Stink bomb

[Flake2m]

I am after a decent stink bomb that produces a bad smell fairly quickly.
I want to avoid using ignition to start the reaction as this creates heat and heat would not be good if I want to minimise damage to property. (I dont want to make burn marks on lino.)

The main idea I had was to use the reaction between FeS and Hydrochloric acid this would create H2S, which I know is a poisionus gas but compared to other gasses, it really stinks and wont create lasting effects to people exposed to it.
I figured out this simple idea then I wondered "how am I going to start the reaction without gassing myself" so I figured that maybe if one of the chemicals was in something like a balloon, the reaction could start by bursting the balloon in the container and then either running off or throwing the device before too much gas is evolved. though tis created a futher problem, Glass shatter when you throw it, and a tin can would be affected by the HCl, plastic container are hard to get of in the right shape suitable for the stink bomb and carrying around.

The third problem I had was that since Hydrochloric acid is corrosive, if any spilt out of the container, they would be difficult to handle.

To some it all up I am after a stinkbomb that has the following specs:
1. dosen't create a large amount of heat. I want to be able to use it inside on lino flors.
2. Isn't going to be a bitch to handle or clean up.
3. Has to really stink
4. Fairly simple and easy to make (I need about 10).

If the device can also create thick smoke then thats a bonus.:D

[bobo]

I don't like the idea of a two component stink bomb at all. Why not just keep some stinky stuff in a glass bottle and throw it? Things that really stink are mercaptanes.If you can get hold of mercapto-ethanol or the like you're set. I know that spilling even one drop of this stuff can keep people from a room. I think it is very volatile at that.

If you're sure about two component stuff, can't you use a weak acid like vinegar? Also, if you get hold of butyric acid it's horrible (the stuff that makes your socks stink if you don't wash your feet). I think that a butyrate salt is without much smell. It would form butyric acid though on exposure to an acid...

[aikon]

I agree to bobo's advice to use butyric acid. An animal welfarist threw it through the window in a restaurant where they sold exotic enndangered animals. They had to close the restaurant for 2 weeks! Butyric acid is not difficult to get where i live and it should be available in most free countries. Butyric acid is heavily used in the manufacturing process of synthetic material, medication and pest control chemicals. BA excites the eyes and the respiratory system but it's one of the weaker carbon acids.

[vulture]

Butyric acid is what causes the repulsive smell of "rotten" butter.

Another choice would be dimethylsulfide, or other organic disulfides.

[Tuatara]

Hmmm, Australia... Crushed wattle tree seeds in water. Thats fairly evil.

[Flake2m]

Wattle seeds hmmmmmm. That would be a very easy to aquire stink agent
Butyric acid is another possibilty, though harder to get.

Now we need to find an effective way to deliver the stink agent to the area subtly and quickly. Of course I dont want to be in the area, because if I get caught = no graduation
If butyric acid is fairly volatile then I might be able to simply put some in a water bomb then through it in the area, however high volatility can also mean low permability to rubber.

bobo; if butyric acid is as powerful as you say it is, then I wont be needing much for it to work its magic. :D

[Efraim_barkbit]

First of all, I have not made the two described "stinking agents" myself, so I do not know if they works.


BUTYRIC ACID (C₃H₇COOH)

Ingredients: 3 parts HCl, 2 parts NaOH, 2,5 parts Butter, 1,5 parts cold water. (Parts by volume)

Mix NaOH, the cold water and the butter and heat slowly and "almost boil". after half an hour, a yellow beige foam will start to form on top. Take the foam off and save it. Continue until no more foam forms. Discard the brown liquid that is left.
Mix the foam with the HCl slowly while stirring, and let dissolve. When nothing more dissolves, your butyric acid is ready for use.

Translated from Swedish, Source unknown.

if you can make H₂S, this might be something for you: (if it works)

ETHYL MERCAPTAN (formula C₂H₅SH)

H₂S + C₂H₅OH --->C₂H₅SH + H₂O
H₂S gas is lead through concentrated ethanol, and forms C₂H₅SH, which is mentioned in the Swedish infomania to be one of the worst smelling substances in the world.
because it is a liquid, it should be easier to handle than H₂S gas, and quite easy to make too.
it´s Boiling point is 35degrees C and soluble in alcohol, so it should stay in solution with the ethanol used in the making.

