# Just Add Water **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130 "2008-09-18T12:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/1 "2008-09-18T12:12:32Z")
… to little green puills, and get Martians. … to Gremlins, and get more Gremlins … to lithium, sodium, potassium, or rubidium and get hydrogen and heat, resulting in a floating fire … to calcium carbide, and get acetylene —to calcium oxide, and get heat and a smoke screen — to lithium hydride, and get hydrogen gas and NO heat, so you can fill your balloon … to calcium chloride, and get warm what else, fictional or otherwise, can you add? … to sodium bicarbonate, and get cool. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/2 "2008-09-18T13:42:02Z")
In the Joel Rosenberg’s _Sword and the Chain_ series, you added a little water to a little pile of powerdery residue to create an explosion, mimicking the effects of gunpowder. I remember a short story where an alien had a glass gun that mixed water and acid to fire flechettes. Add water to iron oxide powder to heat your MREs. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/3 "2008-09-18T13:47:35Z")
> [@](#): > > I remember a short story where an alien had a glass gun that mixed water and acid to fire flechettes. Stanley G. Weinbaum’s “A Martian Odyssey” (and its sequel). A classic from the 1930s. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/4 "2008-09-18T14:44:23Z")
Just add one small drop of water to a mix of aluminium and iodine powder to get flame and purple smoke, as I fondly remember from chemistry class 35 years ago. Just add water to a white powder (anhydrous copper sulphate) to get clear blue liquid. Just add water to a pan full of boiling vegetable oil to get a fireball (thanks to our local fire station for the safety demo at the village fete). Just add water to the planet Mars to visit genocide on the few remaining natives (_Protector_, Larry Niven). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/5 "2008-09-18T14:51:55Z")
to spoiled powdered milk to get a good intoxicating drink for [Tenctonese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenctonese) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/6 "2008-09-18T15:00:09Z")
Just add water … to Evil Witches in Oz to get a melted evil witch. to a heated Deep Fat Frier to get a nasty exlosion of skin burning hot oil and water. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/7 "2008-09-18T15:10:48Z")
… to air to get “Instant Water”. ---
**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:** [September 18, 2008, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/8 "2008-09-18T15:37:18Z")
Just add water… To those cool multi-colored crystals to get a forest of dendrites. I loved those as a kid! ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/9 "2008-09-18T21:32:33Z")
…to carbon and make sugar! ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/10 "2008-09-18T21:41:14Z")
…to an acorn and get an oak tree. (Yeah, I know it’s not quite that simple) ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/11 "2008-09-18T22:15:09Z")
…to the grubby pile of dirt ambulating around the living room, and get a toddler! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/12 "2008-09-19T00:15:59Z")
If you’re Wile E. Coyote just add water to a small pill and get an instant tornado! Then accidentally drop water into the whole jar of pills(they’re Acme of course) and get a really huge tornado that sweeps you away! ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/13 "2008-09-19T00:31:58Z")
…to those Aliens in **Signs** , and…nevermind. …from a water cooler in a bank next to a burning building and get your powers back. (Frozone only) …to the floor of a computer room in the Pentagon and have the security system sound the alarm and lock down the room. (Warning: security system designed to prevent file copying to disk does not actually detect the decibel level of a disk copying files) …spread the seeds, and watch it grow! CH-CH-CH-CHIA PET!! ---
**Author:** ![Satellite\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Satellite\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satellite_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/14 "2008-09-19T02:35:59Z")
I have a package of instant water… I don’t know what to add… [/Steven Wright] S^G ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/15 "2008-09-19T06:43:03Z")
[http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dehydrated\_water.jpg](http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dehydrated_water.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/16 "2008-09-19T06:49:54Z")
to Bourbon, and get drunk. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/17 "2008-09-19T07:12:18Z")
Add A LOT of water and get a flood. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/18 "2008-09-19T08:25:55Z")
…to flour and get glue. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/19 "2008-09-19T09:13:01Z")
… to a puddle and get a bigger puddle (x+x=2x, except for number of puddles) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2008, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130/20 "2008-09-19T09:29:07Z")
. . . to Mr Fusion and you can run your time machine. There’s a microscopic critter, don’t recall the name, which can lose 99+% of it’s water, and go into a sort of suspended animation. It can then blow around like dust, until perhaps years later it lands somewhere damp and it absorbs the water and reanimates. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-add-water/464130.md?page=2)