Can you make dynamite out of soap? This is one question that could easily be answered by those knowledgeable in Science and Chemistry.
The simple answer is yes. You can make a dynamite from soap and its ingredients. This is true, especially for your school project.
However, if you want to understand the basics of how this can be done, it is important that you read the next few paragraphs right away.
Disclaimer and Advice: This article is just for information for experimentation. Must be done with all safety measures. You are responsible for your action. And finally, do not become a problem for other or even yourself.
Making Dynamite from Soap: How Will You Do It?
Did you ever know that you can easily make dynamite from soap? All you need to have is a little bit of understanding about Chemistry to be able to formulate an explosive substance that could blow everything up in just a few seconds.
However, you would need to remember a few steps to be able to do it properly. Fortunately, we will get to discuss these steps to take in the subsequent paragraphs for you to better understand the formulation behind dynamite and how it can be related to soap ingredients down the line.
Ingredients Needed
If you are going to try and make dynamite for a school project, here is what you’ll need.
- Nitric Acid
- Glycerine
- Sawdust
Before going any further, let us first discuss some important points about the first two ingredients.
Nitric Acid: Composition and Makeup
Nitric Acid basically is a combination of three major chemical elements. Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen. Two of these three elements can be found in water already. On the other hand, severely high temperatures caused by major thunder storms can produce Nitrogen Dioxide that will in turn form the compounded element mentioned on the list above.
Fortunately, this particular type of acid easily dissolves into the atmosphere even before it reaches the earth. However, small amounts of this particular type of acid can also be found on the earth. This is why it can be use as one of the main components of dynamite.
Significant Reminders
It is extremely important to remember that you should not try to make your own pieces of dynamite without ample supervision. Otherwise, you might end up harming yourself and others in the process.
Do your homework first before beginning to create homemade dynamite. This way, you will not end up making severely dire mistakes down the line.
In the next paragraph, we will discuss more about Glycerine and what role it could play in the creation of a homemade dynamite. Just read on if you would like to learn more.
The Soap Composition: Learning the Importance of Glycerine
Now that we know more about Nitric Acid, Understanding more about the composition of soap is the next important step to take. Here are some additional details regarding the composition of soap and the significance of Glycerine in this whole process.
Soap is generally made from tallow which by definition refers to the white substance in soap composed of mainly animal fat. These white, pasty substances are also used in the manufacturing of candles or lubricants.
It is from the tallows that one can derive Glycerine. This chemical is one of the main components of dynamite. However, you would still need to let the tallows solidify to be able to scrape off pure Glycerine for the next stage of production.
Nitric Acid and Glycerine: A Lethal Combination
After extracting Glycerine from the soap tallows, you can then proceed and mix it up with Nitric Acid. This mixture would be then called Nitroglycerine. After this, you can add a bit of Nitrol and sawdust to effectively create and make the dynamite work.
The sawdust stabilizes the solution effectively. This way, it will not easily explode upon contact.
Safety Precautions
Now that you know how to make dynamite, handling it is an entirely different matter. This process is extremely dangerous especially for those inexperienced individuals. This is why it is important for anyone who is going to embark on this project to remember some important safety precautions.
Here are some of those safety tips as follows:
Wear Protective Gear
As with any experiments, you would have to wear protective gear to keep safe from the ill effects of the aforementioned chemicals on your skin. Although these chemicals are essentially safe by themselves, when mixed together, they can be extremely lethal.
Mix the Ingredients in Equal Measure
Combine the chemical solutions in equal parts. This means that you should measure the chemicals before combining them to make dynamite. Adding too little or too much of the ingredients may have dangerous effects down the line.
Ensure Proper Waste Disposal
To prevent possible effects of poisoning, you should be able to dispose of the residual chemicals properly after the experiment. Make it a point to ask your professor as to how you can dispose of the chemicals properly after the experiment.
Do The Experiment In An Isolated Location.
Make sure that you are able to do the experiment somewhere that is far away from unnecessary human contact. Being that you are dealing with potentially combustible mixtures, it would be best to get away from spectators to be safe.
Important Points to Remember
It is imperative that you are able to understand not only the basic composition and the steps in creating homemade dynamite, what is perhaps even more important is that you are able to understand the ramifications of creating homemade explosives.
This is not something that you do on a whim. You have to be psychologically prepared for something like this. If you feel like you can’t do it on your own, ask someone more knowledgeable to help you with this particular project.
Otherwise, as an amateur, it would be best not to try and do it on your own. The procedure would be much safer when done under supervision.
Final Words
These are just some of the basic bits of information that you need to learn about making dynamite out of an item that is usually used for maintaining personal hygiene.
It is important to reiterate that handling explosives substances such as dynamite is not something that you should take lightly. You have to make sure that you are able to take as many safety precautions as possible. This way, you will not only protect yourself effectively but also the people around you.
It is also imperative that to keep yourself informed. Do not underestimate the value of such simple things like soap. Oversight will not bode well especially if we’re talking about potentially explosive material.