>> This episode of the Modern Rogue brought to you by Raid: Shadow Legends.
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help keep us in business, and get some free loot!
>> Yeah, man.
Do you remember how aggressive video game commercials
were back in the '90s?
>> Oh, I was terrified not to buy every Sega game.
>> Just constantly shouting at you.
It's like a bad dad.
[both laughing]
>> Buy this game! >> No!
Okay, fine, fine!
All right, what is it that makes flash cotton so flashy?
>> It goes boom!
>> Well, it doesn't go boom, it goes foof!
>> It goes foom, foom!
>> It goes poof!
[flame whooshing] >> Holy [beeps]!
[electronic beeping]
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[techno music] [Brian yelling]
[Brian laughing]
>> All right, Brian.
We're going to try some science!
>> Yeah!
>> Yeah. >> We're not great at that.
>> We're really not.
>> Okay look, flash cotton is amazing
because it does this amazing.
If you've ever seen flash paper,
first time I ever saw it was on Mr. Wizard
and it's magic because it lights up
and it goes zip and disappears.
Flash cotton is flash paper but much faster.
Is that a good way to put it?
>> I understand that they're basically the same thing.
I've never played with either one of them.
I've only seen them on television.
And it is shockingly simple, so let's get started.
But first some safety!
I got face shields and goggles.
>> Okay. >> You're going to want those.
Do you want the goggles or the face shield?
>> The face shield, always.
>> Are you sure? >> Are you kidding me?
You know I love this face shield.
>> Always the face shield? >> Are you kidding me?
>> And we also have right over here,
this is water and baking soda that will neutralize acid so.
>> Oh, okay. >> If anything gets on you,
feel free to dump it over your head.
>> Sure!
>> Or me!
>> Okay, so talk me through the grand theory.
I assume we're going to take cotton balls,
we're going to soak 'em in a jeep job
that'll make it burn real fast, right?
>> That is exactly what we're doing.
You're not just soaking the cotton balls,
you are altering the chemical structure.
>> How can that be?
So cotton is I assume a type of hydrocarbon
in that it's got carbon and hydrogen in it?
>> Probably so, Brian!
>> Okay, all right.
I'm so glad we don't claim to know anything.
>> So we have some ice here.
We're going to set up a little ice bath.
>> Why do we need an ice bath?
>> Because what we're going to be doing
is an exothermic reaction.
>> Great!
So that's some kind of chemical reaction,
two things go together, heat is produced along the way,
you don't want runaway heat
so we're going to mitigate that expanding heat.
What are you doing?
[man laughing]
[ice clattering]
>> Okay, no.
>> Okay, oh, no, sorry.
>> There's a little.
We don't want to get too much in there
because then we won't have room for our Pyrex.
>> Got it.
>> All right.
We've got our Pyrex in here, holds about four cups.
Ooh, look, look!
Look, they're translating into metric right here
as we're standing here.
[Brian laughs]
What we're going to do.
>> Yeah, now--
>> Now, we're serious.
>> Yeah, okay.
>> We are going to take two parts of this drain cleaner
because this drain cleaner has sulfuric acid.
You can get this at the hardware store.
>> Is it just sulfuric acid
or is there a bunch of other stuff?
>> Probably not.
There's probably a bunch of other stuff in here
but what we want is the sulfuric acid.
>> Is the sulfuric acid, okay.
All right. >> And so yeah,
here's where we want to be careful.
We've got two parts of this.
So let's go ahead and fill this up to what do you think?
One cup?
>> Let's start with one cup, yeah.
>> Okay.
Okay, so that's our sulfuric acid.
That'll be our two parts
and then we've got one part of stump remover.
Now, this stump remover, as we know,
we've used this before, potassium nitrate.
>> Yeah, correct, saltpeter.
>> Correct.
>> How much do we know about the safety side of all?
I assume don't touch, I mean, just drain cleaner.
>> It's acid.
>> Yeah, okay. >> Yeah, don't touch it.
That's what the baking soda and water is for.
>> And the hose. >> To neutralize it.
And the hose.
>> Okay. >> Being safe.
And this is the potassium nitrate.
Now, when we mix this, it's going to create nitric acid.
>> Got it.
