Date:         Tue, 26 Sep 1995 10:01:00 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Maher, Steve (SD-MS)" <SMAHER@PO2.GI.COM>
Subject:      RE: Aluma-Seal Confessions


>BUT Aluma-Seal has some other interesting properties!  it is
>essentially just powdered aluminum, when mixed with 12N nitric acid
>it causes a highly exothermic reaction!  WARNING: don't try it at
>home or anywhere else (yeah, right).  i found this out the hard way
>when making up a set of metals standards for some AA (atomic
>absorption, not the booze thing) spectroscopy work.  the sight of
>that  violently shaking, boiling, spewing volumetric flask scared me
>more than any other Stupid Thing i've done in labs.
>
>also, powdered Al is what creates the white 'flash' in fire-crackers.


It's also one of the two ingredients in a thermite reaction. If you think
burning a VW case is fun, you ain't seen nothin yet. You use a strip of
magnesium as a fuse, just to get a thermite reaction STARTED.

And no, I'm not going to tell you what the rest of the reaction participants
are. Even I have limits. I will just point out, that thermite surpassed
even napalm as an antipersonnel weapon in 'Nam. 'nuff said.