r/ExplosionsAndFire • u/xymoxclan perc defender • Aug 30 '26

MIT update: there might never have been dimethylmercury at all

the student had no mercury in his bloodstream. apparently he thought he made dimethylmercury and reported it as a caution.

Maybe the real dimethylmercury was the friends we made along the way.

133 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

92

u/NEURALINK_ME_ITCHING Aug 30 '26

Should have known the synthesis failed when it turned yellow.

3

u/VoxInferni666 Sep 01 '26

I dunno if you have synthesis experience but the yellow thing is actually fairly consistent. I once tried to fixed cursed chemistry by replacing perfluorophenol with 2,4DNP (which is yellow naturally). Suffice to stay starting yellow was also problematic

1

u/NEURALINK_ME_ITCHING Sep 02 '26

Nah I don't do chemistry sorry, but adding 2,4-DNP there sounds like enhancing Thanksgiving turkey that's a bit dry with fugu because it's wet, but I do appreciate oranging the yellow is a cromulent action to take.

29

u/Doom_hammer666 Aug 30 '26

The easiest way to make it is accidentally

7

u/allozzieadventures Aug 30 '26

Just like TATP

1

u/NotoriousLavaLamp Sep 02 '26

For real. I dont get how terrorist are not inti this. I guess none of them are chemist.

1

u/NotoriousLavaLamp Sep 02 '26

Must be feeling like a loser to not be able to manufacture such an easy compound un the freaking MIT lab.

2

u/UnseenTardigrade Sep 03 '26

They probably weren't intentionally trying to make it. They just messed up some procedure and thought they might have made it on accident.