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Potasium perchlorate old and lost potency?


Iceland

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I have had some potassium perchlorate for years at least from 2011 it is.. and it seems it lost its potency.. I was wondering if putting it in a stone pounder normally used for herbs..

 

would the potency come back? or otherwise ball mill it?

 

or should I buy new potassium perchlorate. I asked an expert chemist but he is not into pyrotechnics so he could not answer my question..

 

back in 2011 this stuff was super potent

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  • 4 weeks later...

Blade milling will help, but to fully restore potency, blend in 0.5% finely crushed sildenafil citrate.

 

Not only should it restore potency, but it should make your perchlorate fuller and longer lasting.

Edited by Elisabeth
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Blade milling will help, but to fully restore potency, blend in 0.5% finely crushed sildenafil citrate.

 

Not only should it restore potency, but it should make your perchlorate fuller and longer lasting.

 

Ahem... :P

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Blade milling will help, but to fully restore potency, blend in 0.5% finely crushed sildenafil citrate.

 

Not only should it restore potency, but it should make your perchlorate fuller and longer lasting.

this one is hilarious :o :D :D :D

 

edit: I don!t think that storage, even when wet, will hurt the molecule. Its just clumped a bit and not as fine as it was beforehand.

 

Edited by PTFE
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Exactly how does a molecule lose "potency"? It would have to react with something in the surrounding environment and change into a different molecule.

 

This happens to aluminum, magnesium, magnalium, red phosphorus, charcoal, iron/steel, and others, but none of the common oxidizers (as far as I know) .

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Well, my Pot Perch seemed to have lost "potency", too. Drawing on my vast knowledge of pyro chemistry, I arrived at the conclusion that my perc had, over the course of several weeks of neglect (I ignored it while I was making BP stuff), degenerated into the typically harmless salt substitute KCl. Genius, right? I know. So I acted accordingly, lest it go to waste, and promptly added it to all of my kitchen salt shakers. You know...KCl and hypertension control vs NaCl. But I was very surprised when I was grilling some heavily "salted" ribeye steaks a few months back, and they immediately burst into flames and shot approximately 4 feet (a little over a meter, Euro People) straight up off the grill, did a perfect flip, landed back on the grill on the opposite side, sizzled for a little while, and then blew up again just like the first time. I was stunned any mystified. But no more explosions and after 6 more minutes I had the tastiest steak ever known to man! The seasoning seemed a little off, though, but it was still super yummy!

 

Now it's been a few months later and I have developed this huge goiter, which I'm sure is unrelated to anything pyro. I mean, of course perc hinders iodine uptake at the thyroid gland, but I stay safe with that stuff, and stick with KCl in the kitchen.

 

So, although anecdotal, this serves as an example of how KClO4 can indeed degrade to a very useful kitchen seasoning!

 

Disclaimer: <<Newbies. This is sarcasm. KClO4 does not degrade without the assistance of a blowtorch. It is mildly toxic. Do not eat it, ever, please. >>

Edited by SharkWhisperer
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  • 1 month later...

I still have a pound of dark Al from Star Lake Enterprises*. It is as good as new. I store my AL in large ammo cans with desiccant. I store my oxidizers like this too. They last forever.

 

*Anyone remember Star Lake Enterprises?

Edited by Pyro55
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  • 1 month later...
It is based in the US, but we have members from so over the globe. There's a decent contingent from Australia.
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It's possible that it's absorbed moisture; mine did when the dehumidifier in the bomb shelter bit it during a muggy June. It's got a very low solubility, but it's not insoluble, 9 years is probably enough time to absorb at least a little moisture. You could try drying it in a drying box. And echoing what others said, mill it to get finer particles before drying.

 

Hey Mumbles, sent you a PM a while back. I'm sure your inbox is worse than my work inbox, though.

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