Month: February 2010

How-To: Make the key glowstick chemical yourself

This video from YouTuber NurdRage comes with a lot of caveats: the synthesis of TCPO from trichlorophenol and oxalyl chloride is relatively straightforward as syntheses go, and the starting materials are much easier to acquire, but they’re still not at all grocery-store type compounds. And it’s not a thing to attempt without the expertise, equipment, and facilities to do it safely. Plus the creepy “Jigsaw” voice effect that the narrator uses to disguise his identity doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. There’s nothing illegal about this procedure, as far as I know, but I think he wants to remain anonymous so nobody can sue him if they try to play along at home and end up burning it down.