Dangerous chemicals your party might encounter somewhere...

[Enoki]

This video gives you five that spontaneously explode, poison everything, eat through everything, case death, and generally are something you never want to encounter...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSoDW2-wrc

 

[GypsyComet]

Have another. Not quite in the category of the others, but no fun.
http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/02/23/things_i_wont_work_with_dioxygen_difluoride.php

 

[salochin999]

This video gives you five that spontaneously explode, poison everything, eat through everything, case death, and generally are something you never want to encounter...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckSoDW2-wrc

excellent

 

[Ulsyus]

I wonder if some of those would be any easier to manager or use if advanced gravitic and magnetic manipulation was possible.

Though, the idea of using Thioacetone to disable lower-tech troops before your enviro-sealed mercs drop into an area has a certain attraction...

 

[Lycanorukke]

Though, the idea of using Thioacetone to disable lower-tech troops before your enviro-sealed mercs drop into an area has a certain attraction...

What it would be good for is species that relay heavily on scent - say K'Kree. The stink of rotting meat in grenade form would be like a flash bang as thier nose overloads. And those not stunned would freak out.

And since Hivers dont have smell (well most of them) they would practically spraypaint Bruisers with the stuff.

 

[Timerover51]

What it would be good for is species that relay heavily on scent - say K'Kree. The stink of rotting meat in grenade form would be like a flash bang as thier nose overloads. And those not stunned would freak out.

And since Hivers dont have smell (well most of them) they would practically spraypaint Bruisers with the stuff.

Herbivores normally do not depend much on scent, more on sight and hearing. That is not to say that such a device would not be effective.

As for chemicals, the following World War 1 chemical agents are in common industrial use: Chlorine in massive quantities, hydrogen cyanide, phosgene (the most effective World War 1 killer), and mustard agent. The more lethal insecticides approximate in terms of human lethality the first nerve agents, Tabun and Soman.

Something that would be nasty to use on the Vargr, given their canine sense of smell would be either skunk spray, or any of the mercaptans (commonly added to natural gas to detect leaks), methyl, ethyl, or butyl.

The scent of butanethiol is so strong that the human nose can easily detect it in the air at concentrations as low as 10 parts per billion.

If a poor human nose can detect those scents at that low a concentration, imagine what it would do to a Vargr in a high concentration. Nice thing about those is that using them as a liquid, with a fairly long endurance before breaking down, would be quite easy.

 

[Enoki]

Something that would be nasty to use on the Vargr, given their canine sense of smell would be either skunk spray, or any of the mercaptans (commonly added to natural gas to detect leaks), methyl, ethyl, or butyl.

If a poor human nose can detect those scents at that low a concentration, imagine what it would do to a Vargr in a high concentration. Nice thing about those is that using them as a liquid, with a fairly long endurance before breaking down, would be quite easy.

But, you would also have to know what smells / scents are obnoxious to them. Vargr might, like many carnivores, revel in scents that stink to high heaven. Those might be much like a drug high for them.

So, instead you have to use a scent like perfume or air freshener to really get them running... o:

 

[Timerover51]

But, you would also have to know what smells / scents are obnoxious to them. Vargr might, like many carnivores, revel in scents that stink to high heaven. Those might be much like a drug high for them.

So, instead you have to use a scent like perfume or air freshener to really get them running... o:

The only natural predator of skunks are Great Horned Owls, who strike from above and without warning, so do not get sprayed. Wolves do not bother skunks, at least not more than once. The mercaptans are very similar to skunk spray.

Have you ever seen a dog that has gotten sprayed by a skunk? I have. Not pretty at all.

 

[Enoki]

On the other hand, if they did like major stink of whatever sort and it was horridly disagreeable to everything else... o:

That could be a major problem when they open a bottle of it on a starship to get a whiff of home...

 

[Lycanorukke]

Herbivores normally do not depend much on scent, more on sight and hearing. That is not to say that such a device would not be effective.

There have been various quotes in Trav books that the K'Kree have even more sensitive noses than the Vargr.

A while ago I designed various 'non lethal' grenades for the various major races. The K'Kree got sprayed with 'hungry predator and dead K'kree' scents to have them freak out or go catatonic, Vargr got hit by ultrasonic squealers (blows out their ears and maybe windows), Aslan with 'Aslan catnip' (causing the same effects as the LSD experiments on soldiers), Zhos with a crude psi grenade (generates a psionic shockwave causing active psi users to experience a Mack Truck to the head), etc. I couldn't work out Hivers though.