The smallest noticeable amount in air is 0,00004mg/m^3.

Translated from swedish, source: the Swedish infomania.

Edit: changed "unknown" to "ethyl mercarptan"

[BrAiNFeVeR]

When burning Al powder and S in a stochiometric ratio (about 10grams Al + 17 grams S I thought, not sure) you get a dark grey solid in your crucible; Al2S3, which reacts with atmosferic H2O to form Al203 and H2S.

When placed in a cup of water, reaction goes fairly fast once 50°C and higher are reached (reaction is a bit exothermic)
Damage to property should remain within descent limits, and once the source of the stinky-ness is removed, the smell will dissapate within the hour if the room is somewhat ventilated.
No acid liquids/gasses and the reaction starts fairly slow, and can even be regulated by constricting the water flow, like packing a lump of Al2S3 in a moist/wet tissue.

The reaction might even work without Al powder if you just add S to molten Al, or make a small batch with Al powder and use the heat of that to start the reaction with Al foil with S powder inbetween the sheets of foil or something. I haven't really tried this.

[bobo]

[edit: thx vulture for correcting me]

Butter contains only a few % butyric acid. The process you describe frees glycerol from fatty acids. Most free fatty acids (FFA's) are long chains. From vinegar on to C7 or C8 acid they stink. Stinkyness is optimum around four C atoms I think. The longer chain length fatty acids do not stink anymore. So, mixing butter and NaOH will make your cream stink really hard but nowhere near the true power of butyric acid in all it's vomitable glory. Still, it might be good enough for your purposes.

The amounts of NaOH used in this synthesis looks a bit high, stoichiometrically you need only one OH- ion per fatty acid chain. The more excess you have the faster it goes but you'll toss in a lot of HCL to neutralize. The exact amount depends on the chain lengths of each but already butyrate is 88g/mol while NaOH is 40 g/mol. I'd say 1/4 by weight is more than enough already.

[zeocrash]

Hydrolosis of various nylons gets you some nasty smelling amines, (putrescine, cadaverine etc.).
For stink bombs i use a mixture of citric acid crystals and iron sulfide though. this stinks when water is added to it and is fairly safe to use.

[vulture]

Butyric acid is C3H7COOH, notice that there are 4 carbon atoms, so it is the acid of butane.
You may also call it propanecarbonic acid (because the carbonic refers to an extra carbon atom).

C4H9COOH is pentyric acid or butanecarbonic acid.

[Flake2m]

I have been doing some of my own tests.
Some of the flora that is near my house has an awful smell, the leaves of the curry tree are quite rank, when you crush and boil them. However this wouldn't be volatile enough for use unless the mixture was directly applyed to the victim.. I mean target ;).

Efraim_Barkbit; I might try synthising C2H5SH as all the chemicals needed are freely avalible. I have done a search on this compound and it has a strong garlic odour, ver low odour threshold (1ppb) plus it isn't toxic at low concerntrations.
It should also be quite volatile.
BTW the compund is called; ethyl mercarptan

At the moment my method of delivery is going to be via a water bomb, though a water pistol might also be an idea.

[Efraim_barkbit]

Hydrogen peroxide or HCl reacts with Sodiumditionite to form H₂S, wich in turn reacts with ethanol to form Ethyl mercaptan.

Mix two parts ethanol, two parts HCl or H₂0₂ and one part Na₂O₄S₂

This will not produce as good results as the H₂S gas through ethanol route, and it wont be as pure, but is VERY simple and can be put together quickly, with minimal effort.
I give no guarantees that it will work, but it is clamed in the swedish infomania to have been succesfully tested.

[xyz]

Another way of generating H2S is to mix an acid with a metal sulfide, a friend and I stank out one of the chemistry rooms at shool by soaking a sponge in sodium sulfide solution, then putting it the cupboard and pouring HCl onto it. We then moved away quickly and in a few minutes the whole room stank of H2S.

A very effective method of delivery for stinky liquids would be a bottle of the liquid with a waterproofed salute inside.