Am I missing anything?

Ron Wood · 07-14-2012, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nukem556

You coulda just made some from drugstore Cold Paks and baking soda like I did, but then again, I'm cheap :-)

Sounds like alchemy to me.

How do you do that?

nukem556 · 07-14-2012, 05:50 PM

It's pretty straightforward, Ron....you get the first aid cold paks from CVS, etc.....check ingredient list, most are just pure ammonium nitrate, that's what you want. Weigh the amount in the pack, dissolve it in water and filter through a coffee filter. Take an equal amount of baking soda by weight, mix together and boil OUTSIDE on the hot plate or such ...it gives off a bunch of ammonia gas, but this will dissipate after awhile and once nearly all the water is boiled off, take your sodium nitrate out and let it dry fully. You can test the success of the reaction by mixing a small amount with 1/3 as much sugar and lighting it...it should burn fairly energetically with a yellow/orange flame.

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07-14-2012, 05:50 PM	#2
nukem556 User Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Irmo, SC Posts: 625 Thanks: 35 Thanked 168 Times in 107 Posts	It's pretty straightforward, Ron....you get the first aid cold paks from CVS, etc.....check ingredient list, most are just pure ammonium nitrate, that's what you want. Weigh the amount in the pack, dissolve it in water and filter through a coffee filter. Take an equal amount of baking soda by weight, mix together and boil OUTSIDE on the hot plate or such ...it gives off a bunch of ammonia gas, but this will dissipate after awhile and once nearly all the water is boiled off, take your sodium nitrate out and let it dry fully. You can test the success of the reaction by mixing a small amount with 1/3 as much sugar and lighting it...it should burn fairly energetically with a yellow/orange flame.