How to Make Napalm (Simple Guidelines to Follow)

How to make napalm. Recently, napalm has been used as an incendiary substance that sticks readily to victims, thereby prolonging the burn and causing damage to the victim, and has proven especially effective against dug-in enemy personnel (the use of napalm is prohibited by modern-day “rules” of war).

History of Napalm (What is Napalm)

Napalm is also a popular fuel for explosive devices like the Molotov cocktail. Napalms can be used in animal traps and to focus a burn on a specific area for an extended period of time for more peaceful purposes. In a survival situation, it can even be used as a cutting tool.

Napalms were first deployed on the battleground of Papua in New Guinea with flame workers. More attacks were through airstrikes.

1400 tons were used in the war to take down Japan. Only 5% of incendiary weapons, Napalm, and other explosive weapons were also deployed by the allies during the war. 

During the Korean War, the United States Air Force bombed North Korea extensively from 1950 to 1953. It is estimated that Napalms destroyed nearly 85% of North Korea’s buildings.

This was the first significant bombing carried out by US Army troops since its inception in 1947. Massive quantities of napalms were delivered.

On the first day of the war, 32357 tonnes of napalms were dropped on Korea, which was more than double the amount dropped on Japan in 1945.

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Properties of Napalm

Here are some properties of Napalms:

‣ It appears as a thick jelly or flammable liquid, depending on its composition. Gasoline is more explosive than Napalms. However, when it catches fire, it is tough to extinguish.

‣ It is highly flammable and has a strong petroleum odor. Thus, it isn’t easy to extinguish.

‣ It is insoluble in most soluble polar solvents and in water but forms a fine suspension with most hydrocarbon liquids.

‣ Napalm gives many combustion gases during combustion and carbon monoxide and soot, and a lot of heat. Carbon monoxide is highly toxic.

‣ It generates temperatures of about 1500oF to 2200oF, which is by far that of water at 212oF.

How to Make Homemade Napalm

Napalm-B, a more modern version of napalms, is one of several types of modern-day Napalms mixtures.

Commercial versions are typically made with difficult-to-find ingredients like naphthenic acid and palmitic acid (hence the name: naphthenic + palmitic), but homemade versions are relatively simple to make. Homemade napalms can be made in the following ways:

‣ Fill a large container about halfway with gasoline (diesel works best).

‣ Break a Styrofoam (polystyrene) plate into small pieces.

‣ Add the pieces to the gasoline mixture and stir.

‣ The gasoline will dissolve the Styrofoam into a jelly-like substance.

‣ Pour out the extra gasoline leaving the white, jelly-like substance.

‣ This sticky, white substance is the “napalm” which when lit, will burn for several minutes. Engine oil can be added to the mixture to reduce (slow) the burn time of the substance.

The Dangers of Napalm

Remember, this is “napalm,” and as such, it carries all of the risks associated in other flammable substances, plus the additional risks that (1) it sticks to you and (2) it emits unhealthy, toxic smoke and fumes. 

In other words, the substance is extremely hazardous and should be handled with extreme caution (the heat from this napalm is so hot that if you burn it on an asphalt street, it will leave a hole in the street surface).

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