It turns out that a hot solution of alum (ammonium aluminum sulfate), which is available in the spice rack of your local supermarket, will dissolve the steel drill bit without reacting with the brass.

You can see a video of his process below. The experimentation started with fish tank clarifier, which is — apparently — mostly alum. Alum’s been used to treat wastewater for a long time.

According to Clarkson University Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Sitaraman Krishnan, who oversees the ...

Serious adverse events may be caused by different constituents in a vaccine: the active antigen, an adjuvant such as potassium aluminium sulfate (alum), a conservative agent such as thimerosal ...