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Last week I did a demonstration that produced a
serious explosion. After putting methanol in a big glass
carboy and rotating the carboy to build up some methanol vapor,
I lit the mouth of the carboy. What normally happens is a
"jet engine" effect out of the mouth of the carboy. In my
case, the carboy exploded. Two polycarbonate blast shields
were shattered and glass was blown as far as 15 feet away. I
was not seriously cut and bruised, but had I not been using
the two blast shields, I would have been severely injured.
At this time, I am not sure what caused the explosion.
I have done this demonstration around one hundred times
with no problem using the exact same amount of methanol
and technique. I think it is important to get the word out
that this demonstration may be more dangerous than
previously thought. I would also welcome any hypotheses
concerning what caused the carboy to explode.
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