A 25-year-old Chemistry student in the Ukraine has killed himself by accidentally creating an exploding chewing gum.

The student at Kiev Polytechnic Institute - who was staying with his parents in Konotop - is said to have had an odd habit of dipping chewing gum into citric acid to give it an added bitter taste.

But it's understood that while working on his computer, he confused his normal packet of citric acid with a near identical looking explosive substance he had lying around. Police say a "loud pop" was heard from his room. It's thought that as he bit into the gum, he triggered the explosion.

Officers found both citric acid packets and a similar-looking unidentified substance, believed to be some kind of explosive material, on a table near the body, the agency continued.