# What chemicals will completely dissolve a human body, in about ten seconds?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 3, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696 "2014-08-03T04:49:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![TheBlackSheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@TheBlackSheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBlackSheep)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696/21 "2014-08-03T19:48:02Z")

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fluoroantimonic acid is pretty nasty stuff but still not as evilas the chicken vindaloo I had last week

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696/22 "2014-08-03T20:02:07Z")

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> [@Ruken](#):
>
> The splatter is because pretty much every carbon atom is ending up in a molecule of CO[sub]2[/sub]. That’s a lot of gas. And the exothermic reaction boils any water present.
> 
> Most of us would probably call the result an explosion.

Not a nitpick, certainly coming from me, but isn’t this called a deflagration?

> [@watchwolf49](#):
>
> I’d rather explain to my wife why I exploded 200,000 nuclear bombs than have to explain what happened to her mother.

🙂

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**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696/23 "2014-08-03T20:11:58Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> Not a nitpick, certainly coming from me, but isn’t this called a deflagration?

I’m not sure why it would be; there shouldn’t be much in the way of fire going on. But there might. I’m not going to try it.

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696/24 "2014-08-04T02:21:52Z")

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I’m sure it would take longer than ten seconds, but supercritical steam in a pressure vessel would reduce a body to bones and soup in a short time.

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**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\
**Post date:** [August 4, 2014, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-chemicals-will-completely-dissolve-a-human-body-in-about-ten-seconds/694696/25 "2014-08-04T02:35:20Z")

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> [@Lumpy](#):
>
> I’m sure it would take longer than ten seconds, but supercritical steam in a pressure vessel would reduce a body to bones and soup in a short time.

That would just leave the bones, maybe an acidic supercritical steam? I like where this is going, I think we can make the steam like supersupercritical and it’ll take out the biochemistry in less than ten seconds. What acid dissolves bone in a hurry?

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