Making nitromethane because the DEA won't text me back

[@chemdelic]

FOR CONFUSION ON THE MECHANISM: Yes, the nitrogen is cursed. I forgot to add the hybrid lines for resonance if I was to write it the way I did. My apologies for that. Some people commented on this and I want to bring this to everyone's attention. Yes, it should be H₃CNO₂ with =O, -O⁻ , N⁺, and -CH₃.

[@BariumCobaltNitrog3n]

More notes here. The people are Patrons and the company is Patreon. Jack the CEO is in the band Pamplemoose (French for grapefruit). The shot of the white flame could be improved by making the exposure darker. I was hoping to see a screaming RC car burning the fresh nitro. Great job though!

[@sodalines]

hey if i got you all the Precursors would you make lsd on the channel.

[@lestergillis8171]

I understand that NitroMethane is commercially derived from propane. Can you produce it at home in that method ?

[@Aaron-zu3xn]

chloroacetic acid you just bubble chlorine thru acetic acid?

[@philup6274]

Just take the Nitro & ane out . They'll be there before you know it.

[@anchopanchorancho]

Your gonna have so many friends glowing at your house you will never need a lamp again.

[@mnikpro]

1 Word: You're

[@notamethdealer]

@@mnikpro thats 3 words

[@mnikpro]

You sound like someone who would brag about having a four-digit IQ, but not mention that you counted the letters ‘IQ’ as digits.

[@notamethdealer]

@@mnikpro :)

[@Zerpersande]

My gonna’?

[@mnikpro]

Next video: I finally completed my DEA watch list chemical collection

[@chemdelic]

They give out so many good ideas for what to make next!

[@joshwilson138]

Next video we make lsd meff molly and 2cb 😆

[@a.belladonna8316]

​@@joshwilson138meff? 4mmc?

[@lagrangiankid378]

​@@gizmusman1984Knoevenagel condensation of substituted benzaldehydes with nitromethane leads to substituted 1-phenyl- 2-nitroethene which can then be reduced to a phenethylamine. For example you can make the schedule I psychedelic mescaline from 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde in this way. Similarly if you do a Knoevenagel reaction with a benzaldehyde and nitroethane you get the corresponding amphetamine after reduction of the phenyl-2-nitropropene. The phennyl-2-nitropropene can also be easily converted in a phenylacetone which can be turned into a corresponding racemic substituted methamphetamine by reductive ammination. For example reaction of piperonal with nitroethane leads to MDP2NP which can then be turned into MDP2P which is a direct precursor in the synthesis of MDMA if reacted with methylamine.

[@anchopanchorancho]

@@gizmusman1984 yes, usually MDMA.

[@duky370]

My boi inhaled so much nitromethane he drew the infamous pentavelant nitrogen atom. On a more serious note, great video, great production quality and amazing humor as always, love you man.

[@mpeg2tom]

Nitromethane burns almost invisibly outside. If you spill nitromethane around you and it catches on fire, you’ll see leaves and sticks appear to spontaneously combust. Don’t ask me why I know this.

[@johndeaux8815]

Anyone who has seen a racing disaster knows exactly why. Why is he jumping out of his car? Why is he flailing all over the place? Why are his clothes bubbling? Ohhhhhh, he’s on fire.

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

And for those about to argue with the OP that the drag car exhausts are visible: The nitromethane burning in the engines has an actually invisible to the naked eye flame with the exact fuel/air mix they use. The huge yellow/red flames you see on the exhaust headers is the thermal output of this insane fuel splitting the water molecules in the air and then igniting the produced hydrogen. Absolutely everything about those vehicles is on the edge of being unbelievable.

[@jamesgeorge4874]

Ethanol and methanol as well, in "the sun" you cannot see the flames.

[@Sniperboy5551]

Nitromethane is sold as fuel for RC cars and planes and stuff. It seems to be fairly easy to purchase, but I’ve never done so before. Wicked cool video.

[@firstmkb]

Difficult to find it pure - usually cut heavily with methanol IIRC"

[@rcvg69420]

I do the rc cars and planes. It's mostly methanol, between 10-30%nitrometh, and a decent amount of oil.

[@ACME_Kinetics]

It either is or was easy to purchase in that form a decade ago, but it was indeed adulterated (just oil IIRC, like a 2 stroke, but I may be wrong.) 55 gallon drums used to be sold as drag racing fuel. Goes down smooth in a cocktail with NH4NO3. Has a bit of a chemical aftertaste though.

[@supertornadogun1690]

Also used for drag cars.

[@codenamenel]

You can distill to separate the oil but it forms an azeotrope with methanol so you can never get it pure

[@mikehunt146]

Next video: "Making Mustard Gas in a CVS to Scare The American Public."

