Potassium Chlorate: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= One Militant was mixing less than a half ounce of potassium chlorate and a small bit of red phosphorous and it exploded, blowing off all the fingers of one hand. This taught him three good lessons. The first is that potassium chlorate doesn't have to be confined to explode. Second, that dry potassium chlorate and red phosphorous detonate spontaneously when put together. Third, that potassium chlorate is almost as powerful as TNT. Potassium chlorate will also detonate spontaneously, but not immediately, with sulfur. It will also detonate spontaneously, and quickly, with black antimony sulfide and other sulfides. Consequently, potassium chlorate should always be wet when mixed with any sulfur or phosphorous compund. Most Militants buy potassium chlorate by the pound from several companies and squirrel it away for a rainy day. Once its idiosyncrasies are known it becomes a favorite goody indeed. Potassium Chlorate from Matches =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Potassium Chlorate can be extracted from common safety matches. The match head is composed of about half potassium chlorate and half inert ingredients. To get the potassium chlorate out, you first cut off the heads of at least a carton of safety matches. Then soak them overnight in a cup of water. Next, put them in a blender or rub them through a screen. The idea is to pulp them so completely that all the potassium chlorate is dissolved. If you have used a screen, the pulp is put back into the water and mixed.Then the mess is put into a filter. When the water stops completely through, the pulp is squeezed so that all possible liquid falls into the filter and the pulp is discarded. The water is then poured into a pan or plate and allowed to evaporate. The glue and some inert ingredients will be on the pan or plate and the potassium chlorate crystals will be on top and can be scraped off easily.
Chemical Extraction of Potassium Chlorate =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= To actually make potassium chlorate, you must start by making chlorine. The ingredients you will need are liquid bleach and sodium bisulfate (Sani-Flush), both of which are bought at the supermarket. The equipment needed is an eight ounce, wide mouth bottle, a one-hole cork, glass and rubber tubing, an aquarium aerator from the dime store and a tin baking pan and a clear plastic cover. A tube sized hole is drilled into each end of the plastic cover. The tube from the jar is put through one hole and the aquarium aerator is attached. Then the end of another length of tubing is put into the other hole and hung out a window to get rid of excess chlorine gas. Airplane glue is put around the tubes where they enter the holes to block the escape of any gas. If you don't have a tight fitting plastic cover you can use some thick, clear plastic bought at the dime store. It is held on with a rubber band. To begin, you put one part, by weight, of potassium hydroxide in two parts of water and mix it until all the crystals are dissolved. Wear rubber gloves as potassium hydroxide is wood lye and burns the skin. Potassium hydroxide is more expensive than sodium hydroxide, which is the lye sold in grocery stores. It is best to buy potassium hydroxide from chemical companies advertised under "Cleaning Compounds" in the business section of the phone book. Tell them you are experimenting with hand soap formulas and want fifty to a hundred pounds. Potassium Chlorate Maker: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= When the pan of lye is set up, put two inches of bleach in the bottle and a teaspoon of Sani-Flush and put in the stopper quickly. You won't be harmed but the little has that will escape during the process but it is unpleasant to smell. When the bottle stops generating gas, test the lye solution with a piece of red litmus paper. If the paper turns blue it means the stuff is not done yet. Pour the bleach out and give the bottle another
dose. When the red litmus paper stays red, that means the lye has been neutralized and the process is finished. Red and blue litmus paper, for testing acids and alkalies, can be bought at the drug store. If you want the best you should ask for pHydrion paper. This is superior to litmus paper. When the lye has been neutralized the pan is put on the stove and brought to a slow boil. Then turn down the fire until there is no turbulence on the surface. Let it evaporate this way until a thin layer of crystal forms on the surface. Then turn off the fire and let it cool. As it cools, four and six-sided, pearly scales will form. After several hours, when all crystallization has stopped, collect the crystals and dissolve them in their own volume of cold water. Put the solution in a smaller pan and repeat the crystallization process. This time you will have pure potassium chlorate and any impurities will remain in the solution. Potassium Chlorate Maker ======================== +--------+ | | <== Tubing __ | || | +-------/ \ | To Outside ==>| / \ ____|_______________|____ | | \ | Cake Pan / | | \ | / |####| \%|%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%/ |####| \+----+%%%%%%%%%%%/ |####| \%%%%|%%%%%%%%%%/ |####| \%%%+----***%%/ |____| \___________/ ^ ^ | | Bleach Aerator & Sani-Flush
