Incendiary silver

By Declan Fleming2017-03-01T14:50:00

Source: © Declan Fleming

An impressive organometallic explosive

Calcium carbide and the ethyne gas it produces on contact with water are a rich source of exciting demonstrations. In previous columns we have explored ethyne’s unsaturation and used it to propel food cans into the air, but in this issue we produce a contact explosive capable of producing some impressive bangs.

With a video and attached technicians’ notes this article provides a step by step guide to safely producing this demonstration.

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