Ahhhhhhh

[james_davis_nicoll]

An 18-year-old university student accused of having explosives that could be used in bombs is a chemistry buff who had no interest in blowing things up, his lawyer says.

Pointed out to me by mrteufel

Comments

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned elsewhere, back in the distant days of my youth, you could buy such items as sulfur, potassium nitrate, powdered charcoal, powdered zinc, ammonium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, etc, off the shelf. Even as a minor.

And my best friend had custody of the family .38 Smith and Wesson at grade-school age. With his father absent, he was the man of the house.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I had three chemistry sets as a kid and could any number of interesting materials if I asked.

My high school stocked picric acid at one point (because until the 1970s, most Ontario high schools did).

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I had reagent-grade liter bottles of hydrochloric, nitric, and sulfuric acid . . .