This kid is brilliant! Puts a lot of ham ops to shame

[n2ize]

That African kid is smart to say the least. Many scrounge having to be resourceful to survive but he goes one step beyond into the world of science.

The chemistry set and alcohol burner sounds familiar, trouble with mine was denatured alcohol at the hobby shop was too expensive and rubbing alcohol gummed up the wick. Dad gets an idea, working for Schering he brought home a few bottles of grain alcohol. It worked great in the burner and as a belly burner too, White Lightning USP. Then there was my laboratory monstrosity that produced a hot, brown liquid I demonstrated for mom one day, she freaked when I drank it and almost destroyed the apparatus. She stopped with a puzzled look on her face when I yelled IT'S COFFEE MOM, here, try some. She walked away bewildered preferring the coffee pot on the stove.

I'll never forget when i was experimenting with producing free halogens from salts like potassium bromide or chloride using concentrated mineral acids. When I produced bromine I remember the reddish-brown vapours rolling off the table to the floor then across the floor and down the stairs....step by step. I stopped the reaction and told my brother to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE !! which is where we remained for a few hours till the fumes cleared away. When my Mom got home she remarked about that "clean sterile hospital-like smell" in the house. Even a couple weeks later you could still notice the faint smell of bromine. Guess it killed any germs hiding in the corners and crevices. Unfortunately I didn;t have a fume hood like they have in industrial or academic labs,

[N2NH]

I was banned from mixing chemicals. My mixer was a toilet bowl and I mixed mercurochrome, peroxide, iodine, alcohol and witch hazel. The smell woke up my parents and my chemistry days were over.

Gotta give the kid credit. That's darn good for an adult let alone a kid.