[@braydenchan302]

That’s his cannon event

[@rdesousa8955]

When Ammonia & Bleach battle it out till they become a fast food condiment

[@letsnot5559]

Nice profile pic mang

[@r0cketplumber]

To use nitromethane in the reaction control thrusters for the Lynx suborbital space plane we were developing at XCOR, I had to register with Homeland Security to buy it undiluted. I was experimenting with various desensitizers so yeah, I was doing actual rocket science rather than engineering. It was almost as difficult as getting a security clearance, which I don't recommend unless it is required for your employment. But it did make a lovely pale white plume with colorless shock diamonds.

[@Clond1ke]

I just use it in simple plastic explosives to blow up dead trees.

[@superdupergrover9857]

Stuff like this is why I watch these chem youtubers even half of the videos go over my head.

[@CatsBtrippin]

Cool story

[@wingracer1614]

Or you could have just got an NHRA license.

[@_letstartariot]

You guys be like ‘covering titanium in thermite in my back shed to see if I can set it on fire’ without blinking. Hard science KZbinrs are INSANE and I love it.

[@Wyi-the-rogue]

That is quite literally the topic of a styropyro vid

[@Chemiolis]

List 1 chemicals are always speaking to me in my dreams, stay strong.

[@chemdelic]

The temptation😜😜

[@brandonross6083]

The Henry reaction followed by a reduction becons? I feel that

[@azazeldeath]

It's kind of funny and fascinating seeing you go through so much effort to make this stuff. When I used to buy it, only at organ prices, for drag racing.

[@oldstudbuck3583]

“Organ pricing” hilarious

[@amanitaocreata4401]

That was a great video, it was really well put together. I like the way you explained everything and the piano in the end really made everything pop. This was pretty great, I definitely appreciated it.

[@SmokeyPyro]

To be honest, the flame dying out and him saying this is the end of the video, really appealed to me, like visually, audibly with the piano, just a great video again

[@Dartheomus]

Lol, your narration matches the cadence of Nile Red's speaking voice almost 100%. You are going to give chemists a reputation that we all sound this way. Also, as a best practice, it kills me that you absorbed the water with the sieves but then left them in there for the distillation. =P

[@zechsblack5891]

Dude it's so uncanny 😂

[@underdog5004]

Shhh!

[@leechowning2712]

It is actually pretty easy to understand, because a lot of us on the autistic spectrum... especially the super nerds... speak this way. Yes, I got in the habit of writing those lags into my typing as well, because that is where I had to pause to think how to word something. I avoided going into practical since my specialization is normally monitored by an organization with much less humor than the DEA.

[@twelvam3142]

I thought the exact same thing.

[@saxmusicmail]

You're going to have to repeat that a LOT to run a dragster down the strip! Interesting thing about nitromethane, with a bit of compression it can become a monopropellant, that is, not require any additional oxygen from the air in order to combust. It is also used in model airplane glo engines along with methanol and lubrication (2-stroke). If the mixture is rich, the exhaust is brown.

[@harrymills2770]

maybe that's another reason it's used in rocket science. Hypergolic plus

[@philouzlouis2042]

Hi Chemdelic, nice video. The decarboxilation reaction of nitroacetic acid is pretty common reaction into organic chemistry; and it is mainly due to the electron withdrawing effect of the nitro group onto the close hydroxy-carbonic group and easy elimination of H2CO3 (H2O + CO2). This effect of close (viccinal) EWG can be seen into conversion (easy thermolysis) of trinitrobenzoic acid into TNB; aceton (propanon) from 1,5-pentadioic-3-one (from oxidation of citric acid); ethanal from pyruvic acid (CH3-CO-CO2H from oxidation of lactic acid); etc. The low yield come from the bad selectivity of NO2(-) towards R-NO2 from R-X (X is halogen Cl, Br or I); because 50% of the yield turns into nitrite instead of nitro thus: R-X + NO2(-) -->1/2 R-NO2 (desired product) +1/2 R-O-NO (nitrite ester) +X(-) R-ONO + H2O R-OH + HONO HONO -air-> H2O + NxOy There have been a lot of efforts to increase R-NO2 production from R-X by: 1) activating the -X with surrounding EWG groups, 2) changing -X (I > Br > Cl) but so does the price, 3) changing the nitrite salt solubility (Li(+), Na(+), K(+)) eventually with help of the solvent to favourize the exchange reaction. 4) Playing onto the metal reactivity (like Ag(+) with help of precipitation of AgX and proportion of nitro vs nitrite ratio). --> but no really big improvements and limitation of the price (you know silver salts and organic iodides ) There is stil the reaction of nitric acid with hydrocarbons in the gas phase but methane require more heat than ethane or propane what is uneconomical and ethane or propane generate more sideproducts (nitroethane, nitropropanes, acetal, aceton, etc.) that can be stil of interest but require usually some purification by distillation One of the main interest of nitrite ester vs nitroaliphatic is the "stability" of the second against heat and its very good boiling point increase, thus separation ability (usually bp nitro vs nitrite ester is + 100°C). PHZ (PHILOU Zrealone from the Science Madness forum and from AOL newsgroups)

[@JohnDoe-xd2ld]

One of the best things about the comment section is how we are all trying our hardest to help people smarter.😊

[@Cavemankind_]

I remember my freshman year in Org Chem too, excited to share it with the world… Hehe, kidding just kidding.

