havokane
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mythbusters/rocket fuel question
i was watching the exploding pants episode, and while they were making the exploding pants, they tried to cover up the recipe, but i saw the label of
the herbicide. it was ammonium nitrate, but whats the acid they mix with it. picric? nitric? im just curious. it has a similar, albiet less stable
reaction as potassium nitrate and sugar. would potassium nitrate and a specific liquid have a similar reaction? the nitrates act as the oxidizer, and
the sugar acts as an fuel, but what acid has properties that act as a fuel?
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12AX7
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Nah, it was sodium chlorate. AN isn't shock sensitive. Not like chlorates are, anyway.
I don't know of any acid that acts as a fuel, outside of carboxylic acids (acetic acid burns), which aren't as strong as mineral acids. About the
most acidic fuel (as such) would be an -ide, such as silicide or sulfide, the acid of which would be hydrosilic (H4Si, or more often SiH4, silane) or
hydrosulfuric acid (H2S, hydrogen sulfide), neither of which is particularly acidic, or even particularly stable in water (an acid itself,
hydro-oxygenic acid if you will  ).
Tim
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havokane
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thanks for the help. the only reason i said acid as a fuel, is because i remember them saying something about adding an acid. thanks for correcting me
about the oxidizer though, so now i can scour google somemore to look for the mix.
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12AX7
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The thing about chlorate is, when you add acid, you release unstable chloric acid, which tends to explode when it comes in contact with organic
material, like cotton pants.
Pants (or a mixture of the salt with sugar or starch or just about anything else burnable) impregnated with sodium or potassium chlorate will ignite
when touched with a rod wetted with sulfuric acid. Popping will be heard when the rod is touched.
Tim
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havokane
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i guess you havent seen that particular episode, but what they did was mix up the herbicide with and unknown liquid, dipped the pants in it, let it
dry, and then tested ways to ignite it. friction, flame, radiant heat, and impact. it detonated from every method except friction. so it wasnt the
chemical reaction itself that set it off. but its nice to have a conversation with a person willing to share information for a change.
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12AX7
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Oh, well then that's just water... sodium chlorate is rather soluble...
Tim
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Odyssèus
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They could have been converting the cotton to nitrocellulose. The acid would be to create nitric acid from AN then.
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Swany
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They tried that, and had an amazing runaway. I don't really understand what you are saying.
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havokane
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if your refering to me, im just trying to find out what the 2 chemicals were that they used. if you are talking to odysseus, i dont really understand
his post either.
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Odyssèus
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For example:
NH4NO3 + H2SO4 => (NH4)2SO4 + HNO3
2HNO3+ C6H10O5 => C6H8(NO2)2O5 + 2H2O
Guess my first post didnt come out very clearly.
[Edited on 8-6-2006 by Odyssèus]
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Pommie
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If it's the episode I remember, it was the discovery of nitrocellulose. Pants being cotton with a bit of mixed acid added.
Mike.
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havokane
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it wasnt about the discovery of nitrocellulose, it was something about farmers in NZ whose pants were randomly exploding. they attributed it to a new
herbicide that was intorduced to stop some supergrass the killed crops and cattle.
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DeAdFX
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pommie
If it's the episode I remember, it was the discovery of nitrocellulose. Pants being cotton with a bit of mixed acid added.
Mike. |
If I got Nitric/sulfuric acid on my clothing nitrocellulose would the least of my worries. I don't think having discolored slabs of meat would be the
most enjoyable thing.
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urbs
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Episode 53, "Exploding Pants" will air again September 9, 2006 @ 6:00 p.m. check your local schedules. My guess, although I haven't seen the
episode, is that the material in question is Sodium Chlorate, previously a common herbicide. Quite water soluble, it would end up impregnated in the
cotton fibers of jeans. NaClO3 has a low temperature of decomposition, and gives up its oxygen easily causing the combustion of many organic
materials. Shimizu's H3 is a KClO3 + charcoal burst charge that is said to be more stable than many other chlorate comps, but is not known to be tame
by any estimation!!
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