A bubble machine would use nitro - Glycerin instead of soap based glycerin as a (what is the word that should go here). The holding tank would be refrigerated so as not to spontainiosly combust. It could be used as a weapon on the battlefield.
-- AlexTheGreat, May 09 2006

Assassin Bubbles Assassin_20Bubbles
By [UnaBubba] [hidden truths, May 09 2006]

Wikipedia: Nitroglycerin http://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Nitroglycerin
In the tip of a condom? Really??? [jutta, May 10 2006]

I need a better catagory for this
-- AlexTheGreat, May 09 2006


Funny how the evolution of modern-day munitions has been twards accuracy and precision. There is just no limit as to how badly this idea could come back and bite you in the ass. Even Cobra Commander would pass this crap up.
-- Letsbuildafort, May 10 2006


you could add chemicals to the nitro glycerin to make it colorful and use it as fireworks

(rcarty) no, I mean the film tension increaser thingy.
-- AlexTheGreat, May 10 2006


"Surfactant". Actually, it's decreasing the surface tension, not increasing it; paradoxically, that helps the water distribute more evenly around the bubble. (In places where there's less water, there's also less surfactant, which means that the tension is higher, which makes water go there. This is called the "Marangoni effect" or "Gibbs-Marangoni effect". Not sure which part is Gibbs's.)

Is Nitroglycerin a surfactant?
-- jutta, May 10 2006


It had better be, or else there will be a lot of exploding bubble machines on the battlefield.

Hmmm, maybe that's how the weapon part of the idea would be most effective. Let the bubble machine fall into enemy hands, they turn it on to see what it does and KABOOM!

Mwahahahaha!
-- Canuck, May 10 2006


So in order to beat you with your own weapon, all your enemy has to do is point a fan at you. Or blow really hard.
-- kuupuuluu, May 10 2006


How much substance is included in the skin of the average bubble? And could the explosive power be increased by inflating the bubbles with a hydrogen/oxygen mixture?
-- Galbinus_Caeli, May 10 2006


Not as much as you'd think - the hydrogen molecules would pass quickly through the bubble as if it wasn't there.
-- ConsulFlaminicus, May 10 2006


Ok then, how about methane/oxygen?
-- Galbinus_Caeli, May 10 2006


If you made bubbles with an oxyacetylene mix, they would go off with considerable force. You could light them by shooting a bottle rocket through them. That would be pretty cool.

If you doped the bubbles with hydrogen, you could make them buoyant with only a slight decrease in explosive force, which would be nice.

I can envision a groundbased machine releasing a cloud of these to rise into the air, then setting them off with a rocket that released a shower of sparks. Keen!
-- bungston, Feb 23 2007


This is a fine idea! But no need for cooling. Dilute the nitro with a volatile desensitizer--like acetone--and as the desensitizer evaporates from the bubbles, the nitro becomes unstable.
-- ldischler, Feb 23 2007


nitro explodes when exposed to light.
-- Earth 2nd generation, Jul 11 2008


//There is just no limit as to how badly this idea could come back and bite you in the ass//
After hours and hours of fun with smoke generators that waft in the general direction they're supposed to... until they hit the wind 15ft up going the other direction... I'm glad I wasn't around for mustard gas.
-- FlyingToaster, Jul 11 2008


//nitro explodes when exposed to light.//

Oh it does does it? Got something to back that up?
-- jhomrighaus, Jul 11 2008


// This is called the "Marangoni effect" or "Gibbs-Marangoni effect".// Only just spotted this idea and that annotation. Jutta, if you're a secret expert on bubbles and surface tension, let me know - I need help! (With surface tension; in other respects also, but that is by the by.)
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jul 11 2008



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