Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
As a commenter surmised in my entry on phosphine, I really like Breaking Bad. The main character is a chemist, and the writers have done a good job of working a lot of chemical tidbits into the mix (even ones not about methamphetamine, which drives much of the plot).
Now through Friday: molecules from Breaking Bad that aren't methamphetamine (or even related to it) (spoilers inside).
With pressure or friction, it will explosively decompose into nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and mercury metal.
Mercury fulminate made an appearance in last Sunday's episode. He takes a giant sack of the stuff into the druglord's den, passing it off as meth, and uses it as a weapon (see, the druglord will let you bring in drugs, but not guns).
It is, of course, ridiculous that he'd have a full one pound bag of the stuff, and you'd imagine a lung cancer patient who knew what this stuff was wouldn't want to breathe it, but at this point I'd already suspended disbelief far enough I was just chuffed they even used a real chemical (and drew a correct balanced equation for its decomposition on the board earlier in the episode!).
Tomorrow: HF. And apparently I just wrote my first duplicate ever (as far as I know) and you can read the old entry.
Comments
C&EN had a good story on "Breaking Bad." Apparently they can't afford a chemistry technical advisor for the show. So, all of their research is from the web. And, it seems they do an extensive amount of research online.
Hmmmmmmm.... I wonder what they have gotten from MotD?
You may have contributed somehow.
Posted by: Chemgeek | March 6, 2008 12:33 AM
Mercury fulminate is pretty insoluble - the solubility is something like 1g/L in cold water 2g/L in hot water. So it is kind of difficult to re-crystallise it, to make a bag of 1-inch long crystals unless you use a giant bathtub (after you drain away the residues of a late drug dealer). Not mentioning it would look like long needles rather than the gorgeous meth.HCl rhombs. And breaking one needle by accident...When you precipitate lead azide, you have to add crystallisation-fouling agents like starch because macroscopic crystals explode easily even when you pour water slurry. (A aquatic biologist got an idea that he would combine preservative effects of HgCl2 and NaN3 into one super-potent preservative. But the mix precipitated so he turned up magnetic stirrer to maximum speed in hope it would dissolve back again. Fortunately he walked away before the whole beaker exploded and obliterated the stirplate ceramic top)
Also the blast effect from detonating one big crystal was exaggerated - it would produce something like a large gunshot boom but no way it would blow out all windows.
Posted by: milkshake | March 6, 2008 2:37 AM
That show is more addictive than meth...thanks for explaining the chemistry behind it!
Posted by: Twitch | March 6, 2008 8:55 AM
Re "Breaking Bad": the background chemical structures in the title screens have some pentavalent carbon atoms.
Posted by: Clair Cheer | March 6, 2008 9:01 PM
Re molecular structure of mercury fulminate:
:C=N-O-Hg-O-N=C:
Technically an oxime, derivative of hydroxylamine, HONH2. The carbon-nitrogen bond is that of an isocyanide, the mercury bonds to oxygen rather than carbon or nitrogen.
Cowardly caveat: I read about this oxime-derived structure some 25+ yrs ago; possible that later work has shown it to be incorrect.
TexasSkeptic
Posted by: TexasSkeptic | March 7, 2008 12:08 AM
Nope, it's a real organometallic. Don't feel bad, though - the structure was only nailed down once and for all last year!
http://www.physorg.com/news107176552.html
Posted by: Molecule of the Day | March 7, 2008 12:37 AM
Well, what do you expect from a compound named for lightning (Latin fulmen)?
Posted by: Nick P. | March 10, 2008 2:09 PM
One of my favorite compounds from my (largely misspent) youth. You can make it in a single mason jar, and it is relatively stable, at least compared to, say, copper azide. Lucky I survived.
True story: Friend of mine was offered a civil war muzzle loader which had been hanging in a corn crib since the War of Northern Aggression. He rodded it to determine whether a charge was still in it and then capped it and fortunately held it above his head and pulled the trigger. He said it was like lightning had struck. It had been booby trapped with mercury fulminate and left for a union solder. He lost most of his hand. The compound had been smeared around the inside of the barrel so a rod would pass it.
Posted by: BlindSquirrel | March 10, 2008 11:53 PM
Breaking Bad is a cool show, in my opinion. I just saw the episode dealing with the Mercury Fulminate, and the favorite part was of course that scene. One curious thing, though, is that Mercury Fulminate, when exploded, leaves a toxic cloud behind, which should be avoided-Something that wasn't mentioned or eluded to in the TV show. Of course, the substance was stylized, as getting Mercury Fulminate into such a shape as seen in the show would be hard without setting off the explosive, as well as the main character being uninjured from standing in the middle of the explosion.
But, the show is still cool.
Posted by: Mike | March 12, 2008 10:49 AM