[@DiskneyCabrera]

You reached strontium’s atomic number and almost got me drunk on nitromethane. 😅

[@glasslinger]

Back in the old days radio controlled airplanes used engines that ran on methanol. Nitro was added to soup up the power output. I used to buy the nitromethane in 5 gallon pails for about $120, which included shippihg. It's now such that the shipping is more than the nitro!

[@aeroearth]

I used to use 45% nitromethane in glow plug model aero engine fuel. That was as much as would stay in solution on a cold morning, the other constituents being methanol and castor oil. A powerful oxidising agent that fuel mix increased power output by ~ 50% over "straight" non nitromethane fuel.

[@Aviator747a]

Geez 45%, Q500 racing?

[@rogergriffin9893]

You could vacuum separate racing fuel or model airplane fuel if the only objective is to get a supply of nitromethane. But thanks for posting this video. This looks like a fun synthesis.

[@wingracer1614]

If you're in the US, this would be stupid and wasteful since you can buy it. Anywhere from a quart to 53 gallon drums are available.

[@lagrangiankid378]

​@@wingracer1614Yes, but if you buy it in large quantities this might get you a visit from the FBI/ATF/DEA as it is used both in the manufacture of illicit drugs (Henry reaction of a substituted benzaldehyde to a phenyl-nitroethylene which can then be reduced to a phenethylamine) and in explosive mixtures (ANNM or ammonium nitrate/nitromethame).

[@Sometimesitsjustthatway]

Absolutely chemically brilliant! Thank you for sharing your pathways. Chemascray! Mostly we just buy it to run our race car, monster truck, dragster, cart and motorcycle engines. but, that kind of chem process takes a refinery, not a small lab.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

As someone who worked at IHOP, that line broke me, lol. Great video man!

[@chemdelic]

Thank you brother!!

The insoluble particles you observed might come from carbonate ions in the NaOH solution (absorbs CO2 from air over time) combining with trace metal ions that form insoluble carbonates (Ca, Ba)

[@ghostwriter1415]

What would be a good refrigerant to circumnavigate the freon empire? When the DEA comes to my front door, I'll just let them all in, and they won't want to leave! They'll say, "son you are a genius! We'll trade you some Morphine for some Magic-On". Then I'll be pain free, and cool once again!

[@That_Chemist]

cyclopentane is used

[@ivant5054]

ammonia is useful, butane and propane are the go to mainly, propane is EXTREMELY useful in chemical industry both as a refrigerant and an extraction solvent

[@namibjDerEchte]

Propane for freezing, Butane when you just need to chill to fridge temperatures and want less system pressure/allow higher condenser temperatures while keeping at reasonable pressure. They're just flammable, heavier than air, and asphyxiating (but it is explosive long before it suffocates you). Nothing some careful system design with vents and an intermediate heat exchanger or something (e.g. chilled water A/C) to seal potential vapors away from building interiors can prevent quite easily. For piping you can use a double-walled one with a vacuum pulled in the annular space and a gas detector/sensor in there to sniff out a leak before it can cause harm. All easy, just not allowing the reckless handling of potential leaks common with the freon stuffs. People use propane cans for cooking indoors when they don't have gas plumbing (it's legal, at least over here in Germany), and common aerosol cans for deodorant and such use butane (or isobutane, for the can I just grabbed to check).

[@adrianpip2000]

Hyperspace Pirate has a lot of good videos on DIY refrigeration systems

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

Let’s gooooo! I’ll actually have to watch in a couple hours when I finish work 😅 but I’m watching in spirit 😉🍻👊🥰

[@joshnieder]

This exact video ive been searching for months to find! Thx for the educating experience

[@gocker_]

Fun fact about DEA list I/II chemicals for those who don’t know: these lists and the regulations therein are for MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS of these chemicals - not for end-users. Do with that what you will.

[@Matt0218a]

Yep, that is on the money there. I work in the drag racing industry and my work is a VP Racing Fuels dealer. Any time it comes up we have a fuck ton of paper work that has to be filled out any time someone wants to buy a drum of nitro.

[@armedandredee]

Same deal with firearm and explosives. As long as you don't use it for commercial use (some stipulations do apply, especially in the gun category) then its not illegal.

[@leechowning2712]

​@@armedandredeeif you enjoy making these chemicals... much like making personal weapons... remember that your own state may include others, or have ones they do not regulate as much.

[@armedandredee]

@@leechowning2712 Very true. State and local government CAN impose taxes and regulations the federal government chooses not to.

