Thermite
I have already documented my first chemistry induced brush with death here.

b3ta.isbaronessonheat.com/questions/darwin/post367481

Here is the second one.

In my fourth year at university I shared with 6 other people in university accommodation. They were for postgrads and relatively luxurious compared to the pre-hercules Augean stables that the undergrads were in.

We had a double kitchen, satellite television, a fridge each etc. It was quite nice. I knew all the 6 people that were moving in and we were all friends and unfortunately rather mischevious.

Anyway, we were looking for japes and one of my friends was watching some mad science documentary on a random tv channel and came across the thermite reaction. As I am sure that many of you will be aware, the thermite reaction is a type of violent high temperature exothermic reaction that can be done quite easily as it only involves basically mixing and heating some metals and supplying a catalyst. It can easily reach about 2500 degrees C (4500 degrees F for merkins).

So my friends rallied around this idea and I said it was a bit dangerous but I had always wanted to do it. As the only chemist, I was the one to sort out the details. So we decided to do it. We needed a heat source. Hey! Why not use the gas cooker in the empty kitchen downstairs? Excellent. So I obtained the necessary ingredients from the lab and we set up shop.

All 6 of us were in a kitchen with the ingredients in a saucepan heating away. It was all going swimmingly. I wasn’t totally stupid (!) so I had calculated the stoichiometric ratio to use the smallest amount of reactants, thereby limiting the reaction. Sadly this didn’t help me much.

I was wearing my lab coat and safety glasses (for some reason I can’t do chemistry without wearing them). The reaction kicked off, and suddenly it got rather hot. The two people next to me (stupidly wearing t shirts) managed to get 3rd degree burns on their faces, arms and hands. I got 3rd degree burns on my hands and jaw. My plastic safety glasses melted to my face. The cooker melted. The surrounding worktop (MFI job) charred. The plastic bin in the corner of the room melted. The curtains caught on fire and then charred.

All 6 of us ended up in hospital with varying burns. Then we got the bill for the kitchen from the university. Our explanation that we were merely enthusiastically cooking spaghetti Bolognese rightly went unbelieved and unheeded.

What stupid idiots we were. We weren’t even drunk.
(powervator and NONE SHALL PASS, Mon 16 Feb 2009, 10:22, 6 replies)

I've only ever played with thermite once (mate works for Network Rail)
but I would never, ever, EVER try it indoors!
( M3rx likes the Asian ladies, Mon 16 Feb 2009, 12:10, closed)

Unlucky!
We've been doing one a week for a few months for the undergrads. Even made a very nice chemical lighter for it thast gives us plenty of 'fuck-off quick' time.
( Colonel Boris "...a desperate Buzzfeed imitation...", Mon 16 Feb 2009, 12:29, closed)

Is it
Potassium permanganate and glycerol, by any chance? Works wonders, that does.
(tty, Mon 16 Feb 2009, 12:54, closed)

Nah
Tis iron oxide and aluminium, usually ignited with magnesium ribbon as it needs a VERY high temperature to ignite.
(Lord of Balrogs, Mon 16 Feb 2009, 13:11, closed)

I think that they were referring to the chemical lighter
rather than the thermite reaction itself.
(powervator and NONE SHALL PASS, Mon 16 Feb 2009, 13:43, closed)

yep
tis powdered rust amd aluminium, mixed nicely and catalysed by a high temp fuse such as magnesium ribbon. will burn through just about anything.
(Dr Teeth Who asked you, you fuckin' hobbit?, Thu 19 Feb 2009, 1:00, closed)