# A Bomb Made of Household Supplies?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bomb-made-of-household-supplies/274292>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 11, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bomb-made-of-household-supplies/274292 "2004-11-11T23:21:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bomb-made-of-household-supplies/274292/1 "2004-11-11T23:21:48Z")

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No, I am not asking HOW to make a homemade bomb.

With that out of the way, ISTR a scene in the original _Terminator_ in which a bomb is made of ammonia, moth balls and corn syrup. I can see the corn syrup as a conduit (is that the word?) that binds the two chemicals together. I can also see where the phenyl[sub]mumblemumble[/sub] or whatever it is in mothballs could react with the strong chemicals in ammonia.

What I don’t get is if it’s actually possible to construct a bomb this way.

Again, I am not asking HOW to do it. I’m merely asking if it can be done, or if this is mere Hollywood poetic license.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2004, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-bomb-made-of-household-supplies/274292/2 "2004-11-12T00:24:31Z")

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Fine line here.

If someone came on here and asked if you could make a bomb out of grapefruit and walnuts, I’d let it go.

While I haven’t tried to find out yet whether the ingredients can be used for a bomb, I’m not waiting for you to be told “Yeah, all you have to do is…”

You could, of course, possibly Google up the answer yourself.  
Closed.

**samclem** GQ moderator