KNO3

and if you are into synthetic chemistry at all its handy for oxidation reactions, eg secondary alcohols to ketones or primary alcohols -> aldehydes -> carboxylic acids, I've got some too and thats what i'm gonna use it for!

Thats a miss quote, however he did correct himself to that in his following post.

That is one thing it can be used for, I personally use Potassium Dichromate for these reactions, although that stuff can be even nastyer!!! Carboxylic Acids are used to make esters, which are the no.1 ingredient of most perfumes, very smelly things.

It used to be, and still is used to treat external fungi on the body, most commonly atheletes foot, and does so very effectively. You end up with a purple/brown stain on your skin for a few days. It is a very effective dissinfectant.

I use it in the lab for making oxygen gas, again, a more effective alternative to this is Sodium/Potassium Chlorate.

So alot of the time you can avoid it, in the lab we prefer to use Potassium Permangante instead of chlorates because its safer, and less harmfull.

Also, i would not suggest poring it down the sink, doesnt do any bacteria based sewage treatment plants any good, and doesnt do the fisheys and good either.

PS: Haha, i can see one of my old posts in the first page of this thread, that was a long time ago, ive answered all those questions myself!!!

Due to the most likely cause of the fire (slowly emerging, people who have anything to do with the case will know, im not posting it on the web) the finger of blame will probably not be pointed at the fireworks industry. As the (eledged) cause of the fire was nothing to do with fireworks. Which is good, but this is an immensely strange story.

Thought I would just let you know, hopefully put some minds at rest.

Hi, yes, I am also supprised that I didnt hear the bang, I live in ringmer! Different side though. People were phoneing me from Uckfield asking if I was ok, I was very confused untill they explained that they could see a mushroom cloud in my houses direction. Yes, I was up near there today, and I learned that they had just recieved a large container full of fireworks, and it was due to go out the next day for a display in Dubai aparently. Anyway, it was in the warehouse when something caused other fireworks held in the warehouse to go off, starting a fire, which heated up the container which eventually went bang (that was the big explosion). At which point firefighters were already on the scene, hense the tragic fatalities. It would be intereasting to find out what did start the initial fire, could it be something to do with it also beign a small steel works center? (hense the astetatine bottles).

Note: I do not know that this story is correct, but that is what I have been told by someone who knows the place, and people that work there.

The aluminum is a natural part of bodily functions. I can't remember exactly what part it is involved in, but I have it written down somewhere. My inorganic chem teacher was a Bioinorganic chemist, so we got a lot of info like this.

Exposure to aluminum in metallic and salt form in no way causes nor increases chances of alzheimers. Alzheimers is causes by degeneration of the basal ganglia I want to say. The excretory function that removes aluminum is also disrupted which causes the accumulation of aluminum. So being exposed to aluminum now will have no future effect as it will be excreted.
Also, I can speak from experience that barium nitrate poisoning is not fun times. Look around, my experiences are posted somewhere here or on APC, probably both.

Cheers, thats very intereasting!!! So it is not a cause, its just a symptom. So all that fuss about aluminium pots and pans was in vain. I spose thats why there allowed to use aluminium in drinks cans.

Cheers

Aluminum dust is not good for you, and aluminum has been implicated as a contributing
factor in Alzheimers disease.

Hi, last time i checked, the evidence for Aluminium causeing Alzheimers was vague, all they found was that people with Alzheimers had a higher amount of Aluminium in their brain than most, but were not sure weather this was a cause or a symptom. But, the last tiem I checked was a long time ago, and i assume that more resurch has been done into this. I had a small disscussion with someone who was saying that infact the link was unlikely, and I dont believe that to be true. So, it would be great if someone could give me an update on this matter, and even better, some statistics that i can use, or point me in the right direction, because at the moment I am not sure if it is true or not.
Cheers.