Make Thermite out of Sand

See my blog for a writeup of this experiment (from one of my first experiments!): thehomescientis...
Here, I show you how to make a thermite composition out of sand! Just get some sand (the whiter the better), aluminum, and sulfur and make sure everything is a very fine powder. You'll have to grind the sand in a mortar and pestile (interesting side note: I found that's a pretty good way to clean your mortar and pestile!). Then simply ignite it using your favorite thermite ignition method.
The ideal ratio for this type of thermite is 1.67:1 SiO2:Al, but here I use a 9:10:12 mix of SiO2:Al:S (by weight). The ideal composition of just sand and aluminum is very difficult to ignite, so the sulfur is needed for a side reaction with the extra aluminum that provides the heat to drive the real reaction.
Side reaction: 2Al + 3S == Al2S3
Thermite reaction: 4Al + 3SiO2 == 2Al2O3 + 3Si
As you can see, this makes pure silicon! It's pretty amazing to me that you can get a metal from sand (well, technically a metalloid).
As seen in my other videos on thermite, my preferred ignition method is to use potassium permanganate with a piece of magnesium ribbon stuck down through it and into the thermite. Adding some glycerin causes the permanganate to ignite, which lights the magnesium, which then burns hot enough to ignite the thermite. Seems complicated, but it's never failed to light whatever type of thermite I've used it on.

[@dooleve]

Yay! I'm on the NSA Watchlist now!

[@Hooverdarnit]

Now days, you can be put on the NSA watch list for buying matches.

[@tonykuli]

I thought this was a recipe for vindaloo!!!! I am innocent.

[@andrewerickson7962]

Thermite is a tool i use it for making cast iron figurines

[@trollmcclure1884]

you mean NASA list. Who cares. Dont be such pussies people. If you were hiding your ass behind several proxies using Tor browser, crazy, buying lotta weird stuff...that may rise some eyebrows

[@getl0st]

Your nothing special, everyone that uses electric devices is on the NSA Watchlist...

[@CalebTroyer]

"Mom, it was an accident, I didn't know it would set the yard on fire"

[@jflask615]

I'm a Chemistry major in college. and have been looking into getting some lab equipment at home and doing small projects like these. I love channels like yours. Awesome!

[@WIllyGilly321]

I would just like to say "Thank You" for making the video as it was, before all the corrections. I understood what you were attempting to rely and realize NO ONE can be 100% error free.

[@joshuathomsen]

HE TURNED DAY TO NIGHT! All hail our new overlord.

[@chnlng00]

It turns day to night

[@kapildnayar528]

my neighbors had gone on a vacation and I was looking for a way to get inside this house but that front lock was solid and posed great difficulty but thanks to you now I can melt it and take whatever I like Yay

[@OTEP1234567891011]

Kapil D Nayar Aww, what's the matter? Does Mr. Nayar have an insecurity with his skin color or nationality? It was also a joke. Also, I'm not sure if English is your first language or not, but your insult may have been funny if it were well delivered syntactically.

[@kapildnayar528]

chemistrycounts well nope I did not make a joke on your stupidity/ skin color / whatever , you instead chose my race to make a 'joke' on me , whereas racism isn't a joke and I can well assure you that nobody takes racist comments as a joke , don't believe me ? Make a similar joke in a hall full of black people and they will beat the shit out of you

[@OTEP1234567891011]

Kapil D Nayar I have three black roommates, buddy. I have made racist jokes to them all the time. And they understand that it's a joke, because they're not autistic and/or insecure with their race. I make fun of my own race just as I do everyone else's. A dark joke brings bright light to a serious concern. I'm assuming you haven't reached the cognitive capacity to realize such things yet. Until then, I highly suggest you take your oh-so-sensitive, glass-like interpretation somewhere other than the internet.

[@kapildnayar528]

chemistrycounts well OK go ahead with your dark racist jokes which make fun of a serious issue , I don't think I have the 'cognitive capcity' to understand these jokes

[@mrhomescientist]

Kapil D Nayar chemistrycounts Settle down, children.

