying some platinium jewelry then?

Haha you got me, which is exactly why I left it out!!

How about Platanium?  []

[Bored chemist]

and, in line with sulfur, fosforus