Thermite "Experiments"

It's from a british television program called braniac...They also use this purple paste for boobytraps, that explodes on the slightest touch when dry. But to their saying it is completely safe when wet. The composition was kept secret but they did mention it to contain ammonia and iodine ...

How kewlish is that!

[Edited on 27-4-2006 by nitro-genes]

I know it must have been this complex, I was just beeing cynical, because like darkblade said it cannot be really safe even when wet... I personally had a few milligrams of ammoinium triiodide detonating under water in a eppendorf tube once. It was made with PA grade ammonia and iodine. I put the tube in boiling water and suddenly POP!....So carrying a can full of it arround like they do seems a tad odd.
I wonder if they use some special stabiliser of some kind with this paste....

Not exactly 'science' either that requires 'brainiacs', just some wannabe kewls who think that buying thermites, and burning cars are the coolest thing anyone with a brain could do
Aside from this, I have my doubts about the validty of their 'experiments', when it comes to blowing up the petrol tank. The tank is quite thick, and to melt through so instantaneously seems rather strange. See the small hole it makes on the engine surface? Most of the metal simply runs off. Why should it then enter the car, go through the cushions, through some more metal, and then linger long enough on the tank to melt through it?

Kewls. Their stupid pretentios costumes say it all.

I don't think blowing up old cars is something young teens should be encouraged to do... I am sorry to say, in England some people douse cars in petrol, and watch it burn. You could call that science... or a nasty destructive trait, little fuckwits that need a serious slapping to sort them out.
Admittedly this may have been an old car...but so what? It's gonna sit there, spoil the landscape and so on, and everyone will say, 'it's not my car', so it will sit there forever. This may be fine in a place like america, where wastelands are common... .but here.. there simply isnt the space for such things.

I don't think that the merit of science has to be demonstrated with poor acts of destructionism, or even small-scale pollution/vandalism. There certainly are ways to demonstrate it in enticing ways, be it rockets, or shaped charges, or colourful changes in Mn oxidation states, or high voltage experiments.... but calling this science to 'entice' young aspiring teenagers to become scientists is just ridiculous.
Well that's my take on it anyway. Just go on burning your own cars, if you think that makes you a scientist

Chemoleo, the US isn't a wasteland filled with old car hulks. They are worth too much money, and would soon disappear into the local scrap-yard shedder. I do agree with you it sends the wrong message to burn or blow up cars. Maybe we could give the benefit of doubt to the show's producers, and hope they cleaned up their mess.

Looking at the big picture, maybe you are seeing the media's effort to appeal to the 'lowest common denominator'

The show is a bunch of kewls

However, that doesn't mean blowing up an old car wouldn't be fun

See what a pop bottle filled with methyl nitrate can do to the old thing (taking cover would probably be very well advised).


What worries me about it is that they're promoting blowing up a car as science, which it is not. Making the pop bottles worth of methyl nitrate would be science, demolishing the car is not.
And it probably sent a bunch of k3Wls out googling thermite so they can wreak their petty revenge on someone's car or whatever. Just what we need.