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@patrickzavas Says:
A flame is hottest at its tip.
If you hold the lighter that close a lot of the fuel is dumping into the material instead of burning to its highest temperature. That's where the small torch seems to be hotter.
@MichaelTwomey-r5c Says:
The way it paused then continued spreading is very similar to a reaction I have observed many times between iron powder and sulphur when heated producing ferrous sulphide FeS 😊🥹😅😂
@XavierBetoN Says:
11:11 That pulsating move, it almost happens in every fragmented solid fuel reaction, even with pine nails (leafs) inside a BBQ. This is literally the reason why SRB's "crackle" on ascent.
@FCHenchy Says:
Hats off to whoever made the music choices when the big torch lit up.
@lennycampagna734 Says:
When i used to work in wireless telecom we used a similar combustion welding technique for bonding solid ground wire to be buried in a ring around the site allowing infinite bonding points for future equipment. The product we used was "cadweld"
@christopherlane816 Says:
Way back when I was an electrician, I used Thermite welding to bond building and light pole ground cables to grounding electrodes. I was scary hot for sure.
@Robert-nz2qw Says:
Still waiting for "what's to come".
@LittleThinkersLabTV-o5b Says:
Watched this with my 9-year-old and his eyes went huge when the molten iron poured out — he had no idea that's how real train tracks get welded together. He's been asking all week if we can 'melt metal with rust' in the backyard (we are NOT doing that, and he is very disappointed). Chemistry feels so much bigger when you can actually see it.
@QuentinBristow-Smith Says:
cardbord boves all around, experts yer
@djksfhakhaks Says:
This is amazing. Setting off thermite in a vessel you know wont contain it, in a room lines with boxes. 👌
@shark.bait12 Says:
I wonder if it would ignite in a vacuum
@markedward8639 Says:
I got a booklet from my dad titled "Thermit Welding Process" (about 30 pages) from 1987 that is an excerpt from the book "Welding Theory Practice, Apparatus and Tests", which was copyright 1910. This is the process they used to weld rail road tracks together.
@thedirtycorner8816 Says:
Salt water cheaper faster easier
@Lou_sassel315 Says:
23:38
Woman: “that’s it”
Derek: “That’s it? I don’t think it was in”
I feel your pain brother blue balls ain’t a laughing matter
@Foxpawed Says:
We're never getting that third part of this video series are we.
@theWeakForce77 Says:
wow. who knew?
@Hemanth-oc8vi Says:
Incogni is available in india
@Hemanth-oc8vi Says:
I instead of transparent glass why you can't use transparent aerosal
@chosenone1961 Says:
So this is how they brought down the twin towers
@shovelhead108 Says:
Good dyes guy young
@rotorgator Says:
So, why do you need a large caliber rifle bullet impact to get a reaction from the thermite?
@92michael Says:
I watched this on 9/11/2026 I was a witness to the terrible tragedy of Sept 11th in New York City. I saw hot spots that resembled what you showed in this video. And I remember the basement pits of the WTC towers burning for weeks and weeks. It makes me wonder if someone used thermite to execute that attack on the Unitited States? But, I guess we will never know the answer to that question.
@Shellskers Says:
Reichstag and 9/11. Same same but different.
@glezgaboy9390 Says:
10:10 look at the glass turned to a liquid and solid at same time
@cyberherbalist Says:
I do wonder why the German-speakers are saying aluminum instead of aluminium? The German language uses aluminium, like the British, and most of the rest of Europe, but the Germans here are using the American version.
The reason Americans are "-um" instead of "-ium" is because when English chemist Humphry Davy named it, he first called it alumium, then changed it to aluminum. It was at that time that the name came into use in the US. Later, aluminium came into widespread use even in Britain. But Americans and Canadians still use aluminum. Spanish doesn't do it either way. In Spanish-speaking countries it's aluminio.
