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Actually I believe it is (and was) ammonium tri-iodide a VERY unstable compund that could easily remove fingers etc when its dry. There are lots of other things that are explosive including a compound made with acetylene gas and a metal chloride (not saying which) - also very unstable. BUT if you try making any of these things you are delving into the roles of foolhardiness and risk losing bits of your anatomy if it goes wrong, and your liberty since you are manufacturing an explosive material and I am sure certain people would not like that!
Seriously though these materials are potentially very dangerous and their manufacture should not be contemplated. We have all seen accounts of letter bombs and the injuries they cause with minimal amounts of explosive material, its not worth going there.
Sorry to be such a killjoy, I have taught chemistry for many years and am well aware of the attractiveness of such compunds to generations of young students and they were not trying to be terrorists, but today one persons "harmless experiment" is another persons "material for a terrorist act".
The cost of calcium chloride is much less than the energy cost of dehydrating it unless done on an industrial scale and beware the liquid that drips out of the bottom is corrosive.