This photo taken on March 10, 2023 shows a panda playing with one of its twin cubs at the Sibao Science Park in Xian in China's northern Shaanxi province. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

Valarie Allman of Team United States competes in the Women's Discus qualification on day four of the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 at Hayward Field on July 18, 2022 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters)

Athlets cross the water jump in the womens 3000 meter steeplechase race at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany during the 2022 European Championships on August 18, 2022. (Photo by Morgan Treacy/INPHO)

Alex Jones races in the second set of heats during the “T-Rex World Championship Races” at Emerald Downs, Sunday, August 20, 2023, in Auburn, Wash. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo)

Aerial view of CRH bullet trains setting out ahead of Spring Festival travel rush on January 31, 2018 in Hefei, Anhui Province of China. About 2.98 billion trips will be made during the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush. China will take multiple measures to ensure a smooth Spring Festival travel rush. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Detroit Lions cheerleaders perform a routine with the Grinch during a timeout in the action in the second quarter of the Detroit Lions against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on December 5, 2024. (Photo by Lon Horwedel/USA Today Sports)

A bride gets tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a nucleic acid testing site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China on November 15, 2022. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

If we were to burn NH4Cr2O7 with HgSCN in the Dark Ages in Europe and show it to anyone, it is us who would be burning next on a fiery cross of Inquisition. And it’s no wonder, since this experiment produces a truly marvelous result. At first, as you ignite the mixture of NH4Cr2O7 and HgSCN, all you can see is that it is slowly burning with a reddish flame. After a while, however, a crater is formed in the middle of the burning pile, and then, suddenly, tentacle-like appendages start sprouting from the burning mixture. And you can almost hear the scream of the mad occultist – “Come forth, Kraken! Come forth!” But of course, this is simply a chemical reaction that is called the "Pharoah's Serpent". It was also often sold in firework stores until people realized that it was toxic.