>> And this is going to happen pretty quickly
and so you're going to stir fast
and you want to avoid the fumes, all right?
>> Okay, got it.
>> So we're outside,
it's well-ventilated. >> It's well-ventilated, yeah.
>> You can have respirators.
I did this just testing it out.
We don't really need to worry about it too much but be wary.
>> Everyone else should take extreme precautions.
We will take none.
>> Wear your Darth Vader outfit and everything.
Okay so we're going to put half a cup in here.
>> Yeah, [babbling].
Okay, that's almost.
Oh, those are fumes!
Look at that, it's happening!
Science is happening!
>> Science is happening!
It is making nitric acid among other things, probably.
>> And nitric acid is cooler because it has an in?
>> Nitric acid is going to bond
and change the cellulose in here
and we are going to have gun cotton or nitrocellulose.
>> Awesome!
And this is traditionally used.
Is there a traditional use for it?
>> Magic!
[Brian laughs]
>> That's literally the only one I know of!
>> That's all I could think of.
There's probably something else.
>> It makes awesome fireballs.
Beyond that, who cares?
>> All right, I'm going to go ahead and dunk this in there
and you're going to make sure it's really saturated.
>> Yeah, at this point, it's fairly consistent.
I'm not seeing any little globules left.
Go ahead and drop that in there.
It's so weird because I think of the solution
as something that's coating the cotton.
I had no idea that the cotton itself
had a part in this dance.
>> Absolutely, yeah.
You think it's just saturating or soaking it up
but no, it's actually fundamentally changing
the cotton itself.
You're going to want to get that real nice and saturated
and then we're going to leave it
and let it soak for about 24 hours.
>> All right.
>> And that part is called nitrating.
>> Wait, I didn't know nitrating would be a verb!
>> Me neither, but hey!
>> Hey, man, why you nitrating me?
What did I do?
I guess at this point, we're just waiting on all this
to what, evaporate?
>> No.
Actually, it's going to harden up as it dries
and then we're going to break all the cotton out of it
and then we'll have to wash it off
and everything and rinse it.
>> Do I want to keep it fluffy or compress any of this?
I assumed we want to keep it fairly fluffy-ish, right?
>> You just want to make sure that all of it
is soaked pretty thoroughly.
>> It's definitely soaked. >> And it looks like that.
>> Super clearly. >> I think we're good
right now, actually.
>> All right, cool.
>> So let's take our utensil
and soak it in the solution, clean it off real good.
[groovy music]
>> This is a shockingly simple build.
>> Well.
>> Oh, you already made a cake!
>> JASON: Precisely!
So now--
>> Now wait, why is the color different?
>> Wish I could tell you, Brian.
>> Okay! >> I don't know!
>> That sounds like a science question.
>> I hope it works!
>> Yeah, right on.
[Jason laughs]
So this has been hanging around for 24 hours.
>> JASON: This one has actually been nitrating for 48 hours.
>> Okay.
So this stuff is what, flammable at this point or?
>> Yeah! [laughs]
So what we're going to do,
now, you'll notice that a lot of this,
in spite of all this liquid slurry in here,
we're going to want to drain it off
but all of that is kind of hardened.
Now what we need to do is break all of that up
and extricate the cotton
and then we're going to wash it in this water bath
and then we're going to wash it in the baking soda.
We're going to try to get all of that nitric acid
and everything out of there,
so where we just have the cotton.
>> Got it!
Okay.
And I assume we dry stuff out.
So we want to break this whole all apart, right?
>> Exactly. >> Got it.
Seems like we'd have a better tool than a screwdriver.
>> Well, you're actually not supposed to use metal
because it can react with it
but I couldn't find anything hard enough
to break it up, right?
Here, let's start dipping the pieces in here.
>> BRIAN: Okay, do I pick them up with my hand or?
>> You certainly can.
If you don't want to, just spear 'em
and put 'em in here and I'll rinse 'em off.
>> All right, all right.
So at this point, we're getting out nitric acid.
>> Exactly.
We're just kind of loosening it up
and breaking it up until we have just as much,
just plain cotton.
>> It's definitely a foxare here.
>> It's possible.
>> BRIAN: Oh, but then there's still some chunks here
of whatever the hell this is.
>> JASON: I don't know what it is!
