Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
We always think that water is the perfect way to quench fires and to cool down metals, but that’s not always true, because water doesn’t deal so well with all the elements. When alkali metals like sodium and potassium mix with water, they produce quite an explosive reaction, which can sometimes ignite the water itself.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.That happens simply by throwing the metals in water, but what would happen if you loaded a bullet with them and then shoot it at water? Well, The Backyard Scientist decided to find out.
He filled some soft shell bullets with sodium, potassium, and a liquid mixture of potassium and sodium, and looked at how they compare to normal lead bullets.
You can see their spectacular differences in the video below.