[@TheAndroidGuy]

@ 3:02---Thats Day to Night Reaction

[@mrhomescientist]

Those pots can withstand a surprising amount of heat! They are much more likely to shatter, mostly because of the very fast rise in temp. Your idea could make a great project, as long as you keep safety as your #1 priority. Definitely clear that experiment with your teacher first. A good project would be measuring the effect of "heat booster" formulations on the quality of produced metal, or perhaps comparing the characteristics of different types of thermites as I did in my compilation video.

[@amosz5726]

I have made this same thermite, with the exception that there was no sulfur in it. Instead I chose to add some extra aluminum and some powdered sodium nitrate. Essentially the side reaction becomes flash powder, so the whole thing proceeds much more quickly and with more heat. The best part is no awful smell, which is really advantageous if you live in a crowded suburban neighborhood like me. Give it a try if you ever do this again.

[@DwarvenCore]

So this is what it feels like to be on the government watch list....

[@deralbtraum5717]

Do never takes drugs....

[@thehatedones5153]

thermites are completely legal, and this is the only real wayt to get silicon from nature as a pure element .

[@jq747]

Vid title: "Extracting pure silicon with homemade thermite furnace".. sounds much more awesome.

[@twilightofgods1290]

I was thinking the same, I wonder if I can use this silicon for aluminium foundry

[@ClayClaim]

Really amazing! Thank a lot for your channel :)

[@C47-s7j]

reminding you of this comment

[@mrhomescientist]

Thank you, I really appreciate that! When you get to a certain point in views, the critics tend to come out of the woodwork. I do appreciate the input, but it's nice to hear that someone understood what I meant :)

[@mrhomescientist]

What you said is exactly what this is. The metal powder is aluminum and the oxide is silicon dioxide (sand). The sulfur and extra aluminum is there as a heat booster to ensure the reaction goes to completion. If you actually read the rest of the paragraph on wikipedia you pulled that quote from, it lists silicon dioxide as one of the potential oxidizers.

[@Daiin0]

Yeah Science!

[@sifuculreif6448]

I don't think temperature was the problem in this test. I think it was Duration of the burn. Thermite is one of the Most exothermic non-nuclear reactions known to man, but it doesn't last long. it takes consistent and usually even heating to melt glass into a homogenous mass. Thermite burns fast, and usually flares inconsistently as it relies on ground powders that are by nature composed of unevenly sized grains.

[@joeku98]

If he did it right, thermite should be burning at 4000*F, way exceed the melting temperature of elemental silicon. The problem is his set up is poor, and the heat is not concentrated.

[@sifuculreif6448]

jk98 yes, but that's only in spots where the ingredients are actively burning. And yes, a better rig would help with this.

[@mrhomescientist]

I think there's quite a bit of "magic" in being able to make it using sand! The goal of all my thermite reactions is to produce good lumps of metal that I can add to my element collection, rather than to just get some oohs and aahs. If you'd like to see more reactions, see my Thermite Compilation video!

[@firstgoinpostal]

The reason I brought it up(brake fluid/chlorine),is that I know that the pyrotechnic reaction is hot enough to ignite a mag alloy engine block(Mazda rotary),as well as the aluminum vessel(beer can) that I put the mixture in. Learned about it from friends as a kid. In late teen years as a Volunteer Firefighter we had a car burning demonstration, and I was bet that I couldn't set it on fire in such a way that the others couldn't extinguish it. I made $500 that day. Even using foam they couldn't put it out. It only went out,only when the car was a melted puddle.

[@prwexler]

The fact that one can obtain elemental silicon, at all, is pretty impressive, and it demonstrates that SiO2 can be reduced with very little technology. I imagine that this was the sort of first step that chemists would have taken in their original quest to obtain a pure silicon sample.

[@theinsultmachine8847]

Why is this video always recommended for me....I don't even do science. I only use to cook met...I mean to make....erm....gold plated coins....yeah

[@Sweeny_de]

It ATE the sun O.O

[@doormagic]

Uau!!The day became night for a few seconds!

[@squarepeg85]

I just wanted to say that, because I'm subscribed to you, every time I open you tube I get notifications where people have asked you questions and you've answered them, even on old videos, and I think that's really cool of you to take the time to do that for people :)

[@mrhomescientist]

Forgot your other question: increasing mesh size will require a ball mill and a lot of time milling your powder. I've occasionally heard stories of problems doing this with Al since it's a reactive metal, i.e. it reacts with air and passivates and won't work well. It would be simpler just to buy a larger mesh online.

