Whats the truth in this one

TrevorW · #1 23-10-2011, 03:14 PM

I know I used to mix Glycerin and Condies crystals as kid to cause a reaction but the chemists out there how true is this one

Please refer attachment

mozzie (Peter) · #2 23-10-2011, 03:31 PM

wow never new that one..must be careful and i'll tell my kids not to pick up..

ZeroID (Brent) · #3 23-10-2011, 03:45 PM

Yup, true but I think It would go bang regardless. Caustic Soda ( NaOH, Sodium Hydroxide) plus Aluminium or Zinc gets lots of hydrogen and very hot water. Any disturbance would be enough to finish it off if it hasn't gone off already. We used to fill hydrgen balloons with this stuff, bottle with some Zinc and Caustic and pop a balloon over the top to pressurise. Then tie it off and let it go. We used to do other stuff as well but I'm not going to give young minds any silly ideas.

xelasnave · #4 23-10-2011, 03:46 PM

I used to make similar with caustic soda flakes and milk bottle tops

.

ADD water screw on the top and run... it all happened very fast.

Filling balloons with hydrogen was done with a beer bottle add the stuff set up the balloon and it inflated very fast..tie a knot cut off the excess balloon and let it go...sometimes we would add a paper wick on a calm day

...so one would get a nice ball of flame when the flame reached the balloon.

I think this reaction is the only chemical reaction that speeds up rather than as most slow down as the reaction progresses.

I tried a glass jet in a cork in a bottle with the reaction started and tried to see if it would burn ...bad idea I was lucky that the explosion did me no damage glass went everywhere...but not one cut.

I think all this offers contrary evidence to Stevens belief that kids are getting dumber...hopefully kids dont do that or the following these days.

We used to make bolt bombs...match heads in the cavity formed between two bolts scrwed together..tied string on this.. throw them up and they exploded on impact...many kids lost fingers tightening these things up... I then produced gun powder using potasium chlorate which worked exceptionaly well as it exploded via impact...

So was all that very smart or very stupid???

alex

RickS (Rick) · #5 23-10-2011, 03:53 PM

I used to make hydrogen from aluminium foil and caustic soda as a kid. Works well, but the reaction generates a lot of heat and the hydrogen contains water vapour (which makes it heavier if you're filling balloons) if you don't cool it and condense it out.

When my kids were small I showed them a few times. They got a real kick out of lighting a toilet paper wick attached to a hydrogen balloon and setting it loose. Under strict supervision, of course...

This process involves caustic and highly flammable substances so don't try it at home (or anywhere else).

Cheers,
Rick.

maris · #6 23-10-2011, 04:34 PM

Glycerine and potassium permanganate produce a strongly exothermic reaction. Given a slight excess of permanganate the mixture spontaneously combusts with much hot flame.

Be very very careful doing this!

Alchemy (Clive) · #7 23-10-2011, 05:18 PM

We used to mix formaldehyde and condies crystals, for fumigation, doesn't explode but sure kicks off a lot of gas...... Nasty stuff.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #8 23-10-2011, 06:37 PM

When I was a Fibreglass laminator we used to half fill a cup with Resin, then pour Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (the good quality hardener) on it.

In about 30 seconds it ignites in a hell of a fireball!

But beware, burning resin may hit you.

Terry B · #9 23-10-2011, 09:21 PM

The glycerine and condies is very useful .In the past when I was involved with the Bush fire brigade (now RFS) we used this mix in little plastic containers to light controlled burns in places where we couldn't get a drip torch. There is about a 30 second delay. Plenty of time to throw it over a cliff.

Ausrock (Chris) · #10 24-10-2011, 12:14 AM

It's the promoters in the resin that react with the MEKP..........putting a small amount of Cobalt (a promoter) in a cup and adding MEKP is quite "startling"......even more so when it's kinda accidental. Lots of fun to be had in a composites research lab

Quote:

Originally Posted by ballaratdragons

When I was a Fibreglass laminator we used to half fill a cup with Resin, then pour Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (the good quality hardener) on it.

In about 30 seconds it ignites in a hell of a fireball!

But beware, burning resin may hit you.

marki · #11 24-10-2011, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maris

Glycerine and potassium permanganate produce a strongly exothermic reaction. Given a slight excess of permanganate the mixture spontaneously combusts with much hot flame.

Be very very careful doing this!

Good to start the thermite reaction, kids love watching the teacher run

.

Mark

traveller (Bo) · #12 24-10-2011, 09:07 AM

Yep, tried this as a youngster in a park on a Friday night. The cops were onto us in five minutes flat. Each of us had our names and addresses taken and a severe dressing down. But that was the extent of it.
Would never get away with it now.

Bo

AstralTraveller (David) · #13 24-10-2011, 09:35 AM

No one has mentioned NI3 yet.

Touch powder is so much fun and satisfyingly dangerous.

Benno18 (Ben) · #14 24-10-2011, 10:38 AM

When I used to work in theatre, we used to use dry ice as a fog effect for scenes. there was always some left over for the after parties. coke bottle water and the ice makes for a bang. But a long delay, so you even get scared when it goes off!!!!! next door neighbours didn't get the joke though!!!!