Disgusting, scary... Many times on the trending search list! How scary are the organisms in "Alien"?

As a long-standing Hollywood science fiction thriller series, "Alien" portrays a terrifying alien creature - the alien. This creature is known for its hard exoskeleton, highly corrosive acidic blood, amazing self-healing ability and ability to survive in space. The height of an adult alien can reach 2 to 3 meters, which is daunting.

Alien (Source: AI generated by the author)

Recently, the latest film in the "Alien" series, "Alien: Revenge", is being screened. However, on August 17, the topic "Aliens are too scary" was on the Weibo hot search list.

Image source: Screenshot from a social platform

Another cinema caused heated discussion due to a complaint received. A viewer said that his 8-year-old child felt extremely frightened while watching the movie and questioned the cinema for showing a movie that was not suitable for children.

When it comes to the "Alien" series, in addition to the horror of the alien itself, there is another feature that has always been talked about by movie fans, that is the extremely corrosive blood of the alien. What is the composition of its blood and how corrosive is it? Let's talk about it today.

Can alien blood really corrode everything?

In the Alien movies, the blood of the aliens is depicted as an extremely strong acid that can corrode almost all materials, including the metal floor of the spacecraft. In the latest movie Alien: Taken, it is clearly mentioned that this acid is a mixture of hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid , which is used to enhance the threat of the aliens as terrifying creatures. To illustrate the corrosiveness of this mixture, let's first take a look at how corrosive these two acids are!

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a very corrosive acid that can corrode glass and many metals, especially those containing silicon. It is also one of the few acids that can deal with silicate glass, so it is often used to etch glass in industry. Hydrofluoric acid can also corrode skin, bones and other tissues. It can quickly penetrate the skin and cause severe chemical burns. If not treated promptly and correctly, it may cause lasting and severe damage, disability or even death.

For example, in October 1994, a technician in an Australian laboratory had an accident while handling hydrofluoric acid and splashed both legs. Although the technician immediately flushed the affected area with water, the lack of calcium gluconate gel (commonly used to neutralize the effects of hydrofluoric acid) and the failure to remove clothing in time allowed the acid to seep into the body, eventually causing severe chemical burns. The technician had his legs amputated a week after the accident, but despite this, he unfortunately died 15 days later from multiple organ failure caused by hydrofluoric acid poisoning.

Sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) is also a highly corrosive acid that is widely used in industry, such as making fertilizers, chemicals, and in car batteries. Sulfuric acid is highly corrosive to most organic and inorganic substances, especially metals and biological tissues. It has dehydrating and oxidizing abilities in high concentrations, capable of destroying cells and other organic matter. Sulfuric acid generates a lot of heat when mixed with water, and this heat can accelerate the corrosion process, especially when it comes into contact with organic matter. Therefore, we all learned in chemistry class that we need to be careful when diluting concentrated sulfuric acid.

A researcher at the University of Kansas had an accident while handling concentrated sulfuric acid in the laboratory. During the process, the researcher accidentally splashed concentrated sulfuric acid on his hands and face. Although the laboratory was equipped with emergency equipment, the large amount of sulfuric acid splashed and the long contact time with the skin caused the researcher to suffer severe chemical burns. After the accident, the researcher was immediately sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, but still experienced a long recovery process and was left with permanent skin damage.

So, what about mixing the two together?

We know that aqua regia is a mixture of concentrated nitric acid (HNO₃) and concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl), which can dissolve precious metals such as gold and platinum. Does the mixture of hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid have a special name? There is something similar, that is fluorosulfuric acid, also known as fluorosulfonic acid, with a chemical formula of FHO3S. This is a fluorine-containing superacid, which can be regarded as an anhydride of sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid. It can be quickly hydrolyzed to produce H2SO4 and HF. This acid is mainly used in the alkylation reaction of branched alkanes and aromatic compounds, and can also catalyze the polymerization of monoolefins to produce useful polymers.

However, although sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid and their mixtures are indeed extremely corrosive, in reality these acids do not corrode the metal floor of a spacecraft as quickly as in the movies, nor do they corrode a large hole in the human body in an instant. In reality, the corrosion process takes a certain amount of time, depending on the concentration of the acid, the exposure time, and the nature of the affected material. Therefore, although these acids are indeed dangerous, their corrosion rate is far less than the exaggerated performance in the movies.

How to resist aliens scientifically

Invincible corrosive blood?

If this were in the movie world, maybe we could directly use the alien's body parts to "use one's shield to defend against another's spear". However, in the real world, although both acids are very strong, even when hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid are mixed, their corrosive ability is not enough to dissolve various materials as quickly as in the movies.

Hydrofluoric acid cannot corrode certain plastics, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, commonly known as Teflon), which has good resistance to hydrofluoric acid and is therefore often used as a container or piping material for hydrofluoric acid. At the same time, metals such as platinum and gold have good resistance to hydrofluoric acid because they are highly inert to this acid.

