[cyzoner]

Interesting information in the film Fight Club from 1999. Won't spoil the plot for those who haven't seen it, but in the movie several bombs are made and it shows how you can make them at home. I know it's just a movie. But my dad who did a degree in chemical engineering says it sounds fairly plausible.

Watch from 2:35 to 2:51

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQ8imPmQ0js

It says that if you boil human fat, scoop out the tallow as is floats the surface and leave it to dry you can then skim off a layer of glycerin. If you were to add nitric acid it says you can then make nitroglycerin. If you then add sodium nitrate and sawdust you have dynamite. Is this true?

[Stepan]

Kid, how old are you?

[408]

Not sure the relevance of an age in the search for a fact.

While I cannot comment on the ability of glycerine to be skimmed off tallow, as I am unfamiliar with the soapmaking process, the nitric acid part is slightly correct, but not safely correct.  In order to make nitroglycerine the glycerine must be added to a cold mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid, the reverse would likely cause an explosion from overheating.  Sawdust is not what is used for dynamite, kieselguhr is what is used.

So while plausible it does not tell the whole story

Edited to appease the mods

[Borek]

Let's get back on topic. It is all in forum rules.