KS Fluid

KS Fluid (Rus: КС зажигательная жидкость) was a Soviet incendiary agent used during World War II as an anti-tank weapon. It was used in bottles which had to be thrown into the tank's engine intake. It has no civilian applications, so making it is a prime example of kewlism.

The mixture is also known under several other names, such as KS mixture, Koshkin mixture, Kachugin-Solodovnik mixture.

Properties

KS Fluid is a yellow or greenish yellow liquid. It burns with a very hot flame and is capable of self-igniting if left in open air. It resembles the fictional incediary "Wildfire" from the TV series "Game of Thrones" very much in its properties. While burning, it emits noxious fumes of sulfur dioxide and phosphorus pentoxide smoke.

Components

• Carbon disulfide - solvent;
• Sulfur and white phosphorus - dissolved in the solvent;
• If one wants to completely emulate the "Wildfire", down to the green flame, one should add triethyl borate to the mixture.

Availability

KS Fluid is a deprecated military incendiary, so it is not available for sale. However, one can discover bottles of old KS-Fluid in World War II battlefield excavation sites in Eastern Europe, especially Russia and Belarus. Accidentally breaking such a bottle with a shovel can be very dangerous.

Preparation

You can make this dangerous liquid by dissolving white phosphorus and sulfur in carbon disulfide. But why should you?

Handling

Safety

KS Fluid is toxic and pyrophoric. Work should be done in a chamber filled with inert gas, like a glovebox.

Storage

It can be stored in completely sealed bottles or ampoules.

Disposal

KS Fluid can be destroyed by burning. This should be performed in open air, in a remote location due to large amounts of sulfur dioxide and phosphorus pentoxide emitted.

References

Relevant Sciencemadness threads

• Red phosphorus for phosphorus pentoxide ?