zaibatsu
October 13th, 2002, 09:50 AM
Mr Cool
Frequent Poster
Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 18, 2001 03:16 PM
Can anyone help me?!
I've made HMTD literally hundreds of times, so I was a bit surprised last time when the reacting solution turned a light shade of pink!
I used hexamine fuel tablets, citric acid from the wine making section in "Boot's" and 9% H2O2 (also contains phosphoric acid and phenacetein as stabilisers I think) from a pharmacy. They're the same ingredients as I always use. The pink colouration wasn't due to diffraction from tiny gas bubbles or anything because it didn't depend on the angle of the light source.
I'm absolutely sure the flask I did it in was clean, because I always wash them extremely thoroughly because I'm paranoid of contamination.
The finished HMTD wasn't affected at all, I'm just curious about why it happened.
Any ideas?
Zero
Frequent Poster
Posts: 93
From: ...
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 20, 2001 09:57 PM
Erm... It's setting up valentine's day decorations? All the stores are...
~Zero the Inestimable
CragHack
Frequent Poster
Posts: 606
From:
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 21, 2001 01:15 AM
i am almost 100% sure it was contamination of some sort. whether the jar itself was contaminated, or something was in one the ingrediants you baught. if you are paranoid, discard the HMTD (flush it in a public restroom)
------------------
...Æ
vehemt
Frequent Poster
Posts: 580
From: Canada
Registered: SEP 2000
posted January 21, 2001 01:16 AM
Burn it to dispose of it.
Small quantities at a time (less than a gram).
ALENGOSVIG1
Moderator
Posts: 766
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: NOV 2000
posted January 21, 2001 01:18 AM
or you could put it in a pile outside like a backyard and light it all off with a fuse onconfined..or..put it on a plastic bag and make an exploding bb gun target! those are often fun
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Explosives Archive
Smartguy
A new voice
Posts: 11
From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted January 21, 2001 07:46 AM
quote:Originally posted by ALENGOSVIG1:
or you could put it in a pile outside like a backyard and light it all off with a fuse onconfined...
I sure wouldn't advise you to do that! Not unless you want it to detonate.
Years ago, I had to get rid of about 30 grammes of HMTD. But how? I decided to take it with me in one single sheet of tissue paper. Put a fuse in it, lit and dropped while I got away. I expected a fireball....but got an ear-defening explosion!
BE WARNED!
Mr Cool
Frequent Poster
Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 21, 2001 08:32 AM
I made it into lots of little 1 gram charges and set them off in the garden to get rid of it, although it seemed fine.
I now know what it was! A few crystals of KMnO4 had somehow got inside the lid of the bottle I was using, and one or two had fallen in, but I didn't notice until I looked closely. I didn't like the idea of HMTD contaminated with a catalyst because it could decompose or detonate when I didn't want it to, so I got rid of it.
Thanks for your help though.
Frequent Poster
Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 18, 2001 03:16 PM
Can anyone help me?!
I've made HMTD literally hundreds of times, so I was a bit surprised last time when the reacting solution turned a light shade of pink!
I used hexamine fuel tablets, citric acid from the wine making section in "Boot's" and 9% H2O2 (also contains phosphoric acid and phenacetein as stabilisers I think) from a pharmacy. They're the same ingredients as I always use. The pink colouration wasn't due to diffraction from tiny gas bubbles or anything because it didn't depend on the angle of the light source.
I'm absolutely sure the flask I did it in was clean, because I always wash them extremely thoroughly because I'm paranoid of contamination.
The finished HMTD wasn't affected at all, I'm just curious about why it happened.
Any ideas?
Zero
Frequent Poster
Posts: 93
From: ...
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 20, 2001 09:57 PM
Erm... It's setting up valentine's day decorations? All the stores are...
~Zero the Inestimable
CragHack
Frequent Poster
Posts: 606
From:
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 21, 2001 01:15 AM
i am almost 100% sure it was contamination of some sort. whether the jar itself was contaminated, or something was in one the ingrediants you baught. if you are paranoid, discard the HMTD (flush it in a public restroom)
------------------
...Æ
vehemt
Frequent Poster
Posts: 580
From: Canada
Registered: SEP 2000
posted January 21, 2001 01:16 AM
Burn it to dispose of it.
Small quantities at a time (less than a gram).
ALENGOSVIG1
Moderator
Posts: 766
From: Vancouver, Canada
Registered: NOV 2000
posted January 21, 2001 01:18 AM
or you could put it in a pile outside like a backyard and light it all off with a fuse onconfined..or..put it on a plastic bag and make an exploding bb gun target! those are often fun
------------------
Explosives Archive
Smartguy
A new voice
Posts: 11
From:
Registered: JAN 2001
posted January 21, 2001 07:46 AM
quote:Originally posted by ALENGOSVIG1:
or you could put it in a pile outside like a backyard and light it all off with a fuse onconfined...
I sure wouldn't advise you to do that! Not unless you want it to detonate.
Years ago, I had to get rid of about 30 grammes of HMTD. But how? I decided to take it with me in one single sheet of tissue paper. Put a fuse in it, lit and dropped while I got away. I expected a fireball....but got an ear-defening explosion!
BE WARNED!
Mr Cool
Frequent Poster
Posts: 991
From: None of your bloody business!
Registered: DEC 2000
posted January 21, 2001 08:32 AM
I made it into lots of little 1 gram charges and set them off in the garden to get rid of it, although it seemed fine.
I now know what it was! A few crystals of KMnO4 had somehow got inside the lid of the bottle I was using, and one or two had fallen in, but I didn't notice until I looked closely. I didn't like the idea of HMTD contaminated with a catalyst because it could decompose or detonate when I didn't want it to, so I got rid of it.
Thanks for your help though.