FZFF2 

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                    X         FOLO ZONE FUN FILES          X 
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                    X    FILE "2" -- Nitrogen Tri-Iodide   X 
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                    X                  by                  X 
                    X  Z. DeBuggah of the Folo Zone Gang.  X 
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                    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> 
                    <                                      > 
                    <  Content Hazard Rating --- Moderate  > 
                    <  risk of blindness.                  > 
                    <                                      > 
                    <  Hazard Type -- . . . . . Explosive  > 
                    <                                      > 
                    <  Special Precautions -- Keep it WET  > 
                    <  until ready for final use.    This  > 
                    <  stuff stains things badly,   watch  > 
                    <  where you put/use it.               > 
                    <                                      > 
                    <vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv> 
  
YOU WILL NEED:- 
  
Iodine crystals (there is no substitute).  Available from university
stockrooms (with a little pleading), VW&R, American Scientific and some drug
stores. 
  
Ammonia (clear - not the detergent kind).  Available in super-markets, drug 
stores, hardware stores, and laboratory supply houses as above. 
  
Heavy walled glass bottle with water tight lid. (Plastic lid - not metal.) 
  
Strips of filter paper, newspaper or paper towel. 
  
CHEMISTRY:- 
  
     3 I2  +  4 NH3 -------------->     NI3  +  3 NH4I 
  
   iodine     ammonia                nitrogen   ammonium 
 (crystals)  (aqueous)                 tri-      iodide 
                                      iodide 
THE SETUP:- 
  
Use about a teaspoonfull of iodine for a cup of laboratory grade ammonia, or
for about three cups of household ammonia.  Put them in the bottle and put on the 
lid, tightly.  (Ammonia is easier to handle out of doors, or anywhere that is 
well ventilated.)  Swirl the bottle a bit, and let it stand over night. 
  
USING IT:- 
  
Select a non-metallic location where you want to use the NI3.  It can be put
out either by scooping out some of the solid material from the bottom of the
bottle with a piece of paper, and leave the paper and the NI3 to dry.  Alternatively
it can be scooped out with a plastic spoon (or a popsicle stick) or knife etc.,
and applied like frosting to places where people may walk, to banisters on
stairways or the underside of door-knobs.  Pick a place where it will not be disturbed
until it is completely dry.  The most important limitation is that it is
incompatible with metals, which will absorb the iodine out of the NI3 and turn to
rust. 
  
The other thing to remember is NITROGEN TRI-IODIDE CANNOT BE MOVED AFTER IT IS
DRY.  THE LEAST DISTURBANCE WILL SET IT OFF.  If you put a piece of paper
smeared with it out in the sun to dry, or under a heat radiator in a room, the com-
bination of heat and the twisting of the paper as it drys, will make it hop a-
round at 1/2 to 5 minute intervals as areas of the prepared paper dry out. 
Each hop is accompanied by a loud pop or snap, and if the location is obscure 
enough, the comparatively long delay between pops can make it very hard to
find where the sound is coming from.  If the NI3 is left in a cool dry place to dry
out, it will remain ready until it is touched, like a hand reaching for a
doorknob or sliding town a banister.  Alternatively, NI3 can be applied to the 
ground as a perimeter alarm, because no matter how gently or quietly it it 
stepped on, it's gonna go BANG! 


