Eigentlich ist es wie Perlen vor die Säue, aber damit hier nicht einige wenige einen anderen Informationsstand haben als andere, und weil zu vermuten ist, dass Ries wegen dieser Antwort seine kalte Abfuhr durchzog...
Hier die Antwort von Professor Niels Harrit auf Ries im Januar veröffentlichten Artikel, die gleichzeitig Grundlage für das Interview mit der MYSTERIES war:
Response to critical essay Dr. Gunnar Ries.
By Niels Harrit, University of Copenhagen
Dr. Gunnar Ries has written an extensive critical comment on a publication by the present author.
Dr. Ries’ essay is entitled:
Befand sich Nanothermit zwischen den Trümmern des World Trade Centers? (
http://www.wissenslogs.de/wblogs/blog/mente-et-malleo/skeptische-ecke/2010-01-29/befand-sich-nanothermit-zwischen-den-tr-mmern-des-world-trade-centers).
The publication, which he criticizes is entitled:
“Active Thermitic Material Discovered in Dust from the 9/11 World Trade Center Catastrophe“, (
http://www.bentham-open.org/pages/content.php?TOCPJ/2009/00000002/00000001/7TOCPJ.SGM)
I will deal with his criticism in the order it appears in his essay.
Peer-review
Regarding the peer-review process, it took three months from november 2008 to february 2009. There were two reviewers. One of them, in particular, requested additional experiments, which certainly added to the quality of the paper.
. X-ray detector
Most of Dr. Ries’ essay deals with electronmicroscopy and he provides much useful information for the uninitiated reader. About half of the discussion in the essay refers directly and indirectly to the ability of an X-ray detector to record radiation with energies below 1 keV. The background is, that X-ray detectors are commonly equipped with a beryllium window, which does not transmit below this threshold.
Quote:
Die Autoren wollen also wirklich Sauerstoff und Kohlenstoff per EDX nachgewiesen haben. Da hege ich erhebliche Zweifel. Verwendet wird ein SiLi-Detektor. Aber die Autoren lassen offen, ob das Gerät mit normalem Beryllium-Fenster, einem dünnem Be-Fenster ausgerüstet oder gar fensterlos ist. Sollte die EDX-Einheit über ein handelsübliches, 8 µm starkes Be-Fenster verfügen, so lassen sich keine Peaks unter 1 keV nachweisen. Also auch kein Sauerstoff und kein Kohlenstoff. Denn dieser Energiebereich wird vom Be-Fenster absorbiert.
I can inform about the following:
The X-ray detector used in our measurements is NOT equipped with a Be window. It is NOT windowless. It is equipped with a SUTW (super-ultra thin window) capable of detecting down to at least 110 eV. Here is a description of the detector for those that would like to look it up themselves to get the specs:
EDAX model XL30 PV7761/22ME Amp model: 204B+ Sapphire for the Si(Li) type SEM 10 liter dewar Detecting Unit with SUTW, 30mm2: Si(Li) type SEM Detecting Unit with Super Ultra Thin Window for detection of all elements down to and
including Beryllium.
Active detector area is 30mm². The crystal is automatically protected against warm-up. Includes preamplifier, amplifier, cables and 10 liter dewar.
Resolution of 135 eV or better, measured at MnK, 1000CPS and with the
time constant 100 usec.
Peak to background is 15,000:1 or better.
In conclusion, we had no problems recording the oxygen and carbon X-ray emissions and quantify the signals.
Composition of Al-Si-O rich particles. Soaking experiments with methyl ethyl ketone (MEK).
Another main claim by dr. Ries is that the Al-Si-O rich particles are some alumino-silicate clay mineral.
Quote:
Hört sich ein wenig nach Tonmineral an. Könnten quellfähige Tonminerale in org. Lösungsmitteln quellen? Durchaus. Tonminerale zeichnen sich durch eine hohe Absorptionsfähigkeit von allen möglichen anorganischen, aber auch organischen Stoffen aus. Wenn also meine Theorie über die Anwesenheit von Tonmineralen stimmt, so dürfte weder die fehlende Lösung noch das Aufquelle wirklich überraschen.
Interesting. It would become Dr. Ries well to provide a reference for a swelling reaction by a clay particle with MEK comparable to that observed by the red/grey chips.
If – at the same time – Dr. Ries could provide a reference to a chemical reaction by a clay mineral, which provides elemental iron, it would be sensational.
Quote:
Leider wurden vor der MEK-Behandlung keine Elementverteilungsbilder und nach der MEK-Behandlung keine Elementspektren (von der selben Stelle) aufgezeichnet.
All XEDS maps in the paper – exept one(!) - were done on broken chips. That is, just before measurement a chip was broken and the measurement carried out on a freshly exposed, uncontaminated surface. This also true of figure 6 in Dr. Ries’ assay (Fig. 10 in Harrit et al.), which must do as an account for the elemntal distribution in the red layer before MEK soaking.
Obviously, it was not possible to follow the same procedure on the chip, which were used for MEK soaking. In this case, the XEDS was taken from the ”raw” surface (Fig. 7 in Ries’ essay), and the signals from calcium and sulfur is most probably from calcium sulfate (as both parties agree upon).