[@Iowa599]

Thanks for not talking over it! I can't believe it makes that noise!

[@chemdelic]

A whole ass symphony came out!!

[@tomarmadiyer2698]

The memes My god man we're approaching critical meme mass

[@Gunbudder]

how are you gonna make nitrometh and NOT boil it in a sealed container? the blast from nitrometh is pretty amazing

[@skycop56]

It is used for fuel in drag racers and can produce incredible power but the extreme pressures mean the engine must be overhauled after every run. Sometimes the engines explode violently.

[@CarsCatAliens]

The amount of fuel used to make a pass with nitro is insane

[@filanfyretracker]

@@CarsCatAliens Top Fuel I think still is the fastest accelerating vehicles in the world, that are not a rocket sled on some USAF base.

[@CarsCatAliens]

@@filanfyretracker ok ? Not sure what you're getting at.

[@UniverseUnhinged]

I’ve just binged your entire content. Just 1 thing though - could you possibly explain to us regular people what the uses are for the product you make? It’d be very much appreciated. Also, NileRed has an “edible chem” series. You’d be great at that and would be able to relate to many of us with a non-chemistry background. Just a thought :) Great videos though, keep it up! 👏

[@chemdelic]

I can start adding that in! Thank you so much!

[@Thee_Sinner]

Nitromethane is the fuel used in Top Fuel dragsters: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nWGuhXp-fL2kqbM

[@Danstrber]

@@Thee_Sinnerok why is it illegal

[@Thumper68]

@@Danstrberit’s not illegal they also use it in rc cars. What’s regulated is the chemicals used to make it probably.

[@brenj3895]

@@chemdelicits funnier to view these videos when they do not tell you their uses, but you still know

[@andybbgate]

Very nice quality video, thanks for sharing. And hello from BB Forum team =)

[@JakeDogg-RIP]

Great video mate! 👌🥰🍻👊

[@kennethcohagen3539]

The guy who bombed the OKC fed building, McVay, used nitromethane in his fertilizer bomb. It’s also used in top fuel dragsters.

[@etuanno]

About the separation of the two layers: Why didn't you add some brine to it in order to make the water more polar? Wouldn't this reduce the nitromethane in the water and the water in the nitromethane? We always do that in our lab at university as a standard procedure.

[@jacksonlefteye]

seeing your reflection in some of the flasks and it struck me: it must be a nightmare to shoot these chemistry videos, having to operate and monitor all the equipment while doing and monitoring a kinda risky chem reaction

[@turgityfarms3752]

Guano has everything you need to make this. Omnivorous birds. Chickens guano and some piss grass make wonderful "propellants" when catalyzed and distilled properly.

[@twisted2291]

Nitromethane is the fuel used in Top Fuel Funny Cars, and Dragsters. The cars burn between 5 to 7 gallons of it in a 1/4 mile run, and make 10,000+ horsepower on it. It's a 50/50 mix of Methanol & Nitromethane. It is perfectly legal to have as well. But the cost it great., Depending on fuel supplier. It can run $45 to $60 a gallon.

[@mythics791]

Thank you for the upload

[@Outcast257]

So if I was to attempt improving yield how much boric acid would be necessary? Of course could adjust the ph again to make sure its acidic, but would be nice to have some idea how much.

[@pressinpickle345]

Why make a small amount when you can buy it by the barrel?

[@bcubed72]

Isn't NM for sale to R/C hobbyists and drag racers? I get doing this for the science, but as a practical matter, distilling model airplane fuel seems easier, if by no means safer.

[@chemdelic]

Much easier to buy for sure! I bought a liter of pure lol

[@ghostwriter1415]

What do you call a Nascar driver that dresses up like a woman? Drag Racer!

[@chemistryofquestionablequa6252]

Yeah, you can buy pure nitromethane pretty easily in the US

[@Sniperboy5551]

Yes.

[@ruediix]

Nitro-Methane is most notably used in Radio Control Vehicle fuel as a booster for the the castor-oil and methanol blend glow fuel used.

[@bruh---___---]

I focus more on the reflection on the flask than on what's inside the flask lol. Love your vids btw!

[@victorbruce5772]

Maybe you could explain the difference between FDA, DEA approved (synthetic) Delta 9 THC, and go to jail (natural) Delta 9 THC, Tetrahydricannabinol. FDA & DEA won't say. But the Physicians Desk Reference PDR for Marinol does say the fake THC is the same as found naturally in Cannabis.