[@carlford5287]

Cool video..........in fact you have a lot of cool videos. Thanks for making them and don't worry about the people being critical. They watch your vids for a reason so keep up the good work. Cheers.

[@ferret7508]

Does thermite stick to kids?

[@NeoFryBoy]

Technically, it should roll right off human skin. It will definitely leave a second degree burn, but I'm not sure if it'd go further.

[@ferret7508]

NeoFryBoy You didnt get the reference did you

[@NeoFryBoy]

+Daniel the Spy I didn't. But, more importantly, the answer is counterintuitive, so it's interesting enough to mention.

[@joeallen9897]

No, but napalm sure does Bahahaha!

[@jamesknowles92]

aaaaannnnnnnd now you are all on a watch list.

[@amosz5726]

Except no government agency really cares if you have thermite

[@mrhomescientist]

No problem! I've always wanted a good metal melting forge. I've used a charcoal grill "chimney" before to just barely melt aluminum, but that's the highest I've ever gotten. Sounds like fun!

[@mrhomescientist]

Actually you can use a number of different things to replace sulfur. The side reaction between S and extra Al serves as a heat booster to keep the rest of the reaction going. Other heat boosters that are used in thermites are calcium sulfate (gypsum) and potassium chlorate. I've used the former myself with great success!

[@JDeffenb]

Ugh. Forever I have had a problem with burning my victims and it leaving ash and traces behind. It has really negatively affected my life. Finally a solution that caters my needs!

[@JDeffenb]

+Kenny ok

[@mikeD76]

+Kenny Guess you didn't quite get the hint of Sarcasm & Humor in TheKingOfChem's post, SO..... instead you jump right to Internet Bullying.. Calling him some sort of "Loser that live in his moms basement".... Wow you are a Classy guy arnt ya....? Think B4 you Speak ... ("It's people like you that GRIND my GEARS...") ("That is all.")

[@mikeD76]

well apparently his came across a little smoother than yours... comedy is not your bit..

[@J0hnux]

Termite brought me here. But Instead of Termite It's Thermite. I'm so confused on both spellings.

[@epicbobbingfan]

Actually. You're wrong. Termites eat wood. They don't eat your pisser.

[@J0hnux]

Ian Price Really? "You don't say"

[@SlackerSlayer]

PaneMaxPain If they eat your woody, you are not moving fast enough.

[@gordoncouger9648]

They are a lot the same. They will both bring your house down. Termites take 25 years, Termite will do it 4 hours or about 0.001824% the time as termites. I would be earful an not mix them up. If you though you had Termites and really had Termite the house would be gone by the time you got the stuff to treat the termites. If it was my house it had termites I would just tell my son. I'll die before the termites cause a problem and it will be his problem then.

[@iasimov5960]

Stay in school.

[@supernenechi]

A HANDFULL OF SAND??? HOW BIG ARE YOUR HANDS???

[@supernenechi]

OH YEAH AND OF COURSE IT'S SAFE TO BURN STUFF IN A DRIED OUT FIELD!!

[@belgischewafeltjes]

+Quenten Schoonderwoerd YES BUT WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING

[@tiemebrammer4932]

+Frank Aue LOL XD

[@tinfoilhat4408]

+Frank Aue "Shouting"

[@peetre]

You are a fine narrator and those who find things annoying, should try making videos!

[@greenlungo3996]

I love the video. I learned something. At first I thought it was inefficient material wise since it's easier get rust than pure sulfur, but then I saw how you get crystalline metalloid silicon. Very cool.

[@TheLastSpartan04]

yeah bitch! science!

[@ustatvofficial]

can u make gold bro?

[@mrhomescientist]

No one can 'make' gold, outside of particle accelerators. It's possible to isolate or refine already existing gold, though, which I plan to try as a followup to my gold panning video.

[@ustatvofficial]

mrhomescientist can u make a particle accelerator and then make gold bro?

[@ustatvofficial]

ok can you make diamonds at least?

