a while back, i watched a tv program that featured a highly unstable crystal structure. when this crystal was heated up, nothing happened. but when one of the scientists attached a feather to a long pole, and brushed the crystal with the feather, it made a huge explosion.
does anybody know what this crystal might have been? i have been trying to find it for hours, but i cannot.

Touching with a feather is a common demonstration of nitrogen triiodide.

How sure are you that the HE's were one and the same? Was there a plume of purple smoke to be seen after the detonation with the feather?

That would point towards Rifters suggestion, which seems to me to be the most plausible theory, but NI3 will detonate when heated too.

The one with the feather was more then likley NI3. The other was probably something differnt. NI3 is EXTREMLY unstable ive made it quite a few times for class demos and just for the shit of it. Ive had the shit just blow up from wind blowing. Its a neat little novelty if you know what you are doing and don't make to much. Its vvirtually useless because once its dry its almost impossible to move it without it detonating.

was the substance or cloud purple or redish ?

Maybe the "heating" was to drive off moisture before the feather test?

yeah, it was NI3. it was a couple of years ago that i watched the program, and i am thinking the heating prosses may have been another type of explosive, or part of the creation prosses. and yes, there was purple smoke --thanks!