survival chemicals

as the title says , a few chemicals to have around - and thier uses

in this 1st post - i have attempted to concentrate on emergency pack stuff - that are usefull to carry in a 125ml bottle - not ` bulk stores ` for homesteading survival off the grid - though if you are staying put - they are all just as usefull in 5 to 25 litre drums

1 hydrogen peroxide

if you can get it - use 80% - HTP then dilute it for use as needed , the bbenefits are -

a - less volume / mass

b - you can start a fire with it - just ad a few drops carefully to a peice of dry cloth

other uses [ diluted ]

sterilising almost anything

debriding wounds , and as an antiseptic

sterilizing water [ kills virus contamination that some filter methods may fail to elieminate ]


2 IPA [ iso propanal alchohol ]

NOT for internal consumption - external use only

it burns - obviously - great for assisnting fire starting

you can also start a fire with a 6 , 9 or 12v lantern batery - a pinch of steel wool and the alcholhol

simply build your kindling into a nest - wrap the steel wool round a small twig so that it can touch both betery terminals , soak the steel wool in the IPA , hold the twig above the nest of kindling - apply the battery to the steel wool - when ignition occurs - withdraw the battery and frop the twig into its nest - and tend the fire as you would normally

other uses :

antiseptic / sterilising

weaponised - squirt / throw in the eyes / mouth of an attacker

3 lugols solution

store in an opaque bottle as it is UV sensitive

uses :

antiseptic - use on any wound - it HURTS - but its very good

dietary suplement

proactive measure against radiation exposure - not the word PROACTIVE its of reduced benefit taking it once you have hiked to ground zero

3b tincture of iodine

as above - but prepared ith 50% alcholhol / 50% sterile water - not my first choice - as i personally dont reccomend it for internal use

4 magnesium ribbon :

fire assistant - if your kindling wont burn with magnesium helping it - its never going to burn

just a few of my top choices for starter - more to come when i have time

feel free to add yours - or additional uses for my picks

My favorite:

Grain Alcohol - many uses, including nice, tasty beverages for adult consumption, solvent for degreasing metal and glass machine components, as an additive for homemade cleaning solutions, fuel for heating/cooking, fuel for improvised explosive devices, antiseptics for first aid purposes, a sterilent for surgical devices.

reply to post by ignorant_ape


H2O2 will decompose over time! especially as high grade, which means it'll lose potency over time!

Lugol's solution might be a good substitute in many cases (except for sterilizing water) , but you'll have to be careful not to grossly overuse it on wounds, as its toxic in higher quantities (grams as opposed to milligrams). That way, you could reduce the number of liquids you carry - unless you really want to use it as rocket fuel or some application of chemistry, that is.

it really beats the heck of potassium iodide tablets, btw, because it's that much more compact and dosage can be varied as easily as counting drops!


PS: have you considered vulcanizing agent for tire repairs? not all that bulky and potentially very helpful.

reply to post by ignorant_ape


One thing I have around is white distilled vinegar. Multiple uses from cleaning to antiseptic.

Uses for White Vinegar

Originally posted by MMPI2
My favorite:

Grain Alcohol - many uses, including nice, tasty beverages for adult consumption, solvent for degreasing metal and glass machine components, as an additive for homemade cleaning solutions, fuel for heating/cooking, fuel for improvised explosive devices, antiseptics for first aid purposes, a sterilent for surgical devices.

That was my first thought. Multipurpose miracle!

OK....what about Ammonium Nitrate

epsom salt is great to have on hand, great for healing bruises or sprains, soak sore feet or hands in it, you can even use it as a stool softener in a pinch

witch hazel has lots of healing benefits as well

I never would have thought grain alcohol would have so many uses. The great thing about alcohol, peroxide, epsom salt,ect is that you can buy them cheaply.
In fact I use rubbing alcohol to clean my prescription glasses and it has an expiration date on the bottle of 10/2013.

Originally posted by MMPI2
OK....what about Ammonium Nitrate

good idea, AN can be used as an icepack when mixed with water and would be worth its weight in gold if it was hot and you wer sik and had a fever.. by adding a bit of baking soda to the water-AN solution, and soaking rolls of news paper in it and hanging them out to dry, you can make practically millitary grade smoke bombs... can work as a low velosity explosive when mixed with powdered magnesium(fire strikers+file) but wont work as a high explosive(ANFO, ANMN, ALAN, ect.) unless you have about one pound of TNT for a booster

baking soda(can use for cooking, fire retardent, nutralize acids, ect.),
h2o obviously, bleach (will loze potancy ova time but will still last a long time), vaseline(great for fires and wounds),

Are there any of those that can't be kept in a plastic vial? Or is glass necessary?

im pretty sure all chemicals on this page can be stored in air-tight plastic containers for long periods of time.
and glycerin+ potassium permagnate can make fire, and and if aluminum powder is added it will produce a large soooper bright flash(idk if glycerin+pp has ben mentioned)