C
codis
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Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.
Username: codis
Date: 2019-10-31 11:25:08
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Most of those bags contain, AFAIK, an ammonium nitrate solution. This salt has several stable crystal configurations depending on themperature (looking it up: -16.8 °C (α), 32.3 °C (β), 84.2 °C (γ), 125.2 °C (δ)). Recrystallisation from one configuration to another requires or releases heat, the effect used for the hand warmers - especiall the one from the γ (after boiling) to the β configuration. This property has prevented a large-scale military use of AN based explosives/propellants, because it seriously limits the shelf life of finished products.There used to be these hand warmers, they were little plastic bags containing a gel and a small metal disc. When you bent the disc sharply, it made a snap sound that caused the gel to crystalize and heat up. It would stay hot for hours. Then you could soak it in boiling water and it would liquefy again.
The thought of that happening in a human body is pretty terrifying, especially if the person was still alive.
Another thing coming into play (citing from memory), the bags contain a super-saturated solution. the bending of the internal disc triggers crystalization. Perhpas someone can correct my superficial knowledge here.
My point - I see this highly improbable to happen to the live human body.







