[Unknown Target]

Does anyone know what molecule or chemicle can make hydrogen explode? If there is one?
I know heat does, but that's not what I need.

[LtNarol]

Try sodium or anything in that first row besides, well, hydrogen.

[Taristin]

Planning something?

*radios to FBI hq, where he is ignored*

[phreak]

any halogen or oxygen. you need a spark though

[Carl]

anti-hydrogen

[Singh]

I hear Flourine and Hydrogen can make an explosive combination even below 0 Degrees C.

[Stryke 9]

I think the rule is sodium for hydrogen, magnesium for oxygen.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Singh
I hear Flourine and Hydrogen can make an explosive combination even below 0 Degrees C.

Yes but the resulting hydrogen fluoride is VERY nasty. Especially if it can dissolve in water to make hydrofluoric acid. I've seen the stuff used before and when you see that

1) PhD students aren't allowed to touch it even though they are  allowed to handle almost any other acid you can think of.

2) The Doctor using the stuff has to wear a face shield and gloves Selotaped down to prevent even a few drops touching the skin

3) You have to take home a special burn cream because the acid can start to burn you several hours after exposure

You realise exactly how nasty the stuff is

If you want to make a bang Hydrogen and oxygen is the best way to go. No one is going to complain about the toxic or highly flamable residue

[Bobboau]

unless toxic or highly flamable residue is a desired effect, I know if I was building some sort of explosive (to use against people), haveing it leave a vapor that would react with the water in peoples bodies (probly there eyes mostly) to form something that is about as nasty as a chemical weapon would be consitered a happy bonus, not that I would actualy do this.

I think the question we have to ask is what does he want this for

[Unknown Target]

Umm...something non-lethal, please. So something can actually get NEAR the exhaust nozzle.

[StratComm]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
Umm...something non-lethal, please. So something can actually get NEAR the exhaust nozzle.

OK, now I really don't want to know

Stick with oxygen, it reacts to form one of the most benign substances imaginable: water.  Not exactly a big boom, but it should generate enough heat for whatever you are trying to do.

[StratComm]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
Umm...something non-lethal, please. So something can actually get NEAR the exhaust nozzle.

OK, now I really don't want to know

Stick with oxygen, it reacts to form the most benig substance imaginable.  Not exactly a big boom, but it should generate enough heat for whatever you are trying to do.

[Unknown Target]

I don't need heat, I need raw thrust. Plus, I'd like to stay away from using oxygen.

[StratComm]

Oh so you are after a rocket of some kind... a Halogen is probably your best bet for thrust, but you are going to cook up some form of acid no matter what that way...  Hydrogen really isn't the best fuel for something like that unless you can store truely massive amounts of it in your gas tank, along with tons of stuff to react it with.  And unless you use oxygen, you'll probably cook up some rather unpleasant results.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
I don't need heat, I need raw thrust. Plus, I'd like to stay away from using oxygen.

You would have thought that hydrogen & oxygen would give you plenty of thrust since they are used in rocket engines That said they tend to use liquid oxygen and that stuff can be lethal if not handled properly.

If you don't want to use oxygen you could just use air. It's not as efficient but it should still give you plenty of thrust.

Basically if you're using hydrogen your only choice is oxygen or air. All the other elements I can think of leave very nasty compounds behind.

[Unknown Target]

this is all theoretical, I'm not actually going to do this.

Plus, I'm talking about molecules colliding or interacting, not liquids being mixed + ignited.

[Stryke 9]

Gasoline and cut gunpowder both make fine rocket fuel- you need a spray system for the one and a proper mixture of controlled impurities for the other (or you get what's known in layman's terms as "a bomb"). In fact, if you just shake up an aerosol hairspray can and stick a nail in the bottom, you've got basically all you need right there- weaker than the other two, perhaps, but the system's all premade and ready to go.

[Falcon X]

Hydroflouric acid?  Isn't that a weak electrolyte.  Wouldn't you have to be more conrened with HCl?

In response to the first post:

Heat isn't a chemical.  It combines with O2.  So you don't want that....  Unless the reaction is endothermic, you'll need heat.

[Unknown Target]

Well, it's for space, I've got a thought in my head about a new type of space engine.

Here's the idea I had:

A hydrogen powered ship would use a large intake chute. The ship would suck up (or rather, fly thru) space, all the while pulling in excess hydrogen molecules (there are oodles of molecules floating thru space, leftovers from stars + the big bang). The molecules would go thru the chute, and enter the combustion chamber, AKA the engine. The molecules would be bombarded with another molecule, resulting in a (chemicle) explosion, which would be channeled and pushed out the exhaust nozzle.
I can't have heat, because there's no air in space for a flame. The engine would use the coldness of space as a cooling mechanizme.


Feel free to poke holes.

[Stryke 9]

UT: You're talking about a standard ramscoop setup. The ICE would be something different, but that's because most people theorizing about it decided it would be simpler to just pump the hydrogen out the back really fast than have to lug around a few tons of reactant.

Falcon: No. Take a chemistry class.