[@therideneverends1697]

Looking at it i *think* its because the synthetically produced example is a different stereoisomer which in many cases leads to diffrent regulatory status, example racemic or d-methamphetamine, schedual 2 substance perscription only, L-Methamphetamine is sold as a nasal decongestant in the CVS checkout line. the diffrence here is that the synthetic THC seems to still very much be a psychoactive substance while L-methamphetamine is useless for that purpose. As to why the DEA hasent given it the ban hammer i wonder if theres not some behind the scenes factor there, surely they are aware of it, mabey they figure its the lesser of two evils to let that slide on technicality and reduce funding going to drug cartels through illicit purchase

[@henningbe9]

Note: In the mechanism you made a few small miitakes with the nitro group. If you have a 4-bond nitrogen, it will always bear a positive charge. Thus, the nitromethane-"enolate form" will bear one positive nitrogen and TWO negative, singly-bound oxygens. Similarly, the nitroacetic actic (/sodium nitroacetate) in the step before will also have N+ and O- in one structure instead of neutral N and double-doubly-bound oxygens. Otherwise an interesting mechanism!

[@TheBackyardChemist]

I think that does not matter too much, and if one wants to be pedantic it is a symmetric delocalized structure with no full double bonds at all. Same with carboxylates, the charge is born by both of the oxygens at the same time and neither of the oxygens are reallly double bonded to the carbon.

[@adrianpip2000]

@@TheBackyardChemist I disagree - it does matter. Your justification is kinda blurring the lines between different models of molecular structure. Of course the bonds are delocalized, but we're not drawing molecular orbitals here, but rather skeletal formulae (or Kekulé structures). If you want to represent the delocalization, then you should draw half dashed double bonds (one normal single bond and one dashed). However, that detracts from the practical aspects of skeletal formulae, namely the ease of moving electrons around so you can keep track of the structural changes, charges, and whatnot. Ofc none of this detracts from an absolutely excellent video. I just respectfully disagree that it doesn't matter in a general sense.

[@kevinfelker5544]

That was very kool. I love the color of the flame. You really have great videos.

[@everythingexplained3226]

most nitrogen compounds are water soluble in acidic ph, and non polar soluble in basic ph. the phenomenon at 2:35 is the product suddenly crashing out of solution (localy, where hydroxide is added) and then redisolving as it is stirred. of the few nitrogen compounds I worked with, all of them exhibited the above mentioned... "behavior" While you may not have an alkaloid in your mixture, Im assuming chloroacetic acid is switching to chloroacetate according to the ph, in the same way. Ditto for phenol and phenolate

[@fordprefect7316]

The DEA has deprived me of seeing that fantastic white flame my entire life?! What kind of world have we created?! Really cool.

[@codymoe4986]

You could've just gone to an NHRA National event. The top classes run this stuff for fuel, and a 500 ci V8 with open headers puts on one helluva nice light show...

[@dieselguy62]

Honestly nitromethane is fairly easy to get in quantities under a few gallons at a time. And we get it here in 55 gal drums , two at a time without any problems. Just have the back ground check done and buy it in drums. Or hang out at the drag strip and buy some from the nitro Harley guys

[@doncarleone973]

That's really cool man You did an awesome job 👍🏻👍🏻

[@tomliemohn624]

When was a teenager, we were able to purchase nitromethane at the local hobby shop as they sold it for use with the RC model engines. I got some and mixed it in with my freinds weedeater gas. It sounded like a miniature top fuel dragster. Total waste of money. Boy was that fun.

[@eviljagtech]

That's a lot of work and explains why it's 84 bucks a gallon. Fun Fact, Top Fuel and Funny Cars that run on almost all Nitro have to be started using gasoline do to how hard it is to burn. This can be seen when they start the car with orange flames out the headers and change over to white flames when on Nitro. Cool Video.

[@ShortArmOfGod]

They start on gas because nitro doesnt like to start in a cold engine.

[@davec2751]

Thanks for knowledge of chemistry ❤️💕. Very interesting! Thanks!

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

I managed to find a gallon of 99.9% pure nitromethane a few years ago, it's definitely a prized possession of mine lol, it gets used _very_ sparingly. It took me months of searching to find a source that sold it without additives like oil or other impurities, without requiring a lengthy background check lol.

[@100pyatt]

Wanna share ?

[@TheExplosiveGuy]

@@100pyatt Torco Race Fuels

[@ryurc3033]

Originally a dry cleaning solvent, and rocket fuel, racers in the 60s realized it carries it's own oxygen to the party. The amount required for internal combustion engine is absolutely ridiculous. But top fuel variants make more hp than can be measured on normal Dyno equipment. Mathematically to accelerate that much mass to 340mph in 3.7 ish seconds, and less than 1000 feet, it's estimated top fuel engines produce more than 10,000 horsepower. 5 gallons is about 100$, or it was a couple years ago. Also nitro can be purchased in quarts at many hobby stores, and and it's used as fuel for r/c cars

[@ryurc3033]

Anyone interested in the nitro methane flames at the end....look up top fuel dragster at night......8 2 1/2 inch pipes shooting 6 ft brilliant white flames.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

(Random) I learned about this story about this chemist who was researching "Dimethylmercury" and i just gotta say it's 1 of the scariest stories I've ever heard. Crazy how the lady put so much effort into improving the safety protocols around this as she was sick. She made a huge positive impact on the scientific community and sadly lost her life but she was a absolute bad ass for being able to find anything constructive & positive out of that crazy sad situation. (This is random i know) It could be a cool video topic to talk about but please don't mess with that compound of mercury.. that is pure nightmare fuel..

