# Powdered Gasoline **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915 "2002-10-12T02:33:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/1 "2002-10-12T02:33:47Z")
Okay, in reading some articles on movie special effects I’ve seen mention of powdered gasoline. What the heck is that? The only thing that I could come up with is that some kind of powder is mixed with gasoline to absorb it, but I’ve no idea as to what kind of powder that could be, nor why that would be better than the pyrotechnics traditionally used in movie making. Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/2 "2002-10-12T02:40:34Z")
Dunno. Could you maybe link to one or more of the articles, or are they all on paper? ---
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/3 "2002-10-12T02:45:59Z")
Sadly, they’re all dead tree editions. I first remember hearing the term when _Independence Day_ came out. It was the explosive used to blow up the model of the White House. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/4 "2002-10-12T04:08:33Z")
Gunpowder drenched in gasoline, or “powdered gasoline” should produce nice fireballs. You’d need a good ignition system to get the powder started, but the heat from it would evaporate the gasoline very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/5 "2002-10-13T01:57:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Squink \* > \*\*Gunpowder drenched in gasoline, or “powdered gasoline” should produce nice fireballs. You’d need a good ignition system to get the powder started, but the heat from it would evaporate the gasoline very quickly. \*\* So is that what it is? Or is that simply speculation on your part? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/6 "2002-10-13T03:28:25Z")
“So is that what it is? Or is that simply speculation on your part?” Googling about on that premise turns up a number of references to the mixture, including a few recipes, but nothing that describes it specifically for use in movie special effects. Since the components of gasoline are liquid at all reasonable temperatures and pressures, it’s likely that the term “powdered gasoline” does _not_ refer to solidified hydrocarbons. If powdered gasoline were some exotic new pyrotechnic material I’d expect there to be many many references to it on line. There aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![flertbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e5b9ba/32.png) [@flertbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flertbert)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/7 "2002-10-13T08:15:39Z")
Could be, but then again, some obscure explosives don’t seem to be on the net anywhere. There’s a plastic explosive called “astrolite” that’s pretty powerful stuff, but I can’t find any websites on it. (The only information I’ve found on it was from a 60s _Popular Mechanics_ issue that I picked up a couple of months ago.) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/8 "2002-10-13T13:32:22Z")
Here’s several pages on [Astrolite](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&as_qdr=all&q=astrolite+explosive). Some of the pages are fairly detailed. A Search for the term “powdered gasoline” yields nothing, so neither the explosives industry, or the pyromaniac set is talking about it. From your description of its use, it’s not so special as to be a closely guarded secret. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/9 "2002-10-13T15:18:18Z")
I don’t think it’s petrolium jelly that you want. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/10 "2002-10-13T15:21:48Z")
Oops, sorry, I was referring to napalm. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/powdered-gasoline/131915/11 "2002-10-13T18:52:10Z")
I thought this was going to be a thread about some scam…adding this magic powder to water and PRESTO!..instant gasoline.