[@ustatvofficial]

wait nevermind u can use the thermite to rob a bank rite? btw. how hot is dat?

[@BChart781]

Holy fuck, you might be the most scientifically illiterate person I've ever seen.

[@PokemarioCrossing]

jet fuel can't melt steel beams

[@sphinxhutc2829]

you are so right about that bro!!! to many stupid lazy sheeple just let that one go.

[@faster_caster2722]

Oh no, I better stop standing in it very night then.

[@NwoDispatcher]

i saw a theory that said molten aluminum seeped through the floor and made a spray that made alumina powder which got a thermite reaction gong

[@firespark7092]

I have a question. If blacksmiths can bend hot steel with a about a hundred pounds of force then would many tons bend hot steel even if its not melted?

[@dabunnyrabbit2620]

The Memer Lemur But the heat trapped in the building from the burning fuel can weaken the trusses.

[@mrhomescientist]

Yep, he's actually an internet friend of mine that has advised me on a number of reactions, particularly thermite. He knows his stuff!

[@mrhomescientist]

Yes it should be, though the heat source might need to be quite hot. I actually tried to boost a stubborn thermite by heating the crucible it was in with a blowtorch for a bit, and it did help it to ignite. I didn't get much metal out of it, though.

[@colicover]

DAYUMMM MAN. THAT WAS A TOTAL ECLIPSE. GREAT TIMING

[@mrhomescientist]

Thanks so much! That's one reason I do what I do: I really think science (and especially chemistry) really needs to be seen first-hand to appreciate. It's too easy to get mired in the math and just reading straight from a book. That stuff is very important, but to really start to love it you have to see some of the cool stuff that can be done :)

[@mrhomescientist]

You can distinguish the iron from the alumina produced by seeing if it's attracted to a magnet. It will be very hard to test for purity in an at-home setting. You could dissolve the iron in acid and weigh the insolubles, but there might still be a lot of impurities that also dissolve. You could put it in HCl for a short time to clean the surface, but it will all dissolve if left in it for too long.

[@Ninjakebab]

I made a half kilogram charge a while back, that ended up very nicely! I managed to get a large 30gram piece of silicon. I found that forming a upside-down coneshape in the sand (or whatever medium the reaction occurs in) lets the melt flow together nicely, yielding bigger chunks. I simply put the solidified chunk in water, not HCl, and virtually no traces of oxides were left after a couple hours. It might be due to the high purity, and grain size, of the silica I used (glass chemistry grade).

[@mrhomescientist]

Nice work!

[@ClownWhisper]

It would be interesting to stiffen the sand in the pot with sodium silicate to make it stay in a perfect cone shape.

[@silentthunderstorm]

Yes, you could. Spot welding often uses small amounts of thermite placed between two metal surfaces. I would use iron oxide and aluminum powder myself, the sulfur is really just a catalyst. You would really only need a small amount.

[@mrhomescientist]

It had military use in grenades where you would stick one into the gears of an artillery piece and weld everything together to make it useless. A civilian use for thermite is welding railroad tracks together. I made this particular one to get elemental silicon for my element collection, and that's usually the purpose of all the different types of thermites I have done.

[@billthacker6527]

Here's why I think your big chunk of silicon broke up in the acid bath. It's because silicon's specific gravity is less than a third that of iron and not much more than SiO2 or Al2O3, so gravity doesn't make the silicon sink through the other residue as quickly. It's also possible the magnesium, manganese, and sulfur are forming intermetallic compounds that segregate to grain boundaries in the solidified silicon, then leach out in acid. (Similar to manganese sulfide in steels)

[@kurtilein3]

you can use burning magnesium to ignite sulfur-free thermite. basically a piece of magnesium that has about the size and thickness of a toothpick. there also are professional fuses that can ignite it, slow-burning fuses that burn at insane temperatures.

[@mrhomescientist]

I actually usually do make some glass when running thermite reactions! It's not pretty like window glass, but you can definitely tell that it was hot enough to melt the grains and fuse them together. This happens because I run my reactions on a bed of sand, to help absorb the heat.

[@mrhomescientist]

I've never used chlorate myself, but yes it should all dissolve too. I think one of the main decomposition products is KCl, which is soluble. Most potassium compounds are soluble, in fact.

