Rayleigh jets

2015 Tianjin warehouse explosions

The chemistry of the Tianjin warehouse blasts

The Tianjin warehouse blasts on August 12 caused a weak surface quake in the Chinese port city, made houses uninhabitable in a 2-km radius, absolutely decimated a parking lot of 8,000 cars in its vicinity, blew a crater below the warehouse, released a very-toxic chemical into the surrounding air

alkali metals

Why does sodium react so explosively with water?

In January 1947, the American War Assets Administration dumped drums of sodium left over after the end of World War II into Lake Lenore in eastern Washington state. A video of the event – it really was an event – is available from the Internet Archive. Sodium’s reaction with water – or