Click on the image to view the video. As the page says "It is an explosive with no use other than a novelty."
An explanation from Matthew Jenks:
What you see there is nitrogen triiodide. The beauty of nitrogen triiodide is that, when it's wet, it's completely stable. When it dries out, the shit's as touchy as an overweight, middle-aged man about his car. As you can see, just brushing it with a feather can get it to go off. Later in my chemical career, my undergraduate professor for gen chem, quantitative analysis and p chem, Dr. Awesome, told me about how his room mates would whip up some nitrogen triiodide (he called it ammonia triiodide) and then those wily chemists would paint Dr. Awesome's keyhole (to his door, you sick f**ks) with the wet stuff. That way, when he finally rolled back to the dorm, he'd stick his key in the door and BLAM! Instant Heart Failure!!!
He said he was usually tipped off when he would step in front of his door and he'd hear a faint "Paff!" come from under his foot where he had stepped on a spot where the nitrogen triiodide had dripped off the paintbrush and dried on the floor. We chemists know how to have an awesome good time.
A long, long time ago I knew a couple of guys who were really into this stuff. It was amazing how big a bang a teeny-tiny grain of this stuff could make.
"A long, long time ago I knew a couple of guys who were really into this stuff."
And now those same guys are with US Special Forces, no doubt. Or in prison.
Posted by: Bruce Oksol | 07/13/2009 at 11:59 PM
Nitrogen triiodide is an extremely dangerous stuff to joke around with.
Glad to know that there are few smarties like Dr. Awesome....needless to say what would have become of our youth without his insight!
Posted by: Liquid Nitrogen | 07/18/2009 at 02:45 AM