EXPLOSIVE CHEMISTRY

A JOURNEY INTO THE SCIENCE OF EXPLOSION

BY GROUP-9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

WE WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR HEARTIEST THANKS AND

GRATITUDE TO OUR TEACHER WHO GAVE US THIS GOLDEN
OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THIS WONDERFUL POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION ON THE TOPIC EXPLOSIVE CHEMISTRY. IT
TRULY INSPIRED US TO DO A LOT OF RESEARCH AND
BROADENED OUR HORIZONS.
MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT
NAME ROLL NO
SAYAK JANA 81

SOMSUDHYA CHOWDHURY 82

SHUBHAM SINHA 83

RIK HAIT 84

SUPRITI GANGULY 85

SAGNIK BOSE 86

DHRUBAJYOTI HALDER 87

GOURAB GHOSAL 90
INDEX
• BOOM GOES THE EXPLOSION • CONCLUSION
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• WHAT ARE EXPLOSIONS?
• CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS
• EXPLOSIVES
• HISTORY OF CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVES
• THE CHEMISTRY OF EXPLOSIVES
• DYNAMITE: THE WONDER EXPLOSIVE
• PICRIC ACID AND AMMONIUM PICRATE
• MODERN EXPLOSIVES: WATER GEL
• MODERN EXPLOSIVES: ANFO
• NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
• SAFETY MEASURES
 GOES THE EXPLOSION
At some point or other in our lives, we have all heard about explosives, though
not all of us have seen them in action. Here are a few types of explosions you
might have heard about:

CHEMICAL EXPLOSION

MECHANICAL EXPLOSION

NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
PUBG EXPLOSIONS
 GOES THE EXPLOSION
In the previous slide we have seen examples of artificial explosions. But
explosions also occur naturally, often on much bigger scales than we
expect:

SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS VOLCANIC EXPLOSIONS

…BUT WHAT ARE EXPLOSIONS?
• An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of
energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation
of high temperatures and the release of gases.
• Explosions can occur due to a lot of cause, but we will
mainly focus our discussions on CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS.
This means that we will not take into account mechanical
explosions or supersonic explosions.
CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS

• CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS are rapidly building, self

contained combustion systems that generate vapors or
gases exceeding the pressure ratings of the equipment it
is in.
• They are usually set off by certain highly reacting
chemical substance commonly called explosives or
explosive bases.
EXPLOSIVES
• An explosive base is a solid or a liquid which, upon
application or heat or shock, breaks down very rapidly
into gaseous products, with an accompanying release of
heat energy. Nitroglycerine is an example.
• There is potential energy stored inside an explosive and
it can be in the form of stored chemical energy,
pressurized gases or nuclear energy.
EXPLOSIVES
• For a substance to be a chemical explosive it must
undergo a chemical reaction that:
A. Releases a lot of energy
B. Produces a lot of gas and vapors so as to
increase pressure tremendously
C. Does this quickly, leading to rapid
expansion of gas
• Depending on the intensity of explosions, they are
usually categorized as low and high explosives.
HISTORY OF CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVES
• Gunpowder was the earliest chemical explosive to be
ever created. It took birth in China.
• In 1865, Abel discovered the use of nitrocellulose as an
explosive.
• However, it was Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite
that truly revolutionized explosives.
• Today a large variety of explosive are in use, including
sophisticated and electrically timed ‘timer’ explosives.
THE CHEMISTRY OF EXPLOSIVES
• How do low explosives like gunpowder work?
Gunpowder is a ‘low explosive’ because it is a mixture ( of
potassium nitrate, carbon and sulfur): when its 
potassium nitrate decomposes, the released oxygen has to
diffuse to the charcoal or sulfur in which it burns.
Accordingly, gunpowder explodes at only a few meters a
second. 
The above reaction is a sample of how a sulfur free
gunpowder reacts.
THE CHEMISTRY OF EXPLOSIVES
• How do high explosives like TNT work?
A ‘high explosive’ like trinitrotoluene (TNT), has oxygen as
part of the single, explosive molecule. TNT explodes by a
fast monomolecular reaction, and its speed of ignition is
several kilometers a second.

2 C7H5N3O6 → 3 N2 + 5 H2 + 12 CO + 2 C

The above reaction is a typical example of a TNT

explosion. The reaction is exothermic but has a high 
activation energy in the gas phase 
DYNAMITE: THE WONDER EXPLOSIVE
• Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents
 (such as powdered shells or clay) and stabilizers.
• Dynamite is mainly used in the mining, quarrying, 
construction, and demolition industries. Dynamite is still
the product of choice for trenching applications, and as a
cost-effective alternative to cast boosters. 
PICRIC ACID AND AMMONIUM PICRATE
• Picric Acid was used as a shell explosive. Today, it
doesn’t have extensive use, but is often used for small
scale explosions.
• Ammonium Picrate when loaded in a shell with small
amounts of armour can penetrate 30 rounds of
armour. It is still used for military purposes.
MODERN EXPLOSIVES: WATER GEL
• Water gel is a good explosive used in modern times.
A water-gel explosive is a fuel sensitized explosive 
mixture consisting of an aqueous ammonium nitrate
 solution that acts as the oxidizer. It also has a
gelatinous mixture.
• ADAVANTAGES:
1. Less toxic
2. Less Hazardous
3. Greater water resistance
MODERN EXPLOSIVES: ANFO

• ANFO( Ammonium Nitrate-Fuel Oil) is a widely used bulk

industrial explosive. It consists of 94% porous prilled 
ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) (AN), which acts as the
oxidizing agent and absorbent for the fuel, and 6%
number 2 fuel oil (FO).ANFO has found wide use in coal
mining, quarrying, metal mining, and civil construction 
NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS
• A nuclear explosive is an explosive device that derives
its energy from nuclear reactions.
• Almost all nuclear explosive devices that have been
designed and produced are nuclear weapons intended
for warfare. Hence they are extremely dangerous.
• Failure to meet objectives, along with the realization of
the dangers of nuclear fallout and other residual
radioactivity have resulted in such explosives being
banned
SAFETY MEASURES
• The safety fuse is a type of fuse invented and patented by English
inventor William Bickford in 1831. Originally it consisted of a
"tube" of gunpowder surrounded by a waterproofed varnished
jute "rope.“ It was used and is still used as a safety measure for
gunpowder handling.
• Keeping explosive chemicals away from all ignition sources such as
open flames, hot surfaces, spark sources, and direct sunlight.
Designating a special area for explosive chemical use and
storing explosive chemicals in an explosive magazine are safety
measures to be followed while handling explosives.
WHY USE EXPLOSIVES?
• The application of explosives in the modern world is
plentiful.
• It has commercial application in the mining sector.
• It has application in the civilian sector for digging
tunnels and blasting granites.
• It has military application in counter terrorism.
CONCLUSION
• Explosives provide us with the much needed power that are
necessary in the modern industries, specially n the mining and civil
sectors.
• Explosives are fueled by oxygen and hence must be kept away
from air and other ignition sources.
• They are highly dangerous and must be handled with proper care.
• Following the safety guidelines and rigidly following the laws of
explosive use can ensure that we have no casualties.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
For more information regarding these topics, visit:
• www.slideshare.net
• www.quora.com
• www.wikipedia.org
• www.britannica.com

Suggested reading:
• The Chemistry of Explosives by Jacqueline Akhavan
THANK YOU