ATTN: Chemistry majors: Couldn't the terrorists take a chunk of potassium onto a plane and blow a hole...?
813427
The size of the metal would be dependant on many factors such as plane design and location of the explosion to name a few.\n\nthe problem with elemental rare earth metals is they are very reactive with water, making handling them in such a manner virtually impossible.\n\nAs far as the realative reactivity, the ammount of energy released can be calculated from the Gibbs free energy for each reaction.\n\nFor the reaction of sodium with water at room tempreture\n\nSodium with enough water would release 9260 KJ per pound of sodium while Potassium would release 2350 KJ per pound.\n\nI would suspect that at least 10 pounds of sodium to do any significant damage to a plane and 50 pounds of potassium.\n\nThis is a very unreasonable amount, although the cost would be less than 1000 dollars for this ammount of sodium, there are very few places that a large quantity could be obtained.\n\nAdditionally, sodium is so reactive, that I do not think that anyone could ever get it onto a plane before it blew. Lastly, that large of an ammount of sodium would fill a carry on bag, and would never get thru even the worst of TSA screeners.
892237
Sounds like an "urban legend" to me. Given that the normal usage requires that the product become airborne and therefore inhalable, I would highly doubt that there would be chemicals in such concentrations to be lethal.
1174562
The Presidential Daily Breifing one day in late July, I don't know the exact date, stated that the terrorist would fly planes into buildings.  I reckon they did know but chose to ignore what they were told.
50562
adding water to potassium already causes it to explode.  you are correct - the reaction releases hydrogen and forms an oxide of potassium, and the considerably exothermic nature of the reaction generates enough heat to ignite the hydrogen gas.  so, mixing water and potassium solid typically causes a big-time explosion - just like mixing water and sodium.\n\nas for the powdered magnesium in there - i suspect that the explosion would scatter it, and it might ignite - the ignition temperature for magnesium metal is 450 C - so you'd probably end up with white-hot burning magnesium shrapnel flying everywhere!\n\nso, if you're ever thinking about making a nasty bomb, sounds like a good way to do it.
368173
Did you forget that some of the people on Flight 93 were talking on phones to their families, who told them about the WTC? Those aboard who attacked the hijackers told family members of their plans. \n\nI haven't, but maybe you should see the movie, which has been approved by the families of those who died. \n\nAnd why would anyone rebuke the U.S. for shooting down a dangerous weapon?  Obviously those aboard didn't agree with you.
510803
An act of terrorism can be carried out by one person with a primitave explosive device and a will to do harm.  There is no way that any entity, no matter how good their intelligence is, is going to completely erradicate this.\n\nExplosives can be made out of ordinary chemicals and agents that you might have around your house right now.  All it takes is one person to make a bomb and detonate it.  A few people working together wouldn't necessarily be catchable either if they're smart about how they communicate.\n\nThe idea of terrorists coming from overseas and talking extensively about their plans over the phone and in public is just silly.  It simply isn't necessary for them to do that.
802264
I wondered where you had been.  You think way, WAY outside the box, don't you!?  I thought the question was pretty disgusting until I read the additional details.  What an imagination.  My only thought is, that's a lot of contained gas and wouldn't the funnel explode?
71520
Absolutely! Look at the pentagon! Anyone with half a brain that watched the live CNN coverage of the hole can see... the hold was 15 feet, the plane was 44 tall, there were no wings on the lawn, yet the hole was 15 feet... catch my drift? The hole wasn't big enough to fit that plane. Yes, it is sad that so many people died, what makes it even more sad is that are government is likely to have taken a part in the losses of our own lives. Couldn't imagine what they could have used such an even for....hint hint... Patriot Act... hint hint...
