An explosive from Liquid Plumber
Created | Updated Mar 14, 2003
This entry contains instructions for creating an extremly low power explosive for use mainly in school chemestry projects and entertaining the kids. It also makes for a nifty trick at parties. I got myself a few extra credit points in my high school chemestry class demonstrating this. I recommend that all work described be done outside by adults.
As far as I know, none of this is illegal
What you will need:
Directions:
Fill your bottle about halfway with Liquid Plumber. Stuff as much of the aluminum foil in there as you can. One good way to do this is to roll or ball it up very tightly. You might have some trouble with the narrow bottle neck. I used a pen to push the foil down into the bottle. Fit the ballon neck over the lip of the bottle. After a bit you will notice the liquid in the bottle is bubbling. At this point the balloon will start to fill with gas. This gas is hydrogen, which as you may know is highly combustible. Make sure the balloon stays securely on the bottle. The bottle will also heat up at this point. Once you have a pretty good amount of gas trapped in the balloon, pinch the neck shut, remove it, and tie it off. Your bottle will probably still have a energetic reation going. Take it outside and let it sit till it is finished. Now, what to do with a balloon full of hydrogen? Ignite it of course! Oh, do not let go of the balloon! Hydrogen is lighter than air so if you happen to let go, the balloon will promptly zoom skyward. Secure the ballone using string, tape, whatever. Just make sure it isn't near anything you would mind catching fire. Now, tape a match to a yardstick or something similar. The idea here is to light the ballon without getting your hand near it. When the flame burns through the rubber and hits the gas, you will get a fireball approximately the size of the balloon and a fairly lound WUMP sound. Now cry "Oh, the humanity!" and see if anybody catches the reference. The fireball will only last for a fraction of a second.
