Newsgroups: alt.folklore.college
Date: Fri,  3 Apr 1992 17:36:09 -0500 
From: David Christopher Wiggins <dw3j+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: those wacky chemicals

Bart@Casbah.acns.nwu.edu writes:

>    One quick question for all you intrepid chemical pranksters-
> 
>    Can anyone tell me the name of the substance that is first made as a
>brown liquid, then, when poured on the floor, turns into an (mildly)
>explosive brown solid?
> 
>    I've seen this prank in this group before......

****************THE FOLLOWING IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES
ONLY****************

If you blow yourself up, I do NOT take responsibility, so if you try it,
BE CAREFUL. Also, these activities may or may not be appreciated by your
local law enforcement agency, so if you end up in jail, that's not my
problem either.

*******************************************************************************
*

OK. I don't know about the brown stuff, but I do know of a fairly easy
to produce contact explosive (I'm gonna get it right this time, 'cause
I've made it.)  Here's what you do: 

            1. Beg, borrow, or steal as much AgNO3 (silver nitrate)
crystals as                
               you can.

            2. Put 'em in solution with warm (100 F) water.

            3. Bubble C2H2 (acetylene) through the solution.

            4. Collect the precipitate.

The precipitate is the explosive. I forget what the stuff is called, or
the chemical formula. Luckily, I do remember how to handle the stuff
safely (as safe as explosives of this nature get.) It's easy, KEEP IT
WET. When it dries out, it becomes unstable, and therefore explosive.
Some neat tricks:

            1. Pack the wet precipitate into keyholes. When it
dries......don't                
               be around

            2. Sprinkle damp powdered precipitate on a dance floor when it 
               dries, it will crackle when walked on. But be sure to make sure 
               there are no chunks, as they will severely screw somebody up.

            3. SMALL (size of a BB, experiment here, as your purity may vary)
               chunks inside drawers, etc.

Now, most of you probably don't have welding rigs and you may be
wondering how to get small quantites of acetylene. Chemists may be
wondering why I specified that the AgNO3 solution be made up warm. Well,
if you can't find acetelene gas, go to an outdoor store. Ask for miner's
lamp carbide (CaC2, calcium carbide.) Once you have your carbide and
your AgNO3 sol'n, you can drop little pieces of carbide into the sol'n.
the carbide will react with the water in the sol'n, producing acetylene
and a slightly soluble calcium salt. If you keep the sol'n warm, less of
the calcium salt will precipitate, and you will get a more pure
explosive. Some warnings:

            1. Acetylene is ungodly explosive itself. NO OPEN FLAMES. I
would        
               suggest a steam plate for this procedure. I would be wary of 
               electric hot plates, as they sometimes spark inside.

            2. Acetylene is heavier than air, so take necessary precautions.

            3. If you plan to store your explosives for any amount of
time        
               before use, store then in a cool, dark place in a brown glass 
               bottle, under lots of water. Make sure it doesn't dry out.

That's it. Have fun, BE CAREFUL, and don't kill yourself.

-dave, the guy who only represents himself, and not his university