urbaf2

CLASSIFICATlON OF EXPLOSIVES^3

That is the reason why the performance of picric acid (trinitrophenol) is only

vary slightly higher than that of trinitrobenzene and why the performance of tri-

nitroanisole is much the same as that of trinitrotoluene.

The low value of the explosive power of oxygen atoms bonded with carbon

and hydrogen atoms in such a group as COOH had already been stressed by Stett-

bather [5], who also pointed out that an exception is provided by peroxides and

ozonides which form exothermic bonds that considerably enhance explosive per-

formance-

However, the slightly better performance of picric acid compared with trinitro-

benzene is probably the result of the former’s greater ability to detonate. The ease

of detonation of picric and styphnic acids as compared with trinitrobenzene is

well known. D. Smolenski and Czuba [6] recently pointed out that dinitrophenol

detonates more readily than dinitrobenzene.

It is also well known from the classic work of L. Wöhler and Wenzelberg [7]

that the sensitivity to impact of aromatic nitro compounds increases with increase

in the number of substituents for a given member of the nitro groups.

Explosive mixtures can be divided into:

(1) those with at least one explosive component

(2) others where there is no explosive component.

The classification of mixtures will be dealt with in detail in Vol. III.

According to their uses explosives are divided into high explosives, propellants

(‘low explosives”) and primary explosives or initiators.

High explosives may be class&d according to their physical properties as powdery,

meltable, semi-meltable and plastic. Propellants may be grouped on the basis of

chemical composition into gun powder and similar mixtures, nitrocellulose (single

base) and nitroglycerine (double base) powders. With respect to their uses and some

properties they are divided into black powder, smokeless and flashless powders, and

rocket propellants.

Primary explosives and their mixtures are divided into those used for filling

ignition caps and those used in detonators.

LITERATURE

1. H. VAN'T HOFF, according to H. BRUNSWIG, Explosivstoffe, p. 17, Barth, Braunsehweig, 1909
   2.V. PLETS, Zh. obshch. khim. 5, 173 (1953).


2. W. C. LOTHROP and G. R. HANDRICK, Chem. Revs. 32, 419 (1948).
   4.A. SCHMIDT, Chimie et Industrie 67, 253 (1952).


3. A. STETTBACHER, Angew. Chem. 30, 269 (1917); Die Schiess-und Sprengstoffe, Barth, hip-
   zig, 1919.


4. D. SMOLENSKI and W. CZUBA, Zeszyty Nauk. Polit. Wroclawskiej, Chemia 7, 3 (1955).


5. L. WOHLER and O. WENZELBERG, Angew. Chem. 46, 173 (1933).