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I use a dremel cutting wheel to open batteries. The Zinc (if it's a zinc-carbon battery) outer shell and carbon rods you might want to keep, because they can come in handy.

I have used something similar to dissolve copper in HCl. HCl + H2O2 + scrap copper. Works well, makes a blue-green solution and dissolves the copper.

In my Bio class this year, my teacher was giving a lecture and had a can of potassium on his desk (he teaches chemistry too). He asked us if we had ever seen it put in water, and some hadn't, so he took out a couple pieces and put them it water and we watched it burn (cool purple flame). A nice little break from the lecture.

Ebay is a good source. Here's 6 pounds for $16 including shipping - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2567&item=3857109258&rd=1 I got some from this seller. Good stuff.

Yes, that would be very cool. I'd also like to learn to fly.

Same empirical formula, so it shouldn't matter too much.

English class, I hate writing stupid papers on topics I don't care about. But my Bio II, AP Chem, and AP Physics classes make up for that

I lit some with Mg shavings and Ammonium nitrate mixed together. I'm sure you could use any oxidizer, though.

Heh, that song, I found it a while back. Played it so much I memorized it.

Ha! Look what United Nuclear is now selling - http://www.unitednuclear.com/chem.htm Towards the bottom. Next to Thermite. Quite pricey, though.

HCl you can get at a hardware store, its called "Muriatic Acid" and it's used for cleaning things like stone. I've seen H2SO4 at Home Depot, sold as battery acid for sump pump backup batteries.

Thanks for the tip! I was just using what I had around, I'll see if I can find a 3V transformer.

I Zinc plated a penny the other day. I dissolved some zinc in some HCl, then connected the penny to the negative terminal of a transformer (18V, 2.23Amp, not sure if it matters) and another chunk of zinc to the positive terminal, and placed both of them into the Zinc Chloride solution. It worked rather well, put a thin layer of zinc onto the penny.

Ebay is an excellent source. I got a 4 pound Magnesium block for $30, and 5 pounds of Zinc for $10.

I got a quart of 31.45% HCl from Ace Hardware for $1.99.

Could you use a thermite reaction with manganese dioxide and aluminum or magnesium to get manganese?

It got a great review in my local paper. It looks hilarious.

I found a bunch of zinc-carbon batteries in the clearance rack of the hardware store a while ago. Unfortunately, I bought them for the zinc and threw out the MnO2.

I once decided to electrolyze some water, and I caught the hydrogen and oxygen in a sandwich baggie. I wasn't expecting much, so I lit it in my basement. BOOM! Really loud, more than I expected. Encouraged by this, I decided to do it again, but with a gallon baggie and do it outside. Sounded like a shotgun going off. Ah, chemistry is fun.