[@corginut123]

Aluminum Sulfide. I used to have fun with this years ago because it will slowly decompose to H2S(g) from atmospheric moisture. A few small chips, which look like innocently harmless pebbles, placed in my co-worker's toolbox would stink him out when he opened it the next day. My Aluminum was from filings, rather than powder, so it would not react as nicely. I used a 5kV arc to initiate the reaction, which was a series of small flareups.

[@ytfmichaelxu]

what an factually accurate and intelligent response. I don't even know where to start.

[@mrhomescientist]

Great! I'm very happy my videos are helping people :) Congrats on your shiny new silicon!

[@mrhomescientist]

Thanks! 1) I use a small pile of potassium permanganate, with a piece of magnesium ribbon stuck down through the middle. Ignition starts by adding glycerin. Works nearly every time! 2) I would think the legality of this type of thing would be similar to fireworks. I'd check your local laws just to be sure - some states are more draconian. 3) Simply grinding in a mortar and pestile. Turns out this is a great way to clean the mortar too!

[@m.ravikumargudipallyravi4240]

Chemicals names pls tell me. I don't no anderstand

[@mrhomescientist]

You don't need high purity sand for it to work, but it certainly helps you get your stoichiometry right. I think I'm lucky and my local sand is pretty clean. As far as using acid on the alloy - that sounds reasonable, and if it was indeed an alloy you would definitely get a powder. Could be worth experimenting...

[@kkylle1]

i didnt know this stuff sped up time, it went from day to night to day again, i cant wait to use this for a time machine!!!

[@BaileyEvans]

I love watching videos of people having fun doing what they love, I want a freakin element collection now!

[@melaronvalkorith1301]

Damn dude. First you take it out into the middle of a field of dry grass to ignite it, then you stomp out the fire with your foot, RIGHT next to a pot of molten thermite? What if you had knocked it over and/or gotten it on your foot? Ouch. It's amazing to me how many people aren't wary of hurting their feet. Quite an amazing experiment though, and I like your explanations, well done.

[@maxboss2414]

I did this :) sadly i had no white sand so i had to substitute with orange/red sand heated up to take out some impurities. Also i added quite a bit of aluminum powder to my potassium permanganate and got quite a bit of a flash as aluminum powder and permanganate creates flash powder, but still the glycerin ignited everything very nicely. Also my ratio was 1.8/1 sand on aluminum but for some reason it left a paste instead of a solid. Very nice video and demonstration. Thank you.

[@joshl9988]

Nice experiment. Maybe next time find someplace besides a field full of dry grass to test the ignition?

[@mrhomescientist]

Great question! Unfortunately no, that won't work. It reacts much slower in cold weather, yes, but it does still react. Eventually, it will catch fire (though I haven't tried it in sub-zero temperature!). In my experience environment is the difference between immediate ignition and 10 - 15 seconds delay.

[@mrhomescientist]

Yes, but it may be difficult! Silicon has such a high melting point it's tough to make everything a liquid so it all flows into a single piece. It would definitely be safe for that use, silicon is nontoxic. The materials are not expensive: sand is free! Sulfur is sometimes sold as fertilizer, and aluminum powder is all over eBay.

[@mrhomescientist]

I actually have some extremely fine CaF2 that I've used in another type of thermite, to improve coalescence of the metal. I'll definitely try it in other compositions too! If I ever get around to building a perchlorate electrolysis cell, I'd like to give that a try as well.

[@POWARENJA]

I seriously have no idea what the hell you're talking about in most of your videos, but they're great. Thanks.

[@myopic_cyclops]

Man, I really wish this guy would make a video detailing the steps on the synthesis of mercury fulminate or Potassium Chlorate. I've got decent results from another source making the KCIO3, but making mercury fulminate from chemicals I can easily or semi-easily obtain is proving difficult. Hats off to you, sir! :) Thanks for the video!

[@mrhomescientist]

Sulfur is one of the easiest things to get. There's nothing illegal about it at all (in the US at least, I admittedly do not know other country's laws). I found mine on eBay, and many garden stores sell it in bulk as "flowers of sulfur". Most chemicals are incredibly easy to source if you just take a few minutes to look for them.