[@therideneverends1697]

That woman is in my mind an absolute hero, she knew she was dieing and there was nothing to be done about it, so she turned a tragady into an opprotunity to provide data on accident and her illness to hopefully save others in the future

[@uploadJ]

Cool - Karen Elizabeth Wetterhahn, also known as Karen Wetterhahn Jennette, an American professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire.

[@benmcreynolds8581]

@@therideneverends1697 exactly!! You totally understand the situation that occurred. She 100% is a Hero. She followed the current safety requirements and she made sure that going forward, everyone would learn from her death and turned it into a huge advancement in safety in chemistry and the fact that she was able to do this all while her mind was being completely messed up from the organic mercury... She is a Hero

[@benmcreynolds8581]

@@uploadJ lol when i saw my KZbin notification i thought it said i got a reply that said: "Cool, Karen..." Lol

[@uploadJ]

@@benmcreynolds8581 Heh, ya, no 'Karen' joking here! lol

[@ForbiddenMagic]

nitromethane as mentioned is easily available in RC motor fuel.. you can distill it out - which also gives you a good amount a methanol which comes over first... done this sooooo~ many times using a veru to extract the nitromethane, it leaves a yucky hard to clean out buncha oils and parafins and waxes in the flask

[@RT-qd8yl]

In my area there's a motorsports shop where you can buy NM by the drum, or at the pump by the gallon. Really not difficult at all. Lots of hobby stores sell it as well as RC aircraft fuel.

[@chemdelic]

Pure or mixed with methanol?

[@wingracer1614]

@@chemdelic Usually it's mixed with methanol but you can get it pure from a few suppliers. Hyperfuels will sell you 53 gallon drums of the stuff.

[@brandon-kg2vd]

Takes me back to my college days, I miss organic chemistry :/

[@harrymills2770]

I don't miss it, but I seem to keep coming back to it.

[@DFSJR1203]

When I was racing I used Nitromethane fuel. I had a fuel line pop and my arm was ablaze. Luckily a guy ran over quick and put my arm out. I will tell you it burns way hotter than methanol. Luckily I only ended up with a few blisters under the race suit on my arm.

[@tomscheea8656]

This video glows like no other. We have another Timothy McVeigh here.

[@Gennys]

ThatChemist in fact IS in the Pantheon of chemistry gods... I knew it...

[@GaryHarrington71]

Since nitromethane is used in dragsters & rails it seems like it could be purchased at the drag strips across the country. It must be extremely powerful if the gov. restricted its use. I remember hearing that a dragster's engine had to be rebuilt after just 1 race using nitromethane.

[@garysimpson7326]

An old friend of mine worked at a plant that made nitromethane. It was mostly used as fuel for a certain type of race car. It was also a pretty decent explosive. He had a few interesting stories.

[@Sinixstar]

Yup. "Top fuel" drag cars run like 90% nitromethane.

[@wingracer1614]

A couple decades ago one of the few main plants for the stuff blew up. Supply got short and prices went through the roof. Drag racers were importing the stuff from China at outrageous prices just to be able to race.

[@radwizard]

What the heck is it used for? Also, that flickering white light of glory was mesmerizing. Depending on where I looked, the pulse was faster or slower. Reminiscent of those old 90s anime cartoons that could induce a seizures. Pleasurable. No idea what is going on, but pleasurable to watch anyways. Your previous videos inspired me to pick up an organic chem book. 🐄🛸

[@yorkshirechemist]

mainly as a solvent for superglues, and stabiliser for chlorinated solvents also for turbocharging petrol engines in drag racing, and as fuel for remote-controlled cars and planes when gelled with a suitable sensitiser, it becomes explosive

[@leechowning2712]

When you see a "fire" on a racetrack that is completely invisible, there is a fair chance you are looking at this chemical... it also makes small model aircraft insanely powerful for their wieght.

[@radwizard]

@@yorkshirechemist thank you dude!

[@radwizard]

@@leechowning2712 thank you, and also, “pretend fire Ricky Bobby” 😎

[@wingracer1614]

@@yorkshirechemist You left out its use in making meth-amphetamines. That's one of two reasons it's on the list.

[@Aldertonartco]

That’s a super cool looking condensation adapter from your RB to your condensing tube (can’t see what type). You can tell your glassware is good quality 😀 edit now iv watched it all; who knew a chemist could play piano!

[@zodd0001]

Nice job ! I really would like to analyze the emission spectra of that flame. Anyway, I was close to see your face from flask reflection.

