[i am bored (OP)]

i heard that if you put bathroom cleaners (tub and shower cleaners, countertop cleaners, ECT.) and aluminum foil in a bottle and let the mixture sit the bottle will explode. is this true

[i am bored (OP)]

i would try this myself but i don't want to destroy my yard theres no place where i can do an experiment in an controlled environment

[paul.fr]

I have never tried this, but will have a stab at what the answer could be.
I am guessing that the cleaner involved contains a fair percentage of hydrochloric acid, and it is this that causes the explosion.

I also think you will get more of a loud bang than an explosion, i bet $10 there is a video on youtube...

but don't take my word for it, others will, i'm sure have a better answer for you.

[eric l]

I checked the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for aluminium (e.g. http://www.falconbridge.com/documents/msds/Norandal_Salisbury_Al_Foil.pdf.)  Nothing alarming. 
Aluminium does react exothermically with halogens.  I would suspect hypochlorite (bleach) rather than hydrochloric acid.

[Bored chemist]

Aluminium is unusual in the it reacts with both acids (commonly used as limescale removers) and with strong alkalies (used as drain cleaners) to produce hydrogen.
Obviously the merit of having an explosion throwing corrosive liquids around the place is limited.
BTW, here's the inevitable youtube video.

[Sci4life]

get draino or caustic soda (NaOH) and mix it with aluminum balls and water in a bottle, put on the lid shake it and stand back.

The alkaline reacts vigourusly with the aluminum to relase hydrogen and once in a bottle the pressure will blow it up - havent tried putting it near a fire thou....

[i am bored (OP)]

you sound like you have experience in homemade bombs

[Sci4life]

I like to refer to it as homemade pyrotechnics but yes a bomb everynow and then is fun - who doesnt like destruction

[i am bored (OP)]

i like this guy

[RD]

i heard that if you put bathroom cleaners (tub and shower cleaners, countertop cleaners, ECT.) and aluminum foil in a bottle and let the mixture sit the bottle will explode. is this true

Mixing bathroom cleaners can result in the production of chlorine gas

The first killing agent employed by the German military was chlorine. German chemical companies BASF, Hoechst and Bayer (which formed the IG Farben conglomerate in 1925) had been producing chlorine as a by-product of their dye manufacturing.[4] In cooperation with Fritz Haber of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin, they began developing methods of discharging chlorine gas against enemy trenches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_gas_in_World_War_I

[i am bored (OP)]

i heard that if you put bathroom cleaners (tub and shower cleaners, countertop cleaners, ECT.) and aluminum foil in a bottle and let the mixture sit the bottle will explode. is this true

Mixing bathroom cleaners can result in the production of chlorine gas

The first killing agent employed by the German military was chlorine. German chemical companies BASF, Hoechst and Bayer (which formed the IG Farben conglomerate in 1925) had been producing chlorine as a by-product of their dye manufacturing.[4] In cooperation with Fritz Haber of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin, they began developing methods of discharging chlorine gas against enemy trenches.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_gas_in_World_War_I

i wasnt talking about mixing the chimicals thats dangerous. i was just naming chemicals that it might work with

[Carolyn]

i would try this myself but i don't want to destroy my yard theres no place where i can do an experiment in an controlled environment

Thank you Nic...your mother greatly appreciates this!



Especially since you've already caught the house on fire once!!!

[i am bored (OP)]

 []muhahahahaha! []not my fault you gave birth to a pyro lol

[telesound]

I blew myself and my bedroom up making hydrogen from aluminium foil and caustic soda in a chemistry set glass conical flask gas production apparatus.
It was producing hydrogen much better than zinc and HCl going through a water trap.
I decided to light the end of the exit tube and next thing I knew was that my ears were ringing and the room was covered in bits of glass and caustic soda.
Amazingly, non of it went in my eyes. (in those days, we did not use safety glasses)

[i am bored (OP)]

woah

I blew myself and my bedroom up making hydrogen from aluminium foil and caustic soda in a chemistry set glass conical flask gas production apparatus.
It was producing hydrogen much better than zinc and HCl going through a water trap.
I decided to light the end of the exit tube and next thing I knew was that my ears were ringing and the room was covered in bits of glass and caustic soda.
Amazingly, non of it went in my eyes. (in those days, we did not use safety glasses)

[telesound]

Hi Nic, yes, aluminium foil and sodium hydroxide solution is extremely good at producing hydrogen .
I suppose you have to light the hydrogen for it to be truly explosive but in a sealed glass container it probably would have enough pressure to shatter the container.
Calcium carbide and water is probably a better route if you want a pressure explosion or spontaneous ignition and explosion of the acetylene produced.
I remember seeing instructions for making a small depth charge with it.
Sodium metal and water is even better. Throw some down the sink drain in the chem lab and watch all the waste water blow out of all the other sinks.
Have you ever made ammonium tri-iodide? Thats good fun.
I made chlorine from bleach and something else once(? potassium permangenate?), nearly killed me when I took a good deep breath of it. Real nasty stuff.
Happy days !

[Carolyn]

Uhm.....


NIC - PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!!!!!

[i am bored (OP)]

oh darn

[telesound]

Oops sorry Nic.
Anyway, have you ever tried making Nitroglycerine? Quite easy really.

[i am bored (OP)]

no how do you do it