>> We're the best at science!
>> Maybe we're going to be superheroes after this.
[Brian laughs]
That's how it works, right?
Yeah, let's go ahead and see if we can
just put this on the foil.
>> All right, there you go.
>> I imagine that if you're watching this
and you've done it before,
there are ways to do this better
so let us know in the comments.
>> You can imagine there are ways to do this better, huh?
>> Yeah, probably.
Let me put some baking soda on this one
so that we can really neutralize any of the extraneous acid
that might be on there.
[smooth music]
Plenty.
I'll stir it up real quick, Bob Marley style.
Okay.
Ooh! >> Oh yeah!
>> Whoa! >> Yeah, that's the thing.
>> Still plenty of active nitric acid.
Then once we're done with this,
I think we should probably do one more water bath.
>> Yeah, sure. >> Because the baking soda
might slow down the reaction.
>> Oh, man, I think this is working!
It's getting all evened out.
You can see all the chemical reaction stuff happening.
>> It's still quite fizzy.
>> I think we're doing this right though.
I mean, it seems like a lot of science is happening.
>> It does feel very science-y, right?
>> Okay, I'm feeling really good about this at this point.
Even the breaking apart,
I was afraid that it would make everything just a sludge
but you could see it all just re-entangles.
>> Oh yeah. >> And becomes
this kind of networked mesh.
And we are theoretically already touching the flash cotton.
>> Right now, yeah.
I would like to filter this out one more time,
rinse it with just plain water once more.
>> BRIAN: Got it.
>> And then we let it dry and come back tomorrow.
>> Drop some foil in here.
We'll put that on there.
All of a sudden I'm like, so after the lye event,
I'm so worried is it safe to put this on foil?
>> Oh yeah.
>> Have you not considered that?
Is that a thing? >> Nope.
>> Are we doing something bad? >> I don't know.
>> Oh, god, dude.
>> That didn't even occur to me.
>> Dammit, how could it not occur to you?
We almost died!
[flame whooshing]
[electronic beeping] >> Whoa!
>> Wait.
That was a moment.
So at this point, it is not cotton.
What is it?
>> It's guncotton or nitrocellulose.
>> Nitrocellulose, got it.
>> Yeah, let's get it nice and spread out
and then we let it dry for roughly 24 hours
and then we'll come back
and hopefully we've got some incendiary stuff.
>> BRIAN: Yeah, all right, done!
>> It looks like when you make canned biscuits.
>> It looks like when you vomit is what it looks.
>> It looks a little vomit-y.
>> It looks like plastic novelty vomit.
So did we effectively nitrate?
Is it done?
How do you know?
>> I think so.
I think there's only one way to really find out.
[lighter clicks]
>> Huh. >> Okay.
[Brian laughs]
That's faster than regular cotton, right?
>> Well, yes.
Cotton would not normally, as a matter of fact,
when I wrote The Professional's Guide to Fire Eating,
one of the gags that I do is is you reach in
and you have a piece of cotton ball palmed
so you grab it you and you pluck it out
and you toss it into your mouth.
That's definitely much, much faster.
You want to try a bigger cotton?
>> Yeah.
>> Ooh, okay!
>> Okay. >> Okay, all right.
In the vomit diagram,
you've got all the edges
has a bunch of the yellow stuff on it, right?
And then you've got the fluffier parts in the middle.
So here I'm going to pull out.
Let's see the difference between a crusty yellow
and a fluffy.
>> Okay!
Crusty yellow test.
Okay, pretty good.
>> Yeah, pretty good.
>> I expected it to be foomp, foompy.
>> Yeah, it's not quite foompy.
>> Fluffy white test.
>> Ooh! >> That's better.
>> That's very foompy.
Also, take a look at this.
Crusty yellow--
>> Oh! >> Has tons of residue
whereas fluffy white just goes foomp.
>> I think that means something.
>> This means something.
>> Hold on, you want to do more?
>> I want to do more.
>> So glad that we're about to burn down the new warehouse.
>> Before it's even finished!
>> All right, give me.
>> All right, here we go.
>> Holy [bleeps]
Dude, that's great!
Wow, that gave us the satisfying floof that happened!
>> We made guncotton!
>> Yes!
>> Yes, we did!
