Bonkers Busby
At secondary school we had a science teacher called Mr Busby. He was your archetypal science bod. He always wore a white coat, had mad white hair and had glasses that made is eyes seem huge. A bit like Doc from Back to the Future if you will.

During one lesson he and another teacher decided to put on a science show which basically consisted of them alternately freezing things and blowing things up. He also gave copius electric shocks to various terrified kids.

We also had a lesson where we distilled pure ethanol and we were allowed to taste it!

The best of all came during one lesson where we were all told to heat up flasks of a substance called Xylene which is very flammable. He made the classic mistake of telling everyone that it would catch on fire if it got too hot. Cue all of us turning up the bunsens too full-blast. Flame on! Within minutes, there was a jet of flame coming from almost everyone's flask. He came up with the bright idea of dousing the flames by covering the top of the flasks with something. Generally a good idea. However, using a plastic tray was not such a wise idea. When it came to my flask, it appeared the flames were out but as he lifted the tray up, the flask came with it ,as the tray, being plastic, had melted somewhat. We all knew what was coming next. The flask (still full of very hot Xylene) plummeted down and shattered on the workbench (those big wooden work benches with lots of sinks and gas points on them), spilling hot (and now on fire) Xylene everywhere. Our books, pencil cases, the lot were now on flames. After a moment of panic and shock, mad Busby rushed into the back room, grabbed a fire exinguisher and sprayed foam all over the place, inluding a few kids.

By the end of the lesson, about 5 people were half-covered in foam and were left with smouldering books and a few charred pencils.

From that moment, mad Busby was a legend in our school. I suspect, at that moment, at least one kid realised that sicence was not so boring after all. Maybe that was the plan all along.
(Tom Jones's Mojo Hasn't had any since, Thu 17 Mar 2011, 12:31, 1 reply)

Xylene
If I remember correctly, also a handy solvent and melter of plastics...
(442, Thu 17 Mar 2011, 14:18, closed)