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How to Turn Ordinary Water into Explosive Gas That Goes KABOOM!

Nov 15, 2012 06:49 PM

Dec 6, 2012 05:53 PM

Experiment demonstrating a chemical reaction with a cup.

Maybe not water per-se, but with this simple technique you can turn one of the most abundant materials on earth into a highly explosive gas.

WARNING: Ignition of an incendiary or explosive material may not be legal in your area, so check local laws before attempting. Use of this video content is at your own risk.

In a previous project, I built a generator that converts water into fuel. Typically, I use my car battery to power it, but it can also run on alternative energy, like the hand-crank generator I built from a cordless drill.

How to Turn Ordinary Water into Explosive Gas That Goes KABOOM!

Pump system with electrical components and tubing.

To test the power of the gas, I filled a few cups with a small amount of water and dish soap.

Pouring liquid into white cups arranged on a surface.

Person mixing a substance in a cup using a tool next to a pump.

Water pumping equipment with a cup for collection.

When the gas was bubbled into the soapy solution, it foamed to the top of the cup. Each bubble contained the HHO gas, making this a frothing fountain of energy. I wondered what would happen when it touched an open flame?

Lighter with a flame against a textured gray wall.

Chemical reaction causing a colorful flame in a laboratory setting.

Broken plastic cup being held by a gloved hand.

The gas explodes! And in the energy exchange, the O2 molecules recombine with the H2 molecules turning back into water vapor. Cool that you can use fire to make water, isn't it?

On another note, did you know you can reverse the idea, and use water to make fire? You can see how to do that in this other project.

Next, I tested the power of the gas by filling up bottles.

Green plastic bottle against a cloudy sky.

Person using tools to mix or prepare materials in a bucket on a gravel surface.

Plastic bottle rocket demonstration on pavement.

To get pure gas in the bottles, I filled them with water, then inverted them in a bucket of water to prevent the water from draining out.

The gas was bubbled up into the bottle, and as it collected at the top, it forced the water down and out, until the bottle was full of only the gas.

The force of the explosion destroyed water bottles, but pressure rated plastic bottles like soda bottles shot off like rockets, and could be reused over and over.

I stepped it up to one gallon of gas using milk jugs, and they were ignited with a remote detonator. It's hard to convey how loud and how powerful the shock wave was (watch the video above to hear just how loud it was).

Water pump and filter system setup on pavement.

Plastic jug set up for a DIY project on a residential street.

A cardboard box on a street, with smoke or vapor rising from it, surrounded by trees and houses.

Person conducting an experiment with a container on a wooden platform in a park setting.

A wooden birdhouse in a garden with flowers and trees, emitting a mist.

When this juice jug went off, my neighbor said he felt the floor of his house shake.

Bottle on a wooden platform, set outdoors.

Birdhouse on a driveway with a car parked nearby.

That just goes to show there is a tremendous amount of energy stored in this type of gas, and harnessed the right way, it could be a powerful fuel.

Now you know how to convert water into explosive energy.

If you liked this project, perhaps you'll like some of my others. Check them out at thekingofrandom.com.

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