A few weeks ago I bought some titanium tetrachloride which, I heard is one of the most obnoxious chemicals. It came in this nice elongated tuna can, and it was wrapped up in a little blanket. When it was just sitting in a bottle like this, it wasn't too scary, but it still took a little while to get the courage to open it.
So now I finally feel ready to crack it open, and I for sure have to do it in my fume hood. Almost immediately, a bunch of white smoke, started pouring out. This is a mixture of hydrochloric acid and titanium oxides, which form as the titanium tetrachloride, reacts with oxygen, and moisture in the air.
If I open this outside my fume hood, it would easily fill the room with a haze, and it also wouldn't be very healthy to breathe. But anyway, what I've always wanted to do, was try and soak a super ball in it. So I dropped in one that I got from the dollar store, and I let it sit for a couple minutes.
When it was done it had completely changed colors, and it kind of looked like a little planet. I don't know for sure, but this has to be the world's smokiest ball.
