So here it goes

In action movies, some people sometimes faint or become unconscious at some point.

Then a bad guy, or a good guy, takes out a little thingy - small white stick, breaks it in front of somebody's nose - and the uncouncsious guy regains consciousness immediately.

And here's the question
What is it? What's that substance? Is that shit even real, and is it working so fast as in the movies? :P

I know, it's silly, but it's bugging me since 24 came into tv :P

Is it not smelling salts or a amonia solution?

Yeah, but smelling salts are pretty old, and definitely not as effective.

Also, smelling salts are usually liquid.

Here's one of the substances with the smell so irritating it dispels minor sleep and faint spells.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_hydroxide

May be, but the effective part of smelling salts is the Ammonia (NH4), it may be in a concentrated form (horrible thing, useful, but horrible), and it is used to wake up boxers

Liquid again.

What they do in the movies, is to break a small white (?) stick in front of somebody's nose.

Can't find that scene in 24, when Jack Bauer is tortured, and every time he looses his consciousness , they use it.

EDIT: oh, so you say it might be used in solid form, hmmm...

it is the gas from the liquid, it vaporizes fast in contact with air,

edit: or more correctly the stick is dipped in the liquid before it is sealed

I inhaled some smelling salts once. It was pretty memorable. I don't doubt it will wake you up in a hurry if you're sleeping, or have been lightly knocked out. It's like someone screaming right up your nostrils.

I am trained as a chemist, and in the lab at College we had a 25L container with pure Ammonia. One day it fell to the floor, breaking and spilling its content, the room was unusable for a week....

http://www.peteava.ro/id-492013

move the timer to 38:55 , it's exactly that thing.

But you are probably right already ;-)

Where I can buy this shit?! ;P

As are hydrocarbons, yet I've seen (and used) blocks of the stuff for lighting barbecues. When left in the air for too long the hydrocarbon will dissipate and leave whatever porous "sponge" substance that was used to suck up the liquid and form the block. I imagine these sticks of yours are similar.

OK guys, thanks for your answers. :-)