Watching a TV programme recently
(which is something that I rarely do) I was reminded of the incredible properties of glass. Can you imagine a glass bulb that will not break when you hit it with a hammer, and yet will explode violently in the event of another tiny intervention.
If not, you will be amazed by
Prince Rupert's Drops. Wikipedia has
a good article on the topic (as you would expect), but this video is also spell-binding and explanatory!
I came across these a while ago and used them in a story. Something on the lines of the cryptex in the 'Da Vinci Code' which was supposed to release vinegar and dissolve a papyrus message. Vinegar doesn't dissolve papyrus but a measure of concentrated sulphuric acid encased in a quartz vial enclosed in a Prince Rupert drop would.
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