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Originally Posted by JoeXIII'007
there was a high temperature alkaline metal (i think) called thermite w/sulfur that cut through the steel and thus made the towers collapse
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Thermite is a mixture of powdered aluminum and iron oxide (rust). When it is raised to high enough temperatures, the aluminum rips the oxygen off the iron to form aluminum oxide and molten iron. It is used to weld together railroad tracks, and the military uses it to destroy equipment. If you've heard the stories of a material that you could ignite on the hood of a jeep, and it'll melt through the engine, this is it. That said, thermite could form accidentally on a rusty object, if aluminum powder is nearby. Mind you that is rather unlikely since powdered aluminum isn't going to be all over a rusty column. It also doesn't really 'explode', it might fling off bits of molten iron a few yards, but it wouldn't slow any falls.