Chewing gum is usually harmless, but one chemistry student learned of a horrific exception when a single bite triggered an explosion that tore away much of his face.
Vladimir Likhonos, a 25-year-old student from Ukraine, was in his room surrounded by hazardous materials when a mistake involving his chewing gum turned deadly.
Reports from 2009 say the Kiev Polytechnic Institute student had a regular habit of dipping his gum into citric acid, a widely used substance commonly found in citrus fruits.
Because citric acid often comes as an ordinary-looking white powder, it can resemble other lab materials. In this case, instead of adding a sour, lemony taste, he apparently coated the gum in a powerful explosive.
When he put the gum back into his mouth, it detonated, blasting away his jaw and the lower part of his face, according to reports cited by the Mirror.
Police spokesperson Elvira Biganova said investigators found about 100 grams (3.5oz) of an unknown explosive in the room, stored near the citric acid.
The powders were believed to be visually identical.
Biganova said ‘anybody could have mixed them up.’
Accounts from 2009 in Russian media said his mother heard a loud blast while he was working in his room. She ran upstairs and found him on the floor with catastrophic injuries.
Paramedics were unable to save him due to the severity of the trauma.
Biganova added: “Even some of our seasoned officers, who have seen a thing or two, even they were pretty badly shaken up by what they found,”
RIA Novosti reported that friends described Likhonos as a ‘quiet’ and ‘level-headed’ young man with a strong interest in mathematics, physics, and chemistry.
They also said he often made homemade firecrackers and hoped to build a future in science.
He had reportedly returned to his home in the Sumy region after completing exams. Reports suggested he spent much of his time on his computer or conducting small chemical experiments.
Irina Lisovskaya, the deputy dean of his chemical engineering faculty, shared more detail about his academic record.
She said at the time: “He got an A in chemistry, but his grades in other subjects were average.
“Yes, Vladimir was not a poor student, but he never graduated [as] he could not defend his diploma thesis and was expelled last year.”
A bomb disposal team that responded to the scene would not transport the powder because it was considered too dangerous. The material was never publicly identified, but it was estimated to be as much as four times more powerful than TNT.