>> I want to do some research into
how the white burns better than the yellow.
I'm sure we've got some chemists who are watching
who can tell us why the white burned better than the yellow
and how we can do it better.
Let us know. >> Yeah.
So over at the scam stuff store,
we've got this thing, the PyroMini.
It launches fireballs.
And you use the cotton to ignite a piece of flash paper
and fire it off.
Can we home grow that?
>> I think we can.
>> With a party popper? [laughs]
>> I think we can.
All right, so.
[party popper pops]
>> Hey, we're celebrating the new warehouse.
[Jason cheers] That's great!
>> The little incendiary popping mechanism in here
is Armstrongfirnge.
>> So we're doing a bootleg.
Instead of bootleg fireworks,
we're doing bootleg pyro minis.
Shoot, I guess what just--
>> Oh did you just pack some in there?
>> Yeah.
>> Okay, how much did you fill?
Just a little bit?
Okay. >> Yeah.
>> Okay, that's pretty good. >> Right? Right?
>> That's pretty good.
>> All right, three, two, one, fire in the hole!
Oh Jesus! [laughs]
It worked!
>> Both: It works!
>> It worked.
>> We did the thing! >> We did.
That's not quite what I anticipated but it worked.
>> What did you expect to have happen?
>> I thought it was going to propel it a little bit farther.
I thought there was going to be
a little bit more party to that pop but--
>> Instead it was just a party floop.
>> Yeah.
All right, let's try it again.
>> All right.
Yeah, you want to put the streamers and stuff in there or?
>> Ooh, good idea!
>> Yeah.
So basically, we're creating nuclear party poppers.
Here's to eight days without injury!
[party popper pops]
Dude, that's awesome!
>> That's pretty rad!
[smooth RnB music]
>> Dude, that's great!
I can't believe how well that worked!
>> Still don't do this at home.
I mean, you specifically, Brian.
[Brian laughs]
[smooth RNB music]
I'm just going to pack a lot.
>> All right, going to pack a whole bunch of this in there.
>> Okay.
>> Oh my god, that's a lot.
>> That's a lot. >> Okay.
>> I'm into it. >> So streamers.
>> Got to have the streamers.
>> Otherwise, it won't be festive enough.
>> Yeah, come on, get 'em good.
There's a couple good rolls right here.
>> Right.
>> Home grown pyro mini.
We got this.
Whoops, I almost.
That would've been bad. >> That would've sucked.
>> That would've been bad.
My suspicion is that with the increased pressure,
it'll pop and launch out a little bit better.
>> I think that sounds reasonable.
>> Right, hold on.
>> All right.
Safety.
>> All right, ready? >> Ready?
>> We're going to count down to the New Year.
Three, two, one!
Happy New Year!
>> Happy New Year!
>> Dude, that's awesome!
[Jason laughs]
[smooth music]
Are you kidding me?
>> Oh, that's wonderful and terribly irresponsible!
I love it!
>> That worked out so much better than I dared hope!
>> Yeah!
>> In every regard, I can't believe
that the flash cotton did the flash thing,
can't believe the Armstrong mixtures just ignited it.
>> I think we really want the whitest of the white
within the party poppers.
>> As fluffy as it can get.
The more of that that we packed in there,
I expected it to sort of choke itself out
but it was so combustible that it totally popped.
>> Yeah, and ideally for safety's sake,
you want it all to burn up before it lands on something
and catches it on fire.
And so if it's incinerating--
>> Also, it was very festive.
>> It was festive, no! >> Burning in the air.
>> Yeah, that's great,
but you want it to just burn in the air
and not still be burning
when little bits of molten yellow crusty stuff
starts landing on things.
>> This is one of my favorite chemistry anythings
that we've ever done.
This was a blast!
>> It's pretty phenomenal.
Let's do it all now.
>> No, nope, nope, nope, nope! >> Let's make a giant one!
>> I told you, you're addicted.
Get him out of here!
What do you think of all the people pointing out
that Science of Jason sounds like Science Adjacent?
>> It sounds like we don't want to include Jason with science.
That's what it sounds like.
It sounds like science and Jason.
>> And Jason, yeah, it's science!
It's a duet, a science featuring Jason.
>> Yeah, with special guest!
>> All right.