Is the red/grey chips anti-rust coating?
Quote:
Mein bisher nicht widerlegter Verdacht ist folgender: Bei den roten Schüppchen handelt es sich um eine auf mineralischen Pigmenten (Hämatit) basierende Farbe, in der auch Tonminerale verwendet wurden. Ein Abgleich mit beispielsweise Rostschutzmitteln hätte einen Erkenntnisgewinn bringen können.
Actually, the chromium and zink signals found in this particular sample just discussed above (Fig. 7 in Ries’ essay) could very well be surface contamination from the primer paint, which protected the steel beams in the WTC Towers.
This paint contained ca. 30 % ZnCrO4 which is one reason why the red/grey chips are not primer paint. Another major difference between the chips and the primer paint is the thermal stability, which went to 650 °C in case of the primer paint.
See:
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2009/06/21/occams-razor-removes-paint-a-primer-by-niels-harrit/And for further discussion:
http://zelikow.wordpress.com/2009/05/22/norwegian-state-radio-initiates-public-debate-on-911-truth/ Composition of Al-Si-O rich particles. Spatial separation of aluminum and silicon signals.
Quote:
Tonminerale, mit ihrer teilweise extrem hohen Kationen-Austauschkapazität können ohne Probleme Elemente an ihre Umgebung abgeben, vorausgesetzt, Tauschpartner und entsprechende Lösungsmittel stehen zur Verfügung.
Interesting. It would become Dr. Ries well to provide a reference for an cation-exchange reaction under comparable circumstances which could remove aluminum from a clay mineral.
And where is the cation being substituted for aluminum in figure 9 (Ries’ numbering)?
Identity of the iron-rich particles
Quote:
In welchem Mineral kann denn Eisen in mehr oder weniger rhombischer Form auftreten? Leider ist die Form aufgrund der hohen Vergrößerung nicht ganz klar erkennbar, aber Hämatit kommt beispielsweise in rhomboedrischen oder auch tafeligen Kristallen vor.
Dr. Ries is correct.
There is no doubt that the iron mineral is hematite, but we didn’t know for sure at the time of writing the paper.
Later, we have obtained TEM diffraction evidence for the identity of the iron mineral, but in my opinion, this result alone does not merit a new publication.
Could the nanothermite be formed in an after-impact reaction?
Quote:
Und außerdem stellen Aluminium ebenso wie Eisenoxide im Hochbau häufig verwendete Materialien dar und die Flugzeuge bestanden zu einem sehr großen Teil aus Aluminium, dass möglicherweise sogar selber in Brand geriet. Ihr Auftreten in den Trümmern sollte also eigentlich keine Überraschung sein.
Some have suggested, that the nanothermitic material could be formed from the ingredients in the fires is WTC.
This is total nonsense from a chemical point of view.
Imagine, that you have a camp fire.
Imagine, that you into this fire thow sulfur, small pieces of wood, some phosphorous, some ground glass and some binder.
Would you expect – the next day, when the fire had gone out – to find a box of matches in the ashes?
No. You cannot produce a thermally unstable compound at elevated temperatures.
Differential scanning calorimetry
Quote:
Auch zur Differentialkalorimetrie wäre noch einiges zu sagen. Zum einen wurde diese nicht, wie sonst üblich, unter Schutzgas, oder zumindest einmal im Sauerstoff-Anstrom und ein zweites Mal unter Schutzgas durchgeführt, sondern unter normaler Atmosphäre.
The DSC measurements were conducted with access of the atmosphere because these were the conditions for the only published comparable measurement by Tillotson. We contacted Dr. Tillotson personally on the phone, and he informed us of this detail.
Furthermore, WTC was not demolished under argon.
Final remark
On an end-note I wish to bring Dr. Ries my heartfelt thanks for the interest, which he has shown by his work, in our publication,. And I wish to compliment him for the great effort he has put into educating me and his readers in the art of electron microscopy, which has developed into a highly sophisticated dicipline the last years. I shall certainly be the last to claim, that all our experiments were conducted perfectly, and I have no objection if the observations are weighted in accordance with the reservations put forward by dr. Ries.
However, on an end-note, I wish to remind everybody, that a scientific theory much take into account all the evidence presented in order to be valid.
I would therefore remind Dr. Ries, that the red/grey chips react violently in a reaction producing elemental iron.
If Dr. Ries can come up with a coherent, comprehensive model to explain all the evidence including this, I will be happy to consider it.
Yours sincerely
Niels Harrit
Mondsohn schrieb:PS: In diesem Geflame zu nennenden Sperrfeuer werde ich nicht weiter schreiben, die Un-Lesbarkeit nimmt mit zunehmenden Geflame expontiell zu
Africanus schrieb:Damit gibt er zu, was zu vermuten war, nämlich dass Harrit keinen Beitrag zur Studie geleistet hat. Wie sollte er auch, Röntgenanalytik ist nicht sein Fachgebiet und die nötigen Geräte hat er an seiner Universität in Kopenhagen auch nicht zur Verfügung.
