Science

Chemistry sets and microscopes were popular back in the 50s and early 60's. The microscopes came with prepared slides of fly wings, fish scales, and other things with nice patterns. Water was a good one because there were "germs" running around on the slide. Of course spit and phlegm were always fun to look at. Hey Van Leeuwenhoek got famous for his hand made microscopes and looking at microorganisms. After a while the microscope was put aside in favor of the chemicals. Chemistry sets had lots of minerals and salts and good stuff. We liked sulphur because it smelled like rotten eggs. An important creation with the chemistry set would be gun powder. So most kids, or at least the kids I knew needed to know how to make this stuff. Well it was easy, only 3 ingredients, Potassium Nitrate , a prized chemical to me and my friends, Charcoal, and Sulphur. I got a hold of some potassium nitrate solution. So I boiled the liquid out of it and got some nice crystals of KNO3 . Potassium Nitrate, I learned later was put in food in certain institutions, to lower peoples sex drives. It is also knows as salt peter. Anyway,  I made the mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur , put it on my mother's nice kitchen counter and ignited it. WOW, it sparked and fizzed and flamed and ummmmmm, burnt the cutest hole in the counter. My mother freaked out, she didnt see the beauty at all.  I tried to explain it was in the name of science, that this was done.  My experiments continued when I got some Magnesium ribbon, and put it in vinegar. You get some hydrogen release.  But if you really want some cool action, you get some  hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid and put the magnesium in there.  Great hydrogen release. So me and my friend Barry, tried to figure out how to compress this release, we couldnt really figure it out but we would dissolve it and then ignite it and  you woud get a nice little  "pop" or  explosion. Yes, we were making  mini-hydrogen bombs , and noone was proud of us.