# ammonia and aluminum mixed together? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577 "2002-11-25T02:13:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![subinai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@subinai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/subinai)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/1 "2002-11-25T02:13:44Z")
hello. i have a bike frame that is made from aluminum. It has a warning about keeping Ammonia away from it. Why? What will happen if Ammonia comes in contact with the bike? Thank You. Ian ---
**Author:** ![MannyL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/2 "2002-11-25T02:26:23Z")
I tried to google you an answer so I would have a cite but I failed. I also failed Chem (well never too kit) but when you combine Ammonia and aluminum you create a reaction that weakens the bike ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/3 "2002-11-25T03:24:51Z")
kyou combine Ammonia and aluminum you create a reaction that weakens the bike [/quote] Exactly. The reaction between aluminum and Ammonia (Ammonium hydroxide) is similar to the one between aluminum and sodium hydroxide (lye). Here’s a link describing the [Al, NaOH reaction](http://www.pc.chemie.uni-siegen.de/pci/versuche/english/v44-10.html). If you’ve ever used Drano, which is a mixture of sodium hydroxide pellets and Aluminum flakes you’ve seen this reaction. You end up with boiling water and a bunch of sodium alumininate. The bits of aluminum dissolve completely. If you use Ammonia rather than sodium hydroxide the reaction just goes a bit slower, and you get ammonium aluminates rather than sodium aluminates. The bits of aluminum, or your bike frame, still dissolves. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/4 "2002-11-25T03:28:20Z")
WTH ? Something ate the first few words of the quote. “If you combine aluminum and ammoniayou create…” ---
**Author:** ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/5 "2002-11-25T08:07:58Z")
minor Hijack…I read that if you put aluminum in drano you get hydrogen and put a balloon over the neck you can catch it to make a hydrogen bomb of somekind. Could this work? ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/6 "2002-11-25T14:07:01Z")
“Hydrogen bomb” ? Maybe the Hindenburg sort, but not the Arms Limitation Treaty sort. See [http://www.wackyuses.com/hydrogen.html](http://www.wackyuses.com/hydrogen.html) for an example. Please note that this should be supervised by an adult, and it wouldn’t hurt to have an ambulance standing by. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![subinai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@subinai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/subinai)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/7 "2002-12-01T20:24:20Z")
bump ---
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/8 "2002-12-01T20:29:39Z")
I’m not sure if ammonia is the same as the stuff in toilet cleaner, but if it is… An ex-friend of mine (llllooong story) showed me, much to my delight, that if you mix toilet cleaner and aluminum foil in a bottle, it will explode after a few minutes. Oh, how much fun it was to leave those things near no-tresspassing signs! ~ monica ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/9 "2002-12-01T21:40:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by the\_duke\_69 \* > \*\*minor Hijack…I read that if you put aluminum in drano you get hydrogen and put a balloon over the neck you can catch it to make a hydrogen bomb of somekind. Could this work? \*\* Remember folks-Always wear the proper saftey equipment! That and a little knowledge is indeed a dangerous thing. Some home science projects(like the fine example in the link) are harmless. Some are good ways to win a Darwin award. My landlord only charges me for hot water. Electric current and the proper electrodes will spilt water into oxygen and hydrogen. In _theory_, I could easily get enough hydrogen to fill that one-seat, pedal-driven blimp I’ve always wanted. In _practice_, I’d rather not be electrocuted, start an electrical fire, or keep a large amount of a volatile gas in the apartment.[sub]that and builing an ultralite aircraft entirely from recycled junk is a much more appealing project.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![420\_24\_7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/76d3ee/32.png) [@420\_24\_7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/420_24_7)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/10 "2012-12-07T17:31:49Z")
> [@monica](#): > > I’m not sure if ammonia is the same as the stuff in toilet cleaner, but if it is… > > An ex-friend of mine (llllooong story) showed me, much to my delight, that if you mix toilet cleaner and aluminum foil in a bottle, it will explode after a few minutes. Oh, how much fun it was to leave those things near no-tresspassing signs! > > ~ monica Another thing you can do is get some canned air from staples, best buy, walmart, etc. then turn it upside down and spray it into a soda bottle or film canister and watch it explode (10 seconds to a minute for the film canisters; I’ve never tried bottles). ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/11 "2012-12-07T18:22:23Z")
> [@420\_24\_7](#): > > Another thing you can do is get some canned air from staples, best buy, walmart, etc. then turn it upside down and spray it into a soda bottle or film canister and watch it explode (10 seconds to a minute for the film canisters; I’ve never tried bottles). Reported. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ammonia-and-aluminum-mixed-together/138577/12 "2012-12-07T19:10:29Z")
Since this reply today has little to do with the OP, closed. **samclem**