I noticed that Mac mentioned(and used) Nitroglycerin throughout the show and I've been really curious if nitroglycerin is THAT sensitive. The thing would explode if you merely threw it onto something. I know that that might have been just for show but its gotta at least have some truth to it. And before you ask, no I'm not gonna use this to threaten lives or destroy stuff. Alright maybe I want to destroy stuff(like that old box of test papers I failed/got low scores in).

I overheard a couple of people in my class talking about how nitroglycerin saved his grandfather from a heart attack. They didn't seem to know that nitroglycerin is quite the bomb. Kinda ironic that one of the most deadliest things in the world could save one of the most critical illnesses too. So I'd like to know more about this majestic substance. I've skimmed through its wiki page but I don't really believe all of what I saw.

I think the Wiki page is pretty accurate. It is a heart medication, it is an explosive and it does deteriorate over time to become very sensitive to any kind of shock, such as impact against something.

I've also read or heard somewhere that in small amounts it can be burnt as a fuel.

Interesting that we start discussing this topic and a fertilizer factory in Texas literally blows up like a massive bomb. Why's it interesting you ask? - Because nitroglycerin is a nitrate, fertilizers contain ammonium nitrate and I believe there is speculation (maybe even confirmation) that the explosions happened in the ammonium nitrate tanks.

It adds weight to the fertilizer bomb MacGyverism but it's still unclear if you could actually get enough nitrates from the fertilizer to explode.

I think we might be quite surprised if we knew what kind of stuff they uses in a lot of things. Nitroglycerin is used in sticks of dynamite as we saw it in Hellfire but also used for medication for peoples with a bum ticker like Pinky in Deadly Silents.

You know MacGyver should become a school subject of it's own. Because I think a lot of peoples might wonder why fertilizer explodes.

THAT would be awesome! Very educational too.

That's a great idea, we should totally try to do that!

Bet if a few schools tried it out, more students would start enjoying school more and it'd be a hit!

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who could teach that class.

We can start training teachers...
That'll be my career!

And a lot of people I know, judge because it's from the 80's and not the most recent thing on TV.

And I know people who laugh at him because he has long hair, I'm not going to name a certain one that did (hmm, the guy I'm talking about has long hair too...)

Then again, I think if all the haters at least gave him a chance, well, there wouldn't be many haters.

MacGyver is damn hard, if not impossible to hate

And don't forget the pilot in Final Approach. MacGyver actually mentions nitro in that one.

MacGyver as a school subject sounds like another interesting programme for the Phoenix Foundation. Maybe as an extention to the Phoenix Mentor Programme from Live and Learn.

Al we need is to talk the Phoenix Board to fund the whole thing.

Ha ha, good idea!

I'll go call and see what he thinks...

Lol! I'd be sitting with my hand poised above the phone waiting for his return call. XD

He must have finally gotten that unlisted number, I can't find him anywhere...

*snaps fingers* Dang!

I apologize for the rather late reply, guys. My internet has been cut off due to some sabotage one of the maintenance workers in the building did. Anyway, that's a different story.

First of all, I think there are reasons why teachers aren't trained to give information about dangerous(even seemingly dangerous) substances in most, if not all schools. I find it a little bit silly if teachers just give out information on why [substance X] explodes when mixed with [substance Y]. You know why I find it silly? Because school laboratories are wayyy too small to test even the smallest explosions. I'm just kidding, but I think you get my point.

I am not against the idea of MacGyver being taught in schools but what if I grew up one day, have children, then my eldest just (literally) blew the roof of my house because of a school experiment he did inside the house? Well, first I gotta admit the night sky is amazing without a roof but I don't think my insurance will be enough to cover it.

And besides, non-lethal "MacGyvers(isms)" are subconsciously being taught in schools through chemistry and science. And in college, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear-Atomic Engineering and the like. You know more MacGyver than you think. You just haven't been locked up in a freezer with just a light bulb and a halfpipe with you yet.

Edited: Grammar.

Oh thank God. For a second there I thought I was gonna be accused for a bombing. I only found out about the fertilizer plant explosion incident recently. No, I wasn't gone for a while because I was busy bombing Texas and covering up my name. But in all seriousness, I indeed feel sorry for the people who had to pass away in this world prematurely. May they rest in piece.

Yes, that's a good point. I mean, why else would a fertilizer plant cause an abnormally big explosion? Like you said, it could be nitrates. But that's something the feds wouldn't want us to know. Looks like there's only one way to know if fertilizer really has nitrates... ignite my fertili-I mean check the wiki page for fertilizers. Of course.