When I was kid you could buy pharao's serpents over the counter at joke shops in the UK. This is a mercury compound that gives off mercury vapour when lit: "If

When I was kid you could buy pharao's serpents over the counter at joke shops in the UK. This is a mercury compound that gives off mercury vapour when lit: "If the reaction is performed inside a container, a gray film of mercury coating on its inner surface can be observed" The instructions told you to be in a well-ventilated place. Oh yeah. Helpful. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury%28II%29_thiocyanate#Pharaoh%27s_serpent> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury%28II%29_thiocyanate#Ph... Really good video, well worth watching if you've never seen this before <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQdK7gaZS0k> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQdK7gaZS0k>