[RocketsNW] Never mix chemicals and food (another tip for EXers)

[Joe Bevier]

This has met thinking about food as propellant.  Has anyone ever tried
making a rocket motor powered by Mentos and
Diet Coke? Not sure it would blow the lower half of your face off but I'm
not going to swallow them at the same time. There's quite a reaction that
makes me wonder if it could be used like a high pressure water rockets. Look
up some of the online videos of this if you have not seen it before.  Maybe
I'll whip something up for the next Ex launch.

-Strangely,
Joe

On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 10:35 PM, <kmcgoffin at worldaccessnet.com> wrote:

> To be really fair, if you've been following economic trends then you know
> there are an awful lot of 25-year-olds living with their folks right here
> in the US.  But we're better off than the Ukraine: Most of our
> 25-year-olds living at home have already graduated from college.  :-0
>
> But I wonder where he was getting his citric acid crystals.  Perhaps it
> was some guy at the chemical supply house who couldn't read the labels.
> Really bad luck...  Personally though, I suspect foul play.
>
> +McG+
>
>
> > To be fair, the economy in the Ukraine being what it is, I suspect many
> > people live with their folks longer trhan we would expect over here.
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rockets-bounces at rocketsnw.com [mailto:
> rockets-bounces at rocketsnw.com]
> > On Behalf Of Robert Krausert
> > Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 8:16 PM
> > To: Schurke, Peter; NW Rocketry
> > Subject: Re: [RocketsNW] Never mix chemicals and food (another tip for
> > EXers)
> >
> > Urban Legends gives this a green light. Agreed as seems far fetched. But
> > thus far, sources on Al Gores internets all show this as a real event.
> > Somewhere in the Ukraine.
> >
> > I'm just needing to ask, why still a student at 25 years of age and still
> > living at home. Now no offense anyone. I realize the higher education
> > takes
> > time. But my reason for the comment, was this person into other
> chemicals,
> > and thereby reducing his awareness to potential danger.
> >
> > "Mom! Ricky blew his head off again. Bring the mop,"
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Robert
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Schurke, Peter" <pmschurke at seattleschools.org>
> > To: "NW Rocketry" <rockets at rocketsnw.com>
> > Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2010 7:41 PM
> > Subject: Re: [RocketsNW] Never mix chemicals and food (another tip for
> > EXers)
> >
> >
> >> As a chemist, I'm going to hold off on my urge to call B.S. on this one
> >> until I've done more research, but the urge is awfully strong.
> >>
> >> There's not many things a student can get a hold of that both classify
> >> as
> >> shock sensitive explosives and have enough power in the amount of
> >> chemical
> >
> >> that could transfer to a piece of gum to blow a person's head up.
> >>
> >> Most of the Darwin Awards are apocryphal--funny as hell, but fiction
> >> nonetheless.  I STRONGLY suspect this is one of them...
> >>
> >> Peter Schurke
> >> Science and Engineering Teacher, Lead Advisor
> >> Ingraham Aerospace Sciences Academy
> >> Ingraham High School
> >> 1819 N 135th St.
> >> Seattle, WA  98133
> >>
> >> ________________________________
> >>
> >> From: rockets-bounces at rocketsnw.com on behalf of Robert Nech
> >> Sent: Sun 1/24/2010 6:05 PM
> >> To: NW Rocketry
> >> Subject: [RocketsNW] Never mix chemicals and food (another tip for
> >> EXers)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> DOUBLEMINT DUMB -- Darwin Award -- NEW WINNER 2009!
> >>  December 2009, Russia
> >>
> >> In a scientific quest with unknown objectives, a student of the Kiev
> >> Polytechnic Institute inadvertently performed a chemical experiment on
> >> himself with fatal results.
> >>
> >> This 25-year-old chemistry student had acquired the peculiar habit of
> >> dipping his chewing gum in citric acid crystals while he worked,
> >> presumably
> >> to add a zesty flavor. He was hunched over at a computer in his parents'
> >> house in the northern Ukraine city of Konotop when, whether by intention
> >> or
> >> inattention, the student dunked his gum into an unidentified chemical
> >> and
> >> popped it back into his mouth.
> >>
> >> A loud pop was heard coming from his room. (Reports really said that.)
> >>
> >> Every academic laboratory emphasizes the importance of never eating near
> >> chemicals because it is easy to confuse a tasty beverage with a toxic
> >> liquid, or salt your salad with arsenic.
> >>
> >> Putting aside the question of what he was doing with chemicals at home,
> >> the
> >> student was well aware of the need to keep chemicals away from food. But
> >> there he was, deceased, the lower part of his face blown off. Police
> >> found
> >> packets of citric acid and a similar-looking substance believed to be an
> >> explosive material, and think the student simply confused the packets.
> >>
> >> A forensic examination established that the remains of the chewing gum
> >> was
> >> covered with an unidentified chemical substance believed to be
> >> explosive. At the time of the news reports, the local forensics lab did
> >> not
> >> have the necessary equipment to identify the substance.
> >>
> >> Reader Comments:
> >> "Blowing the ultimate bubble."
> >> "New Chewing Gum Flavor: Explosive"
> >> "Chin up, old chap, by gum."
> >> "Must have been one hell of a bubble."
> >> "Doublemint Dumb"
> >>
> >>  Reference: lenta.ru, www.en.rian.ru, RIA Novosti, etc.
> >>    VOTE: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2009-18.html
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
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