It had been an entirely new elemental state of gold, classified as m-state. Rather than its usual metallic matrix, the white powder was gold broken down into individual atoms. Monatomic, or m-state. Until recently, scientists had no idea that gold could transmute, both naturally and artificially, into an inert white powder form.
Another feature of the Sigma novels is the exploration into esoteric sciences and how it might impact (or threaten) us today. I subscribe to dozens of scientific and technical magazines. I search through them, looking for those scientific facts that make me go "What If?" In this case, I had read an article about monatomic gold, a rare state of gold that seemed to bear some astounding and strange properties. I consulted with material scientists and physicists to try to separate fact from fiction. What I learned was startling, so much so that I knew I needed to build a book around it.
