Explosives Check at German Parliament (saltpeter found)

yahoo ^ | 5/10/02

[knak]

BERLIN (AP) - The German parliament was closed Friday as police sniffer dogs searched the building for explosives after two men were found carrying chemicals, a parliamentary spokesman said.

Security staff at the Reichstag building in downtown Berlin apprehended the men in a washroom, said the spokesman, Hans Hotter. He said the chemicals appeared to be saltpeter — which is used in gunpowder — salt and charcoal.

A parliamentary official who spoke on condition of anonymity had said earlier that the men were journalists for the Hamburg-based magazine Max. Hotter declined to confirm that, saying the two hadn't been able to produce parliamentary press cards and appeared to have used the visitors' entrance.

Prosecutors were investigating the incident, Hotter said. Prosecutors in Berlin couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Parts of the parliament, including a glass dome that attracts thousands of tourists, are open to the public daily despite periodic calls in recent years for security to be tightened.

In the summer of 2000, a driver rammed his car against an armored glass window near an entrance to the building, while another later crashed into a new barrier intended to prevent any repeat.

[knak]

waiting for the jokes!

[bluesagewoman]

Doesn't nitrogen have to be added to make it into gunpowder?

[IronJack]

Salpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur, and charcoal are the ingredients in black powder.

[bluesagewoman]

Well, I know gunpowder makes dandy fertilizer for the lawn.

[patton]

Essence of outhouse.

[IronJack]

Well, both potassium and nitrogen are vital ingredients for most turf grasses. I don't know that I'd want an explosive making my bluegrass grow, but it would probably work pretty well.

[IronJack]

Essence of outhouse.

Huh?

[another cricket]

Uhh, How do I put this......? Saltpeter can be made from bat guano.

a.cricket

[Vinnie]

Isn't it also used the cause impotence? Seem to remember that from summer camp ( could have been rumor)

[patton]

Saltpeter, traditionally, was collected by pouring water through outhouse leavings, and then pooling it. The white crystals that form in the water are saltpeter. This is how colonials were able to manufacture their own black powder, by adding sulfer and charcoal. Search the web for recipes - JimRob told me to not mention it again.

[bluesagewoman]

Guess you don't want to know what I did with the shoebox full of magnesium shavings I found in the old metal shop, either...Gosh, I love whiz bangs!

[IronJack]

Understood. I thought the statement was a criticism, and I couldn't imagine what was being criticized.

Never mind.

[IronJack]

LOL! I get it now. Yes, you're absolutely right. Another source of potassium -- potash -- was wood ashes.

By the way, the charcoal does not actually react when gunpowder oxidizes. It simply serves as a medium to sustain the reaction. The sulfur actually oxidizes to sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, but it too provides a slow-burning combustible that sustains the oxidation of the KNO3, which is the primary fulminating ingredient.

One of the best things -- or the worst -- my parents ever did was buying me that chemistry set ...

[IronJack]

Guess you don't want to know what I did with the shoebox full of magnesium shavings I found in the old metal shop, either...

HAHAHA! Bet that lit up the neighborhood!

[patton]

LOL. Fun with chemistry.

[patton]

When I was at artic school, the Army made the mistake of issueing us grunts magnesium snowshoes - 50 below - look at the pretty fire!

[bluesagewoman]

Suffice it to say, a little dab will do ya really is good advice on some of my gardening projects.

[blam]

"Yes, you're absolutely right. Another source of potassium -- potash -- was wood ashes."

Mom said that when she was young they made their own soap using this ingredient/method. (she's 85)

[IronJack]

As I understand it, running water through wood ashes also produces sodium hydroxide, which is commonly known as lye. Lye is a saponification agent, which means it suspends fats and oils, like the oils on your skin. That allows water to more effectively dissolve contaminants on the skin, even though it does strip away much of the skin's natural protection.

Many alkalis -- and sodium hydroxide is one of the classics -- feel slippery to the touch. Thus the slick, "woops" feeling that soap has.

In the old days, the lye came from the ashes, and it was mixed with tallow -- beef or pig fat -- to make the soap. Today's soaps are similar, even if the process is somewhat more refined.

Ain't chemistry grand?

[blam]

"In the old days, the lye came from the ashes, and it was mixed with tallow -- beef or pig fat -- to make the soap. Today's soaps are similar, even if the process is somewhat more refined.

Ain't chemistry grand?

Yup. Sounds like what she said. (Surfactants)