93404
Russia dropped!!!!from an airplane this hugh super H-Bomb...it was meant to scare the US. There is a video of it on the net somewhere. It was the biggest one set off..I found a link to it below
165393
Claim: First is that there was NO plane found at or near the pentagon. \n\nFact: A disintegrated American Airlines Boeing 757-223 (N644AA) was found on the lawn and inside of the Pentagon.\n\nClaim: a janitor in the first tower who heard an explosion in the basement minutes before the plane hit.\n\nFact: Thousands of other people heard and saw the explosion come from over their heads. Video images show Boeing 767’s hitting both of the towers.\n\nClaim: Also, research was done on the flights, and most cross country flights are booked to capacity but those 4 that day (towers, pentagon, flight 93) were all booked to LESS than half capacity, as if they knew what was going to happen.\n\nFact: Load factors for American and United Airlines had been very low on all flights. They were already hemorrhaging money and United eventually went into bankruptcy. American is still losing their shirt. This was competition in action…not predestination.\n\nClaim: The pilots apparently weren't good and I think he said 1 or 2 didn't even have the pilot’s license.\n\nFact: The pilots (I assume you mean the terrorist pilots) had enough training to steer an airliner into a building. You don’t need to be much beyond a private pilot with some internet information available to be able to fly an airliner in a reckless manner into a large target. But you probably couldn’t do it twice.\n\nClaim: The article alluded that the government had a lot to do with (or planned attacks)... ran out of characters :-(\n\nFact: The government’s too big to keep a secret this big. Too many people have big mouths…and coordinating a mass suicide would not be something many people would agree to get involved with.
655911
Destruction of poultry - would that amount to an act of terrorism ? I don't think so. \n\nA better and more dangerous method ,appropriate to a terrorist mind would be to introduce the mutated(the ones which can spread from human to human by respiratory droplets) strains of Bird Flu into some country.The resultant epidemic and the large scale of deaths would create panic amongst citizens and thereby qualify as an act of terrorism.
719160
Simple, but be careful! This pale yellow oily substance will explode on a pin-prick.\n\nPass dry chlorine over .880 ammonia, with the ammonia in excess...and collect the residual compound.\n\nSell it to Bin Laden!
526111
Yes, one it is enriched and now radioactive because an atom has been split. I don't know the science. Two people still need to go in and get more uranium. There is a plan to bury it all in an abandoned mine, of limestone I believe to limit the leakage. The problem with burying it all in one place and setting up a perimmiter in this dead zone is that a) it will still spread/ leak. b) shipping stuff from all over the US to one place in the southwest is very risky. Now it is all required to stay on site at each nuclear plant in the special barrels. The plan for transport is very thourough but still not a pleasing idea. If a truck crashes/ terrorist/ whatever goes wrong you will severly contaminate a large area, 50 mile radius or more. \n\nWould you like to know the plan for shipment? Well here it is. First we've got super buckets to carry it in. Big red plastic looking capsules. We ran them over with a train. Didn't break. Was funny to see a huge red thing fly through the air though. Geographers used computer mapping to find routes that were the quickest but also went through the least populated areas. The final decision was based mainly on the least population and it doesn't travel through major cities. Many objected about going through suburban areas but in some cases there just wasn't enough farm land to pass through without having to make such a detour that it would take a long time and effect more population. The highways and streets it must pass through will be closed to traffic and the trucks will be escorted by military. If your local highway is closed for somereason chances are it's passing through your neighborhood.
309956
I would think they have better things to do with their time than monitor this site.  Most of the questions regarding illiegal things such as bomb making child porn etc etc are posted by trolls who are just trying to get a reaction from the people online.  \nAnd lets face it if you really want to know how to make a bomb you can find better places than here to ask it, that sort of info is on the web if you were so inclined to look.\n\nHowever i would not say it is impossible, there is no accounting for people.
958092
Thers no telling how long the war would have lasted If we had not used the bomb. It likely would have gone on for years, probably killing even more people. The bomb made a very strong statement. Still I understand what you mean. I suppose no one really knows for sure.
979598
No. Combustion occurs b/c something reacts with oxygen. So unless the helium is contaminated with oxygen, no combustion can take place.
648515
Not with a pen and not with a pencil either (because pencils are actually graphite).  Besides even if they were lead it would take more than that to poison someone.