[@mrhomescientist]

Sulfur dioxide isn't involved. Extra sulfur and aluminum are added as a heat boosting side reaction, to keep the main reaction between silica sand and aluminum going. The most common thermite is aluminum and rust, but there are many other compositions. Look it up on Wikipedia. I also have a thermite compilation video where I showcase a number of different types. The point wasn't just to make something that burns - I wanted the silicon from this specific reaction for my element collection!

[@redhuesixty8087]

Very interesting way to get crystalline silicon. I will definitely try it. Thanks for posting.

[@mrhomescientist]

Just an ordinary clay flower pot, filled mostly with sand. The sand helps lessen the thermal shock and (sometimes) saves the pot for another use or two. Most chemicals can be found easily enough on eBay!

[@mrhomescientist]

It's not grammar, they are very different things. It's very important to be precise in science.

[@mrhomescientist]

The reaction temperature does differ for different types of thermite, and it also depends on how large the charge is and what sort of heat boosting reaction you use. In any thermite, the ideal situation is to melt the alumina byproduct which requires 2054C (3729F). This ensures your desired metal product can flow together and coalesce. Si melts at 1414C, so theoretically it all should have melted nicely. Perhaps this batch just wasn't big enough. The Al + S side reaction runs at around 1100C.

[@katarzynarek5268]

But what about the silicon dioxide? THAT melts at 1710C!

[@mrhomescientist]

That might work to react a very small part of the thermite around the Mg ribbon, but it would not sustain the entire charge. The reaction between Al and SiO2 simply does not produce enough heat to propagate the reaction. If you notice, I actually did use Mg ribbon to ignite this one.

[@mrhomescientist]

Right, that reaction definitely makes enough heat to sustain itself no problem. Just this particular version with SiO2 is tough to get itself going.

[@mrhomescientist]

Yes, using more reactants will produce more products, and hopefully larger single pieces. This will of course generate more H2S, so be careful and be in a very well ventilated place. Great idea to use both in jewelry!

[@mrhomescientist]

No, that doesn't produce nearly enough heat. You can blowtorch iron oxide thermite until it is red hot and it still won't ignite, or so I've heard.

[@HeadfulofEyeballs]

Thermite on dry grass? SMARTEST IDEA EVAR! Subbed.

[@mrhomescientist]

It's definitely hot enough to make glass, if the sand isn't fully used up in the actual thermite reaction. A better way might be to use a regular iron thermite and let that drip onto a bed of sand, which would fuse to glass - that might make some cool patterns!

[@mrhomescientist]

Well yes and no. The ideal reaction is between sand and aluminum, but that doesn't produce enough heat to sustain itself. We have to add extra Al and sulfur, which produces a side reaction that makes a lot of heat. So, the 9-10-12 is really the combination of two stoichiometric processes.

[@SEMAJ1071]

Sand is a particle size and not a material. The black sand from Hawaii is basalt. Although a lot of sand in the USA is silicon, feldspar and mica. Since it is a mixture, the "sand" will vary from location to location. You could separate out the silicon from the other minerals and maybe get even a better result.

[@mrhomescientist]

Silicon is the element, and a metalloid. Silicone (with an 'e') is the polymer that is used in breast implants, caulks, and numerous other things. There is a very big difference.

[@onlyKentrop]

I imagine you'd be able to get both powdered aluminium and sulphur from most chemical suppliers. Neither are particularly illegal in an elemental form, although they are still both quite dangerous in a very finely ground form.

[@christopherchristianvanlan1809]

"Oh a little grass fire...I better put that thermite fire out with the foot "

[@jacksavage3640]

The reason you have small crystal size, is not the lack of high temperature. It is the rate at which it cools. The faster the cooling, the smaller the crystal grain size. Find a way to insulate it to slow the cooling rate. Fireplace ash is a good insulator but you need a lot of it. Maybe try burying it about 4 feet under ground and then igniting it. (That will be a trick in it's self) Let it cool a day or so before digging it up. You should have larger crystals. However, the question is, will thermite burn with no or limited O2?

[@mrhomescientist]

Yes, that's the beauty of the thermite reaction - it brings its own oxygen! That also makes it nearly impossible to stop the reaction once its started, so it can be quite dangerous if uncontrolled.

