Krastsvetmet, located beside the beautiful Yensei river in the metropolis of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, is a refinery of all types of precious metals on an industrial scale.

If we were to burn NH4Cr2O7 with HgSCN in the Dark Ages in Europe and show it to anyone, it is us who would be burning next on a fiery cross of Inquisition. And it’s no wonder, since this experiment produces a truly marvelous result. At first, as you ignite the mixture of NH4Cr2O7 and HgSCN, all you can see is that it is slowly burning with a reddish flame. After a while, however, a crater is formed in the middle of the burning pile, and then, suddenly, tentacle-like appendages start sprouting from the burning mixture. And you can almost hear the scream of the mad occultist – “Come forth, Kraken! Come forth!” But of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that is called the "Pharoah's Serpent". It was also often sold in firework stores until people realized that it was toxic.

A competitor poses before the Tough Guy Challenge endurance race on January 27, 2013 in Telford, England. Every year thousands of people run the 8 mile assault course which involves freezing temperatures, fire and ice. (Photo by Michael Regan)

An infrared portrait from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope which shows generations of stars is seen in this undated NASA handout image released February 14, 2013. In this wispy star-forming region, called W5, the oldest stars can be seen as blue dots in the centers of the two hollow cavities (other blue dots are background and foreground stars not associated with the region). Red shows heated dust that pervades the region's cavities, while green highlights dense clouds. (Photo by NASA/Reuters/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian/Handout)

Toyota revealed its i-Road concept, a three-wheeled all-electric motorcycle of sorts that seats two. The unique design is only 33 inches wide, which would make it tops in buzzing in through and around traffic. An Active Lean system tilts the i-Road through corners like a motorbike, while the cabin (which seats two in a tandem layout) is fully enclosed. Maximum range is about 30 miles. (Photo by Luis Fernando Ramos/G1)

A schoolgirl collects rubbish from Karachi's Clifton beach early morning April 22, 2013, during a cleaning campaign as part of the commemoration of Earth Day. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Taylor Swift performs at the Billboard Music Awards. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision)