Mythbusting, Tuesday, 7/28, Period 2
There were ice baths set up at each Danger Shop lab station today, and Tyler tossed goggles and gloves at each student as they came in. He folded his arms and waited for the class to settle before beginning. If he was enjoying teaching this session a little less than he normally did, he gave little sign.
Then he reached onto his desk and held up a container of clear, thick stuff. "So this," he said, "is the extra glycerin from the soap we made the first week. And now it's time to get to the fun part and make it nitroglycerin. Not a straight myth, but hey, it seems worth exploring in class."
He pointed out two vials on his desk. "This is nitric acid. The big one is sulfuric acid. What you're going to do is add the nitric to to three times the amount of sulfuric in the ice batch, then start adding the glycerin with an eyedropper."
"This is a delicate reaction, so please, work in pairs if you can stand it. One person watches the vat, other one drops in the glycerin. You'll know you're done when it gels up."
"Once you see that happen, you can scoop it out and mix it with sawdust to get a plastic explosive. You can roll it together and light it on fire. We don't have to do that this week, but if you have time, we have a lovely shooting range for you to test it in." He gestured to the back wall of the shop and hit a button on the control panel, transforming it into a wall of assorted moddable targets.
"You can also fake a similar reaction with some supermarket stuff -- Diet Pepsi and kitty litter, or orange juice and gasoline. I'm handwavily passing around a handout on that stuff, if you're interested and want to do that instead of nitro. Just remember, this is Danger Shop only."
"Go to work. I'll be around. Ino, if you're here please wait after class."
Then he reached onto his desk and held up a container of clear, thick stuff. "So this," he said, "is the extra glycerin from the soap we made the first week. And now it's time to get to the fun part and make it nitroglycerin. Not a straight myth, but hey, it seems worth exploring in class."
He pointed out two vials on his desk. "This is nitric acid. The big one is sulfuric acid. What you're going to do is add the nitric to to three times the amount of sulfuric in the ice batch, then start adding the glycerin with an eyedropper."
"This is a delicate reaction, so please, work in pairs if you can stand it. One person watches the vat, other one drops in the glycerin. You'll know you're done when it gels up."
"Once you see that happen, you can scoop it out and mix it with sawdust to get a plastic explosive. You can roll it together and light it on fire. We don't have to do that this week, but if you have time, we have a lovely shooting range for you to test it in." He gestured to the back wall of the shop and hit a button on the control panel, transforming it into a wall of assorted moddable targets.
"You can also fake a similar reaction with some supermarket stuff -- Diet Pepsi and kitty litter, or orange juice and gasoline. I'm handwavily passing around a handout on that stuff, if you're interested and want to do that instead of nitro. Just remember, this is Danger Shop only."
"Go to work. I'll be around. Ino, if you're here please wait after class."