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CLASSIFICATION OF EXPLOSIVES

EXPLOSIVES may be classified both from the chemical point of view and according

to their uses. From the chemical viewpoint we distinguish between chemical indivi-

dual substances and mixtures.

The former are divided into:

(1) nitro compounds

(2) nitric esters

(3) nitramines

(4) derivatives of chloric and perchloric acids

(5) azides

(6) various compounds capable of producing an explosion, for example ful-

minates, acetylides, nitrogen rich compounds such as tetrazene, peroxides

and ozonides, etc.

Individual substances are explosive if their molecules contain groups which

confer upon them explosive properties. The first attempt at a systematic approach

to the relation between the explosive properties of a molecule and its structure

was made by van’t Hoff [l]. He pointed out, that in the molecules of explosive

compounds the following groups were present:

O-O in peroxides and ozone and ozonides

O-Cl in chlorates and perchlorates

N-Cl in nitrogen chloride

N=O in nitro compounds, nitric acid esters and salts

N=N in diazo compounds, hydrazoic acid, its salts and esters

N=C in fulminates and cyanogen

CEC in acetylene and acetylides.

A further effort to establish a relationship between explosive properties and

structure has been made more recently by Plets [2]. He proposed a theory of “ex-

plosophores” and “auxoploses” in a way analogous to Witt’s suggested chromo-

phores and auxochromes in the dyes, and Ehrlich’s suggested toxophores and

autotoxes in chemotherapeutics.

According to Plets the explosive properties of any substance depend upon the

presence of definite structural groupings, called explosophores. The auxoploses
fortify or modify the explosive properties conferred by the explosophore. Plets

[1]