[@lordyhgm9266]

Ahh yes, chemistry with friends (black cars parked outside)

[@Joshuabryabt-gf6sc]

I've ran it in my race car before. Very interesting to watch you make it at home.

[@jbstepchild]

This was amazing thank you

[@Nefville]

No wait new idea: _I turned these old rocks into high assay uranium hexafluoride and now I can't go in my garage for 700,000,000 years_

[@dalethomasdewitt]

Long 1/2 life equal less decay per time equals low harmful output. Short half-life equal more radiation available for crisping flesh & bones

[@leechowning2712]

The main reason for the control on U238 is because they don't like the superfund costs, more than any specific danger... mind, if you are making a small demonstration reactor, please remember to invest 40 dollars in a cheap gieger.

[@RoadTrip.]

Chemdelic made this in a garage with a box of scraps!

[@popescucristian8978]

forbidden fanta

[@BongMcPuffin]

Can you do a video on Nitroethane? I know it was available as nail polish remover at one point. Its also useful in some reactions

[@chemdelic]

I’d have to look into it!

[@adrianpip2000]

@@chemdelic Basically nitrite and some ethyl halide, or alternatively ethanol to ethyl sulfate, then sodium ethyl sulfate and nitrite. Should be doable, I think :)

[@bobrobertsNotUrBob]

awesome, Id love to know what temp the fire burns at? is it hotter or colder than a normal flame?

[@jakejager]

You can get nitromethane for RC engines (glow engines) it has some oil in it but I imagine you could separate that 😉

[@wingracer1614]

What you get for RC fuel is not pure nitro. It's typically 10-40 percent. And while it is possible to get pure from it, it's a wasteful procedure due to nitro and methanol forming an aziotrope. No sense in it when you can still buy pure nitro in the US. I can it by the 53 gallon drum if I want. Now if you live outside of the US, that might be a problem

[@christopherhayes2187]

Your video titles are hilarious. Your videos are cool too

[@Absaalookemensch]

The color of the flame makes top fuel (nitromethane) dragster fires so dangerous, because it is hard to see. Top fuel race engines produce over 10,000 HP and the super charger leaches off about 350 HP to run it.

[@barracuda861]

Could you have made a bed of ice to rest the beaker in to help control the cold and not add water to mix?

[@barracuda861]

Lol posted before I saw the rest of video. Oh well

[@NilaSpeaksLoudly]

Can you add cetyl alcohol to avoid foaming?

[@derenjoy3r]

Once again the humor is on Point! Really dope video and good chemistry too also, how does this decarboxylate so fast? I wasnt familiar with the synthesis and though, well are you gonna decarboxylate that now or what? Thats gonna need quite the temperature.. but than well, it wasnt needed apparently lol. Is it due to the fact that the NO2 draws away all the electron density from the Carboxylic acid?

[@adrianpip2000]

I would guess either inductive electron withdrawal has much to do with it. But also just the fact that the nitromethane intermediate is basically a resonance stabilized (carbanion ⇄ oxyanion)

[@GeneoftheWorld]

I wanna know how to make vitamins from raw chemicals in a lab, where can i find that information? Specifically B vitamins, but i heard sorbitol to vitamin C is the easiest.

[@fixpedalboards1969]

I’m guessing things are different since my dad parked his Top Fuel Dragster 15 years ago because you could buy a 55 gallon drum (200 liters) of fuel (100% Nitromethane) for $1100 from VP-have fun moving it, Fuel is way heavier than water

[@V8Power5300]

The best use for nitro is still making insane power in a combustion engine. Also, you might be able to extract nitromethane from RC car fuel. You can get it as 16,25 or 35% Nitro. The rest is methanol and castor oil

[@wingracer1614]

You can but it's wasteful. No sense in it in the US, you can just buy the stuff.

[@klausbrinck2137]

castrol... Castor is a son of Zeus, and brother of Helen of Sparta/Troy...

[@wingracer1614]

@@klausbrinck2137 Nope. Castrol is a brand of motor oil. Castor oil is an oil extracted from castor beans that used to be a common remedy for various ailments but also makes an amazing 2 stroke oil

[@klausbrinck2137]

@@wingracer1614 Oh, sorry I had it wrong all the time... I was really starting to wonder, why people use only castrol 2stroke-oil as lubricant for their nitro-engines, whlle there´s a lot more 2stroke-oil-brands out there... My whole nitro-engine-experience is only of the last 2 days, I really know some things about motorcycle-2strokes...

[@benalexz]

Hey im not a chemist so It would be cool if you made a video explaining all the DEA banned chemicals

[@NoddNup]

That would be cool !! Good call. And why they are banned, like what particular event led to them being banned.