Sulfuric acid cannot corrode certain plastics and rubbers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and rubber, which have good tolerance, so these materials are often used in the storage and transportation of sulfuric acid. Metallic lead will form a thin protective layer of lead sulfate in sulfuric acid to prevent further corrosion. Therefore, lead was once widely used as an electrode material for batteries.

The fluorosulfonic acid mentioned above can be stored for a short period of time in a chemically resistant plastic container or a glass container with a treated inner wall.

In order to scientifically resist the corrosive threat of hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid in alien blood, a multi-material protection strategy can be adopted. First, highly corrosion-resistant materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) should be used, which can effectively resist the erosion of hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid due to their chemical inertness. In addition, surface coating with a fluorocarbon coating with strong acid resistance can further enhance the protection effect. Combined with a multi-layer protection design, including composite materials and protective coatings, it can effectively delay or prevent acid damage to the structure.

If you give the director suggestions and prepare anti-corrosion protective clothing for the actors, the above measures are based on the scientific principles of current chemical protection technology and can provide a practical anti-corrosion solution for aliens. Of course, going back to the "Alien" series of movies, the aliens are covered with weapons, and they don't usually hurt people by spitting blood on their faces... So this protective clothing is probably not very useful.

Real-life creatures that carry corrosive liquids

In many movies, corrosive body fluids are often used to show the danger and horror of creatures. For example, in the Predator series, although the blood of the Predator is not as violent as that of the Alien, it is also slightly corrosive, which enhances its alien characteristics. In Starship Troopers, the body fluids of some giant insect-like alien creatures are also corrosive and are used to attack human soldiers and equipment. In addition, corrosive or highly irritating biological fluids are also common in science fiction and fantasy works such as Dungeons & Dragons and the Godzilla series. These settings not only increase the mystery and lethality of the creatures, but also add a tense atmosphere to the story.

Despite the incredible power of acid in these movies and TV shows, in reality, there is really no acid that can corrode almost everything at once and penetrate multiple decks like the alien blood in the movies. However, there are indeed some animals whose secretions have some degree of corrosive or irritating properties. These creatures usually use these properties to defend against predators or catch prey, and we are best to avoid these somewhat dangerous creatures.

Some species of ants: For example, the venom of fire ants such as red and black fire ants contains lysophospholipids, an alkaloid chemical that is irritating to human skin and can cause pain, redness, and inflammation. Although not corrosive, this venom can damage cell membranes, causing local tissue damage and hemolysis.

Red fire ant (Source: Wikipedia)

Poison dart frogs: The skin secretions of these frogs contain highly toxic alkaloids. Although not strictly corrosive liquids, their venom can cause severe skin irritation and pain upon contact.

Poison dart frog (Source: Wikipedia)

Viper: A venomous snake from South America, commonly known as the jungle viper or jungle pit viper, belonging to the family Viperidae. It is one of the largest venomous snakes in America, reaching a length of about 3 meters. The venom of the jungle viper contains a variety of toxins, mainly proteolytic enzymes and hemotoxins, which can damage the blood circulation system and cause tissue necrosis.

Viper (Source: Wikipedia)

Some marine organisms, such as some jellyfish, have stinging cells on their tentacles that can inject venom that can cause severe pain, swelling, and tissue damage when it comes in contact with the skin. Some species of jellyfish, such as the box jellyfish, can even cause severe skin ulcers.

Although the body fluids or venom of these creatures have some destructive power, they usually do not corrode metal or other hard materials as quickly as depicted in the movies. Their venom or body fluids usually cause damage to biological tissues through chemical reactions, mainly for defense or predation, rather than extensively corroding organic or inorganic substances.

Summarize

The blood in the movie "Alien" is portrayed as an extremely corrosive acid that can corrode the metal floor of a spacecraft in an instant, but in real life, the corrosion process of hydrofluoric acid and sulfuric acid is far less rapid and exaggerated. Although these acids are widely used in industry and do have strong corrosive capabilities, their actual effects depend on many factors, such as the concentration of the acid, the exposure time, and the nature of the material.

Scientifically resisting this corrosive threat can be achieved by using highly acid-resistant materials such as PTFE and PVDF, as well as multi-layer protection design. In addition, although there are some creatures with corrosive or irritating body fluids in real life, their capabilities are still far behind those of the aliens in the movies. Through scientific methods and rational analysis, we can better understand and respond to these chemical and biological challenges.

Reminder: "Alien: Taken" is a science fiction horror film with a lot of bloody and thriller scenes. It has a certain viewing threshold and is not suitable for minors and audiences with heart disease.

Planning and production

Author: Denovo, PhD in Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Reviewer: Huang Chengming, Researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Gu Miaofei, PhD in Chemical Engineering, Editor and Associate Editor of Science Pictorial

Planning丨Ding Zong

Editor: Ding Zong

Proofread by Xu Lai and Lin Lin

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