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Topic: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?  (Read 50291 times)

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Offline Like_A_Whisper

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Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« on: January 24, 2010, 06:11:34 PM »
In Season 3, Episode 4: Good Fences of Prison Break they use it to corrode steal. Here is what the discription says when i googled it.
Quote
A chemical that kills the odor of decomposition, mostly used on dead bodies. When heated to a certain degree it can corrode steel.
I needed to ask this because i want to study a special part of the chemistry - Corroding of metals. Has anyone heard of something like that. Just wanted to consult with someone more professional. This has got to be an acid or it really doesn't exist. From what I heard nitric and sulfuric acids can corrode iron or zinc but certainly not steel. If this is true, I would be fascinated

Offline bromidewind

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #1 on: January 24, 2010, 07:17:23 PM »
If it can corrode steel, then it probably wouldn't be able to kill the odor of decomposition, since it would destroy the body completely, eliminating the need to cover up the smell. Thermite is capable of burning through steel, although not necessarily corroding it. Nitric acid will corrode steel, but not to the extent I think you're thinking of. It can create small pits in it, but the more metal it corrodes the less acidic it becomes. A caustic solution (i.e., NaOH) may work at corroding steel, as indicated by <a href="http://sti.srs.gov/fulltext/ms9900055/ms9900055.pdf">this article</a> from the Savannah River Site (a nuclear waste treatment plant not far from where I used to live).

The majority of TV shows blow chemistry way out of proportion. MacGyver had an episode where he used a bottle of water + sodium metal to blow a hole in a twelve inch think cinder block wall. CSI and NCIS get science wrong sometimes too. I love watching these shows just so I can be like "Hah.. that's SO not how you do GC/mass spec/NMR".

Offline Like_A_Whisper

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #2 on: January 25, 2010, 02:05:08 AM »
So basically it doesn't exist by your opinion. Ok, thank you for the reply. I will check the link you gave me. I must try the nitric acid in action too, to see it's efficiency

Offline Borek

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #3 on: January 25, 2010, 03:15:49 AM »
Note: concentrated nitric acid is not a good idea. It passivates iron and reaction stops, so use 1:1 dilution for the best results. Sodium hydroxide - while it will slightly corrode some types of steel, it is basically useless for this task, as acids work many times faster.
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Offline Schrödinger

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #4 on: January 25, 2010, 09:09:11 AM »
What about formaldehyde?
I think it fits the bill.

It corrodes steel and is definitely used on dead bodies.
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Offline Like_A_Whisper

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #5 on: February 22, 2010, 05:49:16 PM »
Exposure to formaldehyde is a significant consideration for human health. That's what it says on Wikipedia. I haven't seen that chemical formula yet... Mind giving me a link or more description about that?

Offline Schrödinger

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #6 on: February 23, 2010, 05:06:16 AM »
I don't have a link to a detailed description/explanation, but this should do, I guess

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadaver
Read the topic : A brief history of cadavers

For the corrosion bit :
http://www.corrosion-doctors.org/Principles/Theory.htm
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Offline stevelexus

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Re: Kesslivol. Does it exist or not?
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2011, 07:30:06 PM »
NO it does not exist. It's Hollywood and there is a lot of imaginary chemicals and drugs in Prison Break. There are even some fake places. This show is fun to watch, but so far away from reality it's almost like a cartoon!

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