Bet it was
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_triiodide
I got thrown out o chem lab in college for making this stuff. When wet pack it into a lock if you are stupid enough. A real flash bang
You can paint it on door frames too. ;-)
Citric acid is white while Nitrogen Trioxide is almost black. You would think he would notice the difference. Even dipping his gum into it would probably set it off.
Something is fishy about this story.
Yes! It was amazing how little of it sprinkled on the floor made a most effective intruder detector. If they soaked a stick of gum with it, it is no wonder it blew his jaw off.
Nitrogen triiodide, Oh yeah, we nicknamed that stuff “The Mother-in-Law”!
I synthesized nitrogen triiodide when I was in high school. Mix ammonia and iodine crystals and then sublimate the compound crystals. Dark purplish crystals that when thrown to the ground will explode with a popping sound like pop-cap fireworks. Neat stuff in small amounts. Why he would put this stuff on his gum and how he would do it is beyond me. It’s the crystals that are unstable, not a solution of the compound. Small amounts of crystals would not have a large and directed explosive effect. Maybe with picric acid but not this stuff. I heard he was dipping his gum in citric acid but that shouldn’t be explosive.