[rlinsurf]

Hi, All
.
I'm a writer, and I'm having a chemistry problem with a scene. I have a woman in about 1890 locked in an insane asylum. She has to escape from her cell by very clever knowledge of chemistry. She is locked behind bars of some metal composition, and there are large quantities of straw to sleep on. There are oil lamps she might be able to reach (creosote?), and she is just being served a meal of gruel of some sort on a metal plate. She also has dirty rags for a dress, and may be carrying, surreptitiously, some object or other -- perhaps a sentimental token, in one of her pockets.

These are the materials at hand -- unless you'd like to suggest something else accurate, or at least believable, for that time and situation. With these materials, I need her to be able to a) effect an escape, and b) (ideally) create a colorful and fiery chemical reaction, something like what I've seen magnesium do when burned -- i.e., a display.

However, the escape is really the essential element. The visuals would be great icing.

If this is the wrong place to post this, please let me know, and I'll move the question to the appropriate forum.

My thanks.

Jeffrey

[Borek]

Tin allowed to contact iron bar in a wet environement will corrode the iron. It would take ages, but should work. Tin plate? Although I think these were used much earlier, not around 1890. Check pewter in wiki.

[rlinsurf]

Hi, Borek--

Thank you.

Is there any substance I can bring in, perhaps by subterfuge, that would ignite any of these materials? Something on the stone walls perhaps, or something she brings in her pockets?

Also, as far as the corrosion goes, how long are we talking about?

[Borek]

Is there any substance I can bring in, perhaps by subterfuge, that would ignite any of these materials? Something on the stone walls perhaps, or something she brings in her pockets?

Unlikely.

Also, as far as the corrosion goes, how long are we talking about?

Months, weeks at best. If not longer, I am guessing and there are so many factors that I am not even going to think about ways of calculating it.

[rlinsurf]

How about if she had some matches? Or made a fire in the straw?

Anything?