And then there is TNT, whose chemical name is 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene. He was trying to make a dyestuff, and TNT is yellow in colour. It was nearly 20 years before it was discovered to be an excellent high explosive. At that time, 2,4,6-trinitrophenol, a molecule with a similar structure, was the best high explosive around. Better known as picric acid, it had a downside, as dry picric acid is very shock-sensitive.
Moreover, it's acidic, so that it slowly corroded metal casings, forming metal salts that are even more shock-sensitive than the free acid. TNT had several advantages over other explosives. Although it is not as strong an explosive as picric acid, it was much safer to handle and harder to detonate. Because of its melting point of only 80? C, it became possible to fill shells safely with molten TNT.
The German military started using TNT as their standard explosive in , whilst the British stuck with picric acid, a choice with unfortunate consequences. TNT-filled shells are more likely to penetrate armour before exploding, and they also produce a very high velocity shockwave. In contrast, shells filled with the more sensitive picric acid did not penetrate armour, but exploded on contact, causing less damage. This was part of the reason for the Royal Navy suffering greater losses than the Germans at the Battle of Jutland in The first world war resulted in an intense demand for toluene, which was not just needed for the manufacture of TNT, but was also involved in the synthesis of many dyes.
This not only helped the toluene go further but had an added bonus. One disadvantage of TNT is that the molecule does not contain enough oxygen to oxidise all the carbon and hydrogen it contains, so a TNT explosion is accompanied by a black cloud of carbon. Ammonium nitrate is an oxygen-rich explosive, producing more oxygen than it needs, and thus giving a white smoke rather than the black clouds associated with TNT.
Organic nitro compounds are widely used in explosives for a combination of reasons. The kind of organic compounds found in natural gas or petrol make good fuels, as the formation of oxygen-hydrogen bonds and carbon-oxygen double bonds releases a lot of energy and a good deal of hot gas, creating the kind of explosive forces than can drive an engine for example.
When they are exploded, nitro-compounds like TNT also produce nitrogen gas, forming very strong nitrogen-nitrogen triple bonds and releasing even more energy. The oxygen content of the nitro compunds also makes the molecules self-oxidising, and the very short distance between the oxygens and the carbon and hydrogen atoms they are combining with contributes to the speed of the reaction. As well as being destructive, TNT is also very toxic. In the United States alone, over 17, cases of TNT poisoning were reported during the first world war, causing around deaths of munitions workers due to liver damage and anaemia.
Then store and dispose of according to local regulations. Separated from initiator explosives, food and feedstuffs and incompatible materials. See Chemical Dangers. Well closed. Store in an area without drain or sewer access. Provision to contain effluent from fire extinguishing. Unbreakable packaging. Put breakable packaging into closed unbreakable container.
Do not transport with food and feedstuffs. Physical dangers Chemical dangers May decompose explosively on shock, friction or concussion. Upon heating, toxic fumes are formed. Decomposes on heating. This produces toxic fumes. Reacts violently with many chemicals seek expert help. This generates fire and explosion hazard. Routes of exposure The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation of its aerosol, through the skin and by ingestion. Effects of short-term exposure The substance is irritating to the eyes, skin and respiratory tract.
The substance may cause effects on the blood. This may result in haemolysis and the formation of methaemoglobin. Exposure could cause death. The effects may be delayed. Medical observation is indicated. There are a number of advantages that TNT has for ammunition manufacturers. Secondly, it is not too unstable - allowing it to be handled reasonably safely during manufacture and operation. TNT will not spontaneously explode, and in fact can be treated quite roughly.
In order to initiate the explosion, TNT must first be detonated using a pressure wave from another, more easily induced explosion from another explosive called a detonator. One such detonator is lead azide , Pb N 3 2 , which explodes when struck or if an electric discharge is passed through it. Plastic explosives have been around for a couple of decades. They typically consist of an explosive mixed with an oil or wax plastic resin.
One example is C4 plasticized RDX , which has been used by the military and safecrackers!
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