Sodium explosion videos

When you drop a chunk of sodium in water, it will explode. This guy has posted videos of his "experiments" with large chunks of the unstable metal.
 Periodictable Stories 011.2 Pictures Research Releaseotron.Big.TThe first step was the procurement, through eBay, of three and half pounds of solid sodium metal for about a hundred dollars. This is a decent price for a small quantity like this. Small being a relative term: It's used by the ton in industry, but anything more than a few grams is a dangerous quantity if found in your home. Three and a half pounds is enough, for example, to blow your home to bits under the right conditions.

Link (Thanks, Chris!)

Mark Frauenfelder

My latest book, Made by Hand, now in paperback. Follow me on Twitter.

Comments are closed.

Where not otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States and other countries.