[@mrhomescientist]

I've heard some success stories of people using a blender to make Al powder out of foil, but I've never tried this myself. I'd always thought it would oxidize and be unusable, but I suppose it's worth a try. There's tons of good quality Al powder on eBay, though.

[@mrhomescientist]

Well, as you can see in the end the pieces pretty much crumbled into small shards. Had the reaction run at a higher temperature, these may have fused into a solid lump which should be able to be worked with. I think silicon is fairly brittle, though.

[@mrhomescientist]

It was quite a while ago, but I'm sure it wasn't too cold. I'm in Florida after all :) Temperature definitely makes a difference in ignition time, and a finer particle size would speed up the reaction considerably. Something I could do is add a flux to the mix to help things flow together, like I did with my titanium thermite experiments (see my blog). I may have to compensate for this 'diluting' the mix by adding more heat booster.

[@DMTastronaut]

I was watching videos about custom shotgun shell loads, and then I saw "make thermite out of sand" and I thought that sounded cool, I had no idea that it would produce metallic silicon, now all I can think about is seeing metallic silicon fragments as irregular shot.

[@mrhomescientist]

No, since the silicon is the product of the reaction it can't be used as the reactant in the same reaction. Sand is silicon dioxide, and that's what you need.

[@ARIY1411]

Thank you for answering all of my questions! You rock! By the way, if you don't mind I have one more question, I am a high school student and have just now REALLY gotten into chemistry, I want to be an engineer (although not a chemical engineer) but I was still wondering if you could make a video about something like " Introduction to home chemistry" where you explain all of the different methods and supplies and have some simple, cool; yet inexpensive reactions, that will help us start learning

[@CoolKoon]

Just for the record: leaving the silicon in the hydrochloric acid for longer was a good idea, because the end result you got definitely looks like polycrystalline silicon. The pieces you had in the vial looked pretty (i.e. VERY) impure, probably all covered by Al2O3 or something. As for the size of the pieces, I would've just dropped the whole end result of your reaction straight into HCl acid instead. It's quite possible that you crushed the silicon yourself while trying to extract it. It's VERY (glass-like) brittle after all.

[@brunob6144]

A chemical compound that is easily constructed and the ingredients are also very easy to obtain. Due to the awesomeness of science, a chemical reaction occurs when you light the mix causing the whole shebang to burn violently (around 4,000F), which is capable of burning through through (almost?) everything. MythBusters did a bit on thermite. They burned a quarter sized hole through a sedan from top to bottom and then it continued to burn through the concrete.

[@rhesty5235]

allright were into the vault grab everything- clean vault guys!

[@175griffin]

it burned so hot it made the sun hide!

[@mrhomescientist]

It's 425 mesh powder; flake generally isn't the best for thermites, but I have heard that it can work.

[@SolaceAndBane]

I believe he said it is a different sort as it uses sulfur dioxide instead. The oxygen component still allows it to have that vigorous reaction.

[@shadowplotter]

military grade Thermite is refined Iron Oxide pounded down to a powder that ozzy ozbourne would snort, same with Aluminium powder and a little sprinkle of magnesium to ensure proper and even detonation in a sealed pressurized environment i make the same stuff at home and have in the past had reason to use military grade thermite grenades wish i could say it was for fun i would like to say thanks for knowing about artillery peices and thermite too :) but we also use it as portable napalm

[@CrankyOtter]

Read up on grain boundaries of crystalline materials. The longer HCl soak allowed the acid to travel along the grain (crystal) edges which split up your mass.

[@Mystic4477]

this is awesome... but also kind of scary

[@myopic_cyclops]

Really? I'll have to check that out :) I've tried the method of oiling bleach and mixing the product with a solution of potassium chloride and water, then collecting the crystals that form. I agree that the mercury fulminate seems simple enough, but finding a method that doesn't involve materials I need to track down is what I'm after. Also, the electrolysis method seems to work incredibly effectively. My chem buddy tried it and showed me the results... awesome.

[@mrhomescientist]

It's commonly sold at hardware stores as "muriatic acid," usd for etching and cleaning concrete.