Sticky Fire *Sounds Interesting*

Use of fire in warfare has a long history. Greek fire, also described as "sticky fire" is believed to have had a petroleum base. The development of X was precipitated by the use of jellied gasoline mixtures by the Allied forces during World War II. The supply of latex that had been used in these early forms of incendiary devices became scarce in the Pacific Theater of Operations, since natural rubber was almost impossible to obtain after the Japanese army captured the rubber plantations. X was developed in 1942 in a secret laboratory at Harvard University by a team led by chemist Louis Fieser. Its first recorded use was in the European theatre of war during World War II. It is believed to have been formulated to burn at a specific rate and to adhere to surfaces to increase its stopping power. During combustion, X rapidly deoxygenates the available air and generates large amounts of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. On 4 July 1942, the first test occurred on the football field near the Harvard Business School. When used as a part of an incendiary weapon, X can cause severe burns (ranging from superficial to subdermal), asphyxiation, unconsciousness, and death. One of the main anti-personnel features of X is that it sticks to human skin, with no practical method for removal of the burning substance.