Quote:
Originally Posted by AstralTraveller
Very cool. Before I realised it's called Pharaoh’s serpent I was thinking 'Phoenix rising'. The chemistry is explained here but the most important part says: "All aspects of the reaction can be hazardous, including handling the mercury thiocyanate, breathing the smoke or touching the ash column, and contact with the remains of the reaction during clean-up. If you perform this reaction, use appropriate safety precautions for dealing with mercury." |
This stuff used to be the principle ingredient in a Halloween firework designed for kids!!
I think it was called the "Burning Schoolhouse" or something. At the end all these 'snakes' would emerge.
In Canada, they were banned in about 1980 as inhaling Mercury vapour was, after much diliberation, considered un-sound.
