photography: Matthew shave
Hydrogen peroxide,
H 2 O 2
this is a powerful
disinfectant and
oxidising agent,
produced on a large
scale by a process
devised by the Nazis,
who needed it to
launch their flying
v-1 bombs against
London. In July 2005
it was again used to
attack London, this
time by terrorists
who made triacetone
triperoxide bombs by
combining hydrogen
peroxide and acetone
– the solvent in
nail-varnish remover.
(the bombs killed 52
people.) hydrogen
peroxide has many
uses, from bleaching
paper to disinfecting
wounds. It can
be used as rocket
what’s inside>
Otex earwax remover
explosive
ear drops
Earwax proves no match for a potent mix
of bleach, urea and bomb-making kit
A bombshell
for your
shell-like
fuel when highly
concentrated – in the
presence of a silver
catalyst it releases
massive amounts of
energy as it turns to
oxygen and steam.
Urea, (NH 2 ) 2 CO (aka
diaminomethanal,
carbamide)
this is present in
human urine and
produced by the liver
as a way of getting
rid of excess nitrogen
from the body. It is
produced industrially
on a vast scale (100
million tonnes per
year) from ammonia
and carbon dioxide,
mainly for use as
a fertiliser. It is
also used to make
urea-formaldehyde
plastics, such
as melamine.
Urea-hydrogen
peroxide, UHP
(aka percarbamide)
otex is five per
cent Uhp, an equal
combination of
urea and hydrogen
peroxide. these
molecules cling
to each other by
interlocking their
hydrogen atoms.
this stabilises the
hydrogen peroxide,
which is prone to
separating into
oxygen and water.
In the ear, Uhp
penetrates the
earwax and reacts
to release bubbles
of oxygen gas that
break it up. Uhp
is also added to
some cosmetics
and toothpastes
to keep them
germ-free.
8-Hydroxyquinoline
(aka quinolin-8-ol)
this is a powerful
antibacterial agent
that was formerly
used as a spermicide.
It is also produced
naturally by the roots
of the invasive white
knapweed, which
affects crops in North
america. the roots
selfishly release
8-hydroxyquinoline
to discourage other
vegetation from
growing nearby.
Glycerol (aka
glycerine, propane-
1,2,3-triol)
this is the anchor
molecule to which
long hydrocarbon
chains attach
themselves in the
formation of fats
and oils (lipids). It
is a useful solvent,
hence its inclusion.
actors also use it to
create fake beads of
perspiration on their
brows, because it
doesn’t evaporate
like normal sweat.
when it reacts
with concentrated
nitric and sulphuric
acids it forms
nitroglycerine, the
explosive component
of dynamite.
Ingredients
Water
Urea-hydrogen
peroxide
8-Hydroxyquinoline
Glycerol
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