[@leechowning2712]

The wiki page for the dea list, google dea class 1 list, has the chemicals with the drug that uses it. These chemicals are legal to make, but you are expected to keep logs similar to an FFL log, an inventory log, and communicate witg the dea regularly. If you are making it in any serious quantities, expect background checks, regular visits, and having interesting new friends with cool haircuts. In the case of nitroethane... nitromethane is not on the list... it works as a precurser for certain "energy powders", often injected by people of a lower income... Prof. White worked with it.

[@therideneverends1697]

They are not "banned" so much as "Not openly sold to individuals" from what i understand The DEA requires alot of documentation to be kept with each sale and considering that most of these types of things be it nitromethane for RC cars or amature rockets, or Safroll or benzaldahyde for soap makeing are just used by amature hobbyists for weekend projects and etsy shops it just doesent make sense for the chem companys to go through all that for small sales here and there, which is also why alot of times there are exemptions provided its pre mixed for its intended use

[@williamking9707]

Rather odd that it's so heavily controlled. This is used as a fuel for some RC cars and in much larger quantities for Top Fuel Dragsters/ Funny cars, to put out the kind of ridiculous power levels needed in drag racing. Seriously, the fuel system on dragsters uses the acceleration to shotgun the fuel into the injection system and uses several gallons every single race.

[@Dirty_Bear22]

Depends on the country. Here in the USA you can buy it online or at certain race tracks. $85 a gallon or $2600 per 53 gallons.

[@burtpanzer]

I don't know much about it, but right off the bat it seems odd to allow water from melting ice to mix with something that will need to be combustible. Is that part of the recipe or did it need to be separated due to error?

[@SherKhan0122]

It’s pretty weird that the nitrogen in nitrite can act as a nucleophile if it’s got 3 bonds to oxygen atoms. Maybe the oxygen formal negative charge is spread among both oxygen atoms stabilizing it, and the lone pair on the nitrogen is not happy to be in an sp2 hybridized orbital since when the relative s-character of a hybrid orbital goes up it’s electrons would rather delocalize into a bonding molecular orbital with a carbon sp3 orbital instead of just hang out awkwardly by themselves.

[@johannriedlberger4390]

Once I had a remote helicopter. The 0.90 cui Engine did not even start with less than 30% nitromethane in the fuel. I loved the smell, but the stuff is quite expensive.

[@nathansealey6270]

I ran out of wine… however I now feel fantastic!! Thank you 😄 9:36

[@theBlueFox2]

Was that fable I heard at 4:00?

[@Torteufel]

what a beauty! though i have a few questions. why not simply dry the nitromethane layer with na2so4 (i often find the brine washing step obsolete) and why not extract the water layer with e.g. DCM? b.p. would be much more different and distilling off DCM is so much faster.

[@chemdelic]

Just wanted to stay true to the procedure :)

[@tonyabsoluteam3456]

that is a pretty flame for sure, however what is the temperature of that flame?

[@DominikHatHunger]

Now theoretically speaking.. what would happen if you mix nitromethane with ordinary 95 gas? And what would be the max ratio until an engine like, e.g. an EJ21 with an 81mm Turbo would blow up?

[@spaceman83]

That flame at the end is so beautiful

[@DoomGoy88]

Ok so I'm at the first step and my very first observation is that you went with directly adding the ice to your chloroacetic acid. Is there a reason an ice bath wasn't used? Would have saved you the trouble of adding in ice cubes one by one. And would have made it easier to keep it below 20⁰C as you could have added handfuls of ice as needed. Ice baths are your friend with exothermic reactions.

[@chemdelic]

That’s what the procedure said to do. Likely having the ice in the reaction mixture is faster and less likely to go over 20C. Plus our solvent as well.

[@DoomGoy88]

@@chemdelic ahh that makes sense. Just makes it slightly more annoying dealing with the neck of a boiling flask. Good work, anyway. First try and no screw ups? Nile red is shaking in his lab coat.

[@Andrew-un8tx]

DEA? It's model car fuel. You can buy it by the gallon online rather cheaply.

[@chemdelic]

Yes. Also used in MDMA synth which is part of the DEA joke :)

[@charlesnathansmith]

It's still List I. If you buy enough of it, both the DEA and the FBI are going to come ask what you're doing with it

[@Sniperboy5551]

@charlesnathansmith I thought the Wikipedia page said nitroethane, not nitromethane.

[@charlesnathansmith]

@@Sniperboy5551 looks like you're right, but the FBI are still going to take notice past a certain point because they don't want another OK City

[@firstmkb]

ATF also has reasons for trying to restrict it.

[@IndianaDipper194]

can just buy nitro online, its not a sketchy substance to obtain at all. i have a gallon of it for my rc car i bought online and had shipped to my door for like 100 bucks; 100% pure nitromethane.

[@KageShi]

I love Nitromethane. I can just go buy it by the gallon for my go fast things. Nothing like the smell if burning rubber and nitromethane on a brisk evening.