1. WARNING
© SparkFunElectronics (Flickr) Dry Ice
© SparkFunElectronics (Flickr)
THIS EXPERIMENT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION, OR WITH ADULT SUPERVISION. DO NOT ALLOW A DRY ICE BOMB TO EXPLODE ANYWHERE NEAR YOURSELF OR ANOTHER LIVING BEING.
2. Items to make a dry ice bomb
© Mr.Thomas (Flickr) Fun with Dry Ice 3
© Mr.Thomas (Flickr)
You will need:
A pressure tight container, such as a large drinking bottle
A chunk of dry ice
An industrial insulated glove
A hammer
A sharp knife
3. Step One
Break the larger chunk of dry ice into smaller chunks using the hammer and sharp knife. Be sure to use the glove to protect your hands as frozen carbon dioxide is extremely cold, and can cause frost bite if handled without proper protection. You will need between 15 and 20 pieces, small enough to be able to place into the bottle through the cap. Score a line using the sharp knife into the bottle without cutting completely through.
Bear in mind that more dry ice will cause the bottle to explode faster, but not necessarily with more force. Adding too much dry ice may cause the bottle to explode before you are able to move to a safe distance. BE CAREFUL.
4. Step Two
Insert small chunks (around 1cm in diameter) of dry ice into the bottle, and pour in enough water into the bottle to cover the dry ice. This will begin the reaction. Quickly screw the cap of the bottle back on tightly to begin building the pressure. Throw the bottle AWAY FROM YOURSELF AND ALL THINGS LIVING, or PLACE IN AN OPEN AREA, AWAY FROM ALL VALUABLE OBJECTS.
5. Step Four
Once you have started the chain reaction, make sure you retreat from the bottle. It will take between 10 and 30 seconds for the pressure to build within the bottle enough to cause the bottle to explode. Bear in mind that the bottle may take much longer to explode. DO NOT RETURN TO THE BOTTLE UNTIL IT HAS EXPLODED.