But back to dangerous chemicals - a starship would be loaded with them - molten sodium in the reactor cooling/power loops, chlorines and sulphurs from the breakdown of organics in the recycling systems, carcinogenic & mutagenic lubricants, outgassing plastics and such.

As fun as it is though, I don't think there would be many dangerous fluorine compounds on the ship. As cargo however....

 

[Timerover51]

There have been various quotes in Trav books that the K'Kree have even more sensitive noses than the Vargr.

A while ago I designed various 'non lethal' grenades for the various major races. The K'Kree got sprayed with 'hungry predator and dead K'kree' scents to have them freak out or go catatonic, Vargr got hit by ultrasonic squealers (blows out their ears and maybe windows), Aslan with 'Aslan catnip' (causing the same effects as the LSD experiments on soldiers), Zhos with a crude psi grenade (generates a psionic shockwave causing active psi users to experience a Mack Truck to the head), etc. I couldn't work out Hivers though.

But back to dangerous chemicals - a starship would be loaded with them - molten sodium in the reactor cooling/power loops, chlorines and sulphurs from the breakdown of organics in the recycling systems, carcinogenic & mutagenic lubricants, outgassing plastics and such.

As fun as it is though, I don't think there would be many dangerous fluorine compounds on the ship. As cargo however....

As I do not use K'kree at all, I will defer to your knowledge. I have a similar view of the Hivers.

The "Aslan catnip" reminds me of the Andre Norton story, Plague Ship, one of the Solar Queen series. You can find it on Project Gutenberg. The Salariki had a feline ancestry. The ultrasonic squealers would definitely be interesting, especially for using as radio-jamming as well. As for the Zhodani, I think that a thorough search for "psychic howlers", from the James Schmitz story of Telzey Amberdon, Glory Day, would be carried on by the Imperium.

 

[Lycanorukke]

As for the Zhodani, I think that a thorough search for "psychic howlers", from the James Schmitz story of Telzey Amberdon, Glory Day, would be carried on by the Imperium.

I just did my own search and quickly read it.

It would be interesting to have a latent Howler like Kewen as a NPC causing all sorts of problems in the on the Consulate/Marches borders.

The psi-grenade was a semi-secret device to be used by the Thought Police "In case of Extreme Deviant thought". A loopy noble who can throw tanks around with his mind requires a method to be taken down hard and fast without traumatising the proles.

 

[Timerover51]

A loopy noble who can throw tanks around with his mind requires a method to be taken down hard and fast without traumatising the proles.

Which is why the Zhodani do not exist in my Traveller Universe. The area occupied by them is under the control of the remains of the Vilani Empire. Aside from not being a fan of Psionics, having two human species played with by the Ancients is one human specie too many. I do have the Aslan as modified Terran lions, and the Vargr courtesy of the Ancients.

Psi talents are limited in my universe to what I call "wild talents", and are very rare and specialized.

 

[aramis]

As I do not use K'kree at all, I will defer to your knowledge. I have a similar view of the Hivers.

Hiver senses aren't all that good. About as good as human. Smell is either slightly better than humans ("acute sense of smell") or totally absent, and separate from the respiratory tract; 50% lack it.

 

[Lycanorukke]

Another one is that because the humans were grabbed 300,00 years ago, even between the Vil/Zho/Soli there would be tremendeous differences as to the effect of various chemicals let alone aliens.

The Vilani would be Lactose intolerant - the mutation only popping up 7000-8000 years ago. So you give your distinguished Vilani guest a cup of tea (milk & two sugars) and he ends up spending the next few hours sitting on the toilet while trying not to vomit. Not a good start to that diplomatic summit...

But in reverse, because they spent thousands of years eating the generic glop the Shugilli made (and their lack of imagination), perhaps their sense of taste is weaker too. While their Soli partner is screaming for water after eating the "Imperial Nuke Pizza" (with extra chilli) the Viliani is commenting thats it's nice to have a bit of spice on his food for a change.

 

[maksimsmelchak]

The only natural predator of skunks are Great Horned Owls, who strike from above and without warning, so do not get sprayed.

As an aside, Owls do not have a sense of smell, or, to be more accurate, have a very poorly developed sense of smell. Most birds do not have an acute sense of smell. There are exceptions, of course.

"Great Horned Owls. ...It doesn't bother them to eat skunks because they have no sense of smell."
- Quote from a random nature site.

Shalom,
Maksim-smelchak.