@sergerobitaille2214 Says:
To many ads
@Richard-px3se Says:
This video is pretty awesome I didn't notice you posted it. I myself have learned and studied thermite and how it's made. There are a few different mixes that can be used though the strongest reaction is always going to be a sustained hydrogen gas fuel ignition which can burn up to 5000°+
@MAXQ-f7u Says:
ALUMINIUM fool
@oSonine Says:
The iron thermite mix we used to weld the railroad track had large shots of carbon steel in it and would swirl in the crucible before it melted the tap at the bottom when it reached 5,600°f. When I asked the boss why it did that he told me all molten iron is a magnet and it's trying to crush itself... Idk how accurate that was but I loved the idea 😆 most bestest funnest job I ever had and it paid very very well. It's not a job for a family man though. I eventually had to go home and spend the money.
@CATANOVA Says:
31:40 can form a hard cap by way of the aluminium melting and forming a crust. If the reaction initiates under this cap (which it easily can) then be prepared for blowback.
@erlaed Says:
It'd be interesting to film it burning under Argon. Would take the oxygen out of the mix.
@augustuscrocker9328 Says:
looks like a live Mandelbrot set simulation in 3D
@tasteslikepennies2549 Says:
4:10 why the hell is Hitler the chemist?😂😂😂
@babeshep Says:
Pulting: it's "chugging" air. Just like a bottle of water. Air enters, consumes, gaseaous reactants escape, repeat.
@jacquesduranceau8762 Says:
One ribbon of Mg lit with a match is all that is required to ignite the thermite.
@Troy-j6l Says:
WOW👍👍💯❤️👍👍 34:40
@Z-Ack Says:
It pulses from oxidizing the elements or materials in the container. Fire in itself is an organic reaction of oxidizing elements into a plasma and spreads through the thermal oxidization combusting the elements. Even under a vacuum if an ignitor is used to create heat the burning of anything would create its own oxygen to spread whether contained within the plasma or combustion..
@rodrigoalvarez1712 Says:
I finally clicked on the Incogni subscription and was massively disappointed about how Veritasium, who I trusted deeply, is promoting this.
The language clearly says 60% off an annual plan, while in practice the 60% is calculate from a small hidden grayed out MSRP ($551) that is 2X what the pricing page shows.
So effectively, any random Joe gets 50% off ($551 > $275) and using the promo code gets ($551 > $220). I'm mind blown and broken hearted that Derek would accept using this misleading language and mind games. You could just say you get a 20% discount and that would be enticing enough and not misleading. Ugg.... So sad to see Veritasium making click bait.
@Kingrandoofficial Says:
What was on that Laptop 😅😅😅
@MattiG18 Says:
7:06 I hear deutsch 😅
@SlyNation Says:
At first I was thinking, why not use sapphire glass for the experiment? Its heat resistant to well over 2000C and even though it is expensive it would be worth it for an experiment no one has ever done before. Then I remembered sapphire is a corundum which is a crystal of aluminum oxide, but looks like the glass held up fine regardless. Also, what are the sparklers that are used to start these reactions? Just beefed up versions of the normal children's firework? EDIT: Hmmmm maybe I should just wait to comment until the end :P
@andreaclark5461 Says:
Wizard fire
@You_Know_The_Thing Says:
And this my friends is how you collapse buildings that were supposed to withstand air plane strikes 🤔
@precisioncnc Says:
It could also be used to bring down a tower or a twin tower🤷♂️
@sandraweilbrenner67 Says:
A dream job for most (nerdy science guys). Some danger fireworks experimentation.
@COG1991FEB Says:
When I worked in the Intelligence center of the USS Enterprise CVN-65. I learned how to use Thermite in case the ship needed to be abandoned. Thermite burns even under water. So if you use it to destroy classified materials and equipment it will continue to work even if the ship were to sink. 😮
@laxounreal Says:
4:49 In germany we did this in our Chemistry class. So cool😄
@youpoofoowoo Says:
Pulsing may be caused by grains being melt absorb heat of fusion. That surpress the temperature a while and a layer getting completely melted start full raise of temperature. That melt next layer.
@thomas_fx_foto Says:
You guys killed a village of old people by turning that laptop into noxious fumes. 🙄
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