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SWAT raid on chemical supply house
Here's a report of a SWAT-type raid on a supply house, based on complaints by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, on claims it might be shipping chemicals useful for fireworks, and that it hadn't complied with safe shipment standards. Altho the charge is apparently a misdemeanor, it involved two dozen agents packing M-16s and a battering ram. One more example of how every case is now being treated as reason to call out the SWAT team.
As a gesture of support, here's their webpage. Interesting stuff! Not just chemicals, but prizms and all else.
The article also mentions that someone tried to re-create the chemical sets were had as kids -- and found most of the chemicals are banned as too risky for kids today! They wound up having to create a set where the most prominent chemical is laundry starch... needless to say, a set that wouldn't interest anyone in chemistry. I often joke with a friend (who is now an MD) that if kids today did what we did, they'd have DHS breaking down their door. We made nitrocellulose, firecrackers, smoke bombs, fulminating mercury, time fuses (my invention -- burned at 20 seconds per inch, so you had time to get away and create an alibi before the sky rockets launched) and even nitrogen tri-iodide. I mentioned the last to a retired prof. of chemistry, and he said that was the most sensitive expl... the second most sensitive explosive known to man. I said yes, we'd found the formula for the most sensitive, and knew better than to try it! Nitrogen tri could be set off by brushing it with a feather. The most sensitive one could be set off by taking it from darkness into sunlight!
Comments
That's very sad. I had no idea there were states restricting Erlenmeyer flasks. I own a few for making yeast starters for home brewing.
What's sad to me is that this kind of thing doesn't get more press, because there's no real constituency out there for rolling back government meddling in people's lives. Restricting glassware? Who can hear about such things and not think the size and scope of government hasn't gotten out of control?
Posted by: Sebastian at May 30, 2006 04:22 PM
Ah, yes, the joys of tri-nitro-iodide. Lovely purple stain it leaves, especially on polished aluminum deck plate in the shop...
Posted by: emdfl at May 31, 2006 07:40 AM
What struck me was the comment that in a free society the tools of discovery and innovation should be encouraged not suppressed. Its all part of the feminization and homosexualization of our society in general-my interpretation. Wearing safety glasses to blow up balloons! Plus with chemistry sets and model rocketry out of the way it paves the way to eliminating handloading, then factory ammunition!
Posted by: The Mechanic at May 31, 2006 08:35 AM
The average 10-16 year old boy is a pyromaniac.
We actually made about a quarter-oz of nitroglycerine. Used an ice bath and stabilized it immediately in Fullers earth- we weren't *completely* stupid. I wonder if anyone ever figured out why there was a 2:1 Y-tube in the chem lab inventory.
Now that I think of it, that was a half-century ago.
Ahhh, memories. A little iodine, a little ammonia, paint it on the school steps....
email is human readable - aloud.
Posted by: bud at May 31, 2006 09:59 AM
The illegal methamphetamine trade has created a modern day witch hunt type atmosphere around anything pertaining to chemistry in even the most obscure ways. I find it intolerable that the governent can even think of restricting glass. Much less chemicals that have even 1 legitimate use.
Posted by: Jake at October 30, 2007 02:40 PM
i agree completly im a 22 year old interested in making chemical hand warmers took me almost 15 min to find a good recipe (baking soda and rock salt) on the internet i could have foudn the directions to meth manufacture in less, i think all these "doo gooders" pushing retarded restrictions into law are only hurting our country the bad elements will learn and find a way regardless for instance gun laws only keep the law abiding fr mowning guns :/ anyway just thought id give you my 2 cents
iz
Posted by: iz at December 14, 2008 03:03 AM