GENERAL INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY

“Explosives, Propellants, and Toxic Chemical Agents”

(Part II)

V. INDUSTRIAL EXPLOSIVES

A. BLASTING AGENTS AND SLURRY EXPLOSIVES

Blasting Agents
 any material or mixture
consisting of a fuel and
oxidizer that is intended
for blasting
 not classified as an
explosive.
 consists primarily of
inorganic nitrates
(ammonium and sodium
nitrates) and
carbonaceous fuels.
B. NITROGLYCERIN AND DYNAMITE
Nitroglycerin
also called “glyceryl
trinitrate”
high explosive
soluble in alcohol;
insoluble in H2O
 extremely sensitive to
shock and to rapid heating;
it begins to decompose at
50–60 °C and explodes at
218 °C.
 made by treating
glycerol with a mixture of
nitric acid (HNO3) and
sulfuric acid (H2SO4)
 The reactive above is
highly exothermic.
it is an important
ingredient of most forms
of dynamite.
pure nitroglycerin is
colorless
Slurry Explosives
 water gel
 an aqueous solution of
an inorganic oxidizer
gelled with a
carbonaceous gelling
agent
The oxidizing salt is
usually predominantly
ammonium nitrate but
often contains a proportion
of nitrates or perchlorates
of sodium, potassium or
calcium.
Dynamite
 blasting explosive
 The basis for
the invention of this
explosive was Nobel’s
discovery that kieselguhr
(a porous siliceous earth)
would absorb large
quantities of nitroglycerin,
giving a
product(Dynamite) that
was much safer to handle
and easier to use than
nitroglycerin alone.
B. NITROCELLULOSE
- manufactured by nitrating cellulose fibers such as cotton
or wood pulp with nitric and sulfuric acids.
- 1st major use was as a guncotton (a replacement for
gunpowder as propellant in firearms).
- produce much less smoke and flash than black powder and
deliver much more mechanical work per unit of weight.
3 classes of solid propellants primarily containing
nitrocellulose are:
 Single-base propellant
- contain nitrocellulose as the main ingredient with
diphenylamine, or similar compound, as a
stabilizer and with other additives depending on
the application
- used in cannons, small arms, and grenades
 Double-base propellant
- containing both nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. It
contains both the oxidizer and the fuel elements in the
same molecule.
- used in cannons, small arms, mortars, rockets, and jet
propulsion units.
 Triple-base propellant
- Contain three explosive ingredients, primarily
nitroguanadine. The other two ingredients are
nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine.
- Nitroguanadine produces a larger amount of gas which
propels projectiles towards the target with a greater
force. It also generates lower flame temperatures
which reduces wear on gun barrels.
- used in ammunition for cannon units.
VII. PROPELLANTS FOR ROCKETS
 Rocket propellant – is the material used by a rocket engine
to generate thrust.
 Thrust – is the force which moves the rocket through the
air, and through space.

VI. PROPELLANTS, ROCKETS, AND MISSILES Solid Propellants Liquid Propellants

 contains both the fuel  the fuel and the
A. PROPELLANTS FOR GUNS and oxidizer combined oxidizer are stored in
which is packed into a separate tanks, combined
 Gunpowder (Smokeless powder)
solid cylinder. a hole and are fed through a
- widely used as a propellant in firearms, artillery, rocketry, through the cylinder serves system of pipes, valves,
and pyrotechnics as a combustion chamber. and turbo pumps to a
- produced by combining nitrocellulose (nitric acid and when the mixture is combustion chamber
cotton) with ether and alcohol to produce a low explosive. ignited, combustion takes where they combined and
- a low explosive because of its relatively slow place on the surface of the burned to produce thrust
decomposition rate and consequently low brisance. propellant. a good liquid propellant
is one with a high impulse
 Black powder and with a high speed of
- colloquially known as gunpowder exhaust gas ejection.
- a mixture of charcoal (C), S, and KNO3, with typical fuel: kerosene or liquid
proportions of 15% C, 10% S, and 75% KNO3. hydrogen
- consists of a fuel (charcoal), an oxidizer (saltpeter or oxidizer: liquid oxygen
niter), and a stabilizer (sulfur) to allow for a constant reaction.
 - Pentaerythritol tetranitrate
Advantages of Solid Advantages of Liquid - highly explosive organic compound
Propellants: Propellants: - Production is by the reaction of pentaerythritol with
much easier to store and  high specific impulse
concentrated nitric acid to form a precipitate which
handle than liquid than solid rockets
capable of being can be recrystallized fom acetone to give processable
propellant
throttled, shut down and crystals
good choice whenever
large amount of thrust are restarted. - more difficult to detonate than primary explosives
needed. cheaper than solid - more sensitive to shock and friction than other
high propellant density. propellants. secondary explosives such as TNT
- least stable of the common military explosives
Disadvantages: Disadvantages:
 have lower impulse least moderately F. PLASTIC EXPLOSIVES
than liquid-fueled rockets. difficult to store and
difficult to build large handle - Combination of explosives which are in plastic state
mass ratio solid rocket several oxidizers have - Can be made into various shapes, without any serious
the payload fraction is been proposed which are
risk.
small unstable. energetic, and
toxic. - Semtex and C-4 – common plastic explosives
cannot be throttled in
real time requires troublesome
valves and seals and G. RDX
shuts down before
thermally stressed - Research Department eXplosive or Royal Demolition
running out of fuel.
intolerant to cracks and combustion chambers eXplosive
voids. which increase the cost of - also known as hexogen, cyclonite and
the rocket. cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine
- white crystalline solid
- insoluble in water and only slightly soluble in other
solvents.
VIII. MILITARY EXPLOSIVES - obtained by reacting white fuming nitric acid
A. TNT (WFNA) with hexamine.
- 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene - More chemically and thermally stable than PETN and
- neither absorbs nor dissolves in water, which allows it to has a lower sensitiveness.
be used effectively in wet environments. - Have greater explosive power than TNT and Picric
- in order to initiate an explosion, TNT must first be acid.
detonated using a pressure wave from a more sensitive
- Forms the base for a number of common military
explosive called an explosive booster.
explosives.

H. LEAD AZIDE

- Pb(N3)2
- it is a white to buff powder.
- prepared by reacting aqueous solutions of sodium
B. TETRYL azide and lead nitrate.
- Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine - more sensitive primary explosive than nitroglycerine
- is an explosive compound used to - a primary explosive, with strong brisance
make detonators and explosive booster charges. (fragmentation) properties
- produced in a batch process by dissolving - Used in detonators to initiate secondary explosives
dimethylaniline in an excess of concentrated sulfuric
I. LEAD STYPHNATE
acid at 20-30 ºC to give dimethylaniline sulfate
- It was used as an explosive in detonators and primers, - Highly sensitive
as a detonating agent for other less sensitive high
- Usually used as primer
explosives, and as a booster charge for military
- used as an explosive to ignite the propellant in the
devices.
ammunition being manufactured.
C. PICRIC ACID

- Picric Acid is known to have the highest acidity

among all the phenols.

D. EXPLOSIVE D

- Dunnite or systematically as ammonium picrate

- salt formed by reacting picric acid and ammonia
- more powerful but less stable than TNT
- It was the first explosive used in an aerial bombing
operation in military history

E. PETN