From: Axil Axil ➢ How might potassium catalyze the long chain like crystal structure typified in Ultra dense hydrogen?
This is an excellent question as it goes to various theories - all of which are based on insufficient proof and conflict with each other in the details. Mills is apparently sticking by his step-wise drops in “redundant” ground states - whereas the weakest claim of Holmlid is the picometer spacing. They both could be partly correct and partly incorrect. The actual hydrogen density and the lifetime of the species is not clear. Most likely they are talking about the same species, but the parameters differ greatly. IMO - the best evidence for the dense species ever produced still comes from Thermacore and they were able to document EUV emission at 54.4 eV at Carnegie Mellon after a long excess heat run. This Rydberg energy level could be important in the quest for understanding as it relates to “superelastic” scattering in potassium as well as other favored resonances and is of course predicted by Mills as the IP2 level of hydrogen. According to Zeiner-Gundersen (Norront) a better catalyst has been found (superior to the Shell styrene catalyst) which is the one Holmlid uses and is basically iron oxide and potassium. However, the composition of it is a trade secret. My guess is that it contains nickel as well as potassium and possibly some palladium. It would be very helpful for theory - to know if the better catalyst of Norront still contains potassium but in any event, the EUV level of 54.4 eV (sometimes rounded up to 55 eV in older papers) will probably be a key. Jones
