Sciencemadness Discussion Board

safe powerful Nitroglycerin liquid mixtures ?

Iron Madara - 4-3-2019 at 23:47

I read about some NG mixtures which are considerd to be desensitized.

according to this study if NG mixed with 30% acetone or 40% triacetene it will be greatly desensitized and become comparable with TATB !!

but I have some concerns regarding these mixtures :
does anyone tested similar mixtures ?
would mixing NG with raw glycerin give similar results ?

are they still powerful explosives ? would they be stronger than TNT for example ?
should they retain safety even with large diameters?

if such mixtures are safe and powerful why they are not widely used ?




[Edited on 5-3-2019 by Iron Madara]

greenlight - 5-3-2019 at 08:37

I have never heard of someone testing the sensitivity of NG in acetone. I have only seen acetone used to desensitize NG so that other chemicals (sawdust/cornstarch/AN) can be mixed with it to manufacture dynamite.

It would be more powerful than TNT and my guess would be it would retain the same properties in small and large diameters.
Problems would be that it is a liquid explosive and you can still get migraines from handling it.

Overall, it doesn't meet the standards that are required by explosives nowadays, nitroglycerin has been slowly phased out as an explosive and nearly all of NG that is made would be used in manufacture of propellants.

For mining, we want lower VOD explosives like ammonium nitrate mixtures and not brisant powerful ones that will break rock into too small pieces.
The military wants high energy, high density solid explosives that are easy to handle (PE's/PBX's) and non toxic if possible.
There's not much room left for liquid explosives anymore apart from maybe a few exotic uses, especially ones that are a headache to handle.

Microtek - 7-3-2019 at 05:34

If you consider adding acetone for desensitizing, be aware that it could evaporate from the mixture over time which would increase sensitivity. The container doesn't have to be open for this to happen (if it is made of something that acetone can penetrate by diffusion).

Laboratory of Liptakov - 7-3-2019 at 12:52

Manipulation with liquid nitro compounds and their use is difficult. Nitroglycerin is an outdated energy material. Like detonators from FHg. Just like a steam engine...:cool:...LL

Iron Madara - 7-3-2019 at 15:03

Quote: Originally posted by Microtek  
If you consider adding acetone for desensitizing, be aware that it could evaporate from the mixture over time which would increase sensitivity. The container doesn't have to be open for this to happen (if it is made of something that acetone can penetrate by diffusion).


but Triacetin is different, it has boiling point of 290°C. it is also easily prepared .

a mixture with only 25% Triacetin is considered safe for shipping:
http://www.copperheadchemical.com/Defense/NG_0208.pdf

Dornier 335A - 8-3-2019 at 01:18

Those mixtures are quite weak compared to other explosives of similar sensitivity. 30% acetone in NG lowers the detonation velocity from 7700 m/s to about 5700 m/s and the detonation pressure from 270 to 130 kbar (calculated figures). This is weaker than PLX and a lot worse than TNT.

Laboratory of Liptakov - 8-3-2019 at 01:40

Very interesting counting, Dornier. 130 kbar is really weak pressure. Is it pity use NG with huge diluting. Shortly, is it nonsense.

pocoratbone - 26-6-2019 at 19:00

I have found an interesting way of neutralizing and desensitizing NG. After nitration and washing in cold water I dissolve it in acetone and then crash this into sodium bicarbonate solution. I then allow the acetone to evaporate next to a fan. The NG will separate out and you can then remove via sepratory funnel. Even though you will be unable to smell the acetone some still remains and is a desensitizer. I placed several drops on paper on concrete floor and could not set it off no mater how many times I beat it with a hammer.

pocoratbone - 26-6-2019 at 19:02

I have found an interesting way of neutralizing and desensitizing NG. After nitration and washing in cold water I dissolve it in acetone and then crash this into sodium bicarbonate solution. I then allow the acetone to evaporate next to a fan. The NG will separate out and you can then remove via sepratory funnel. Even though you will be unable to smell the acetone some still remains and is a desensitizer. I placed several drops on paper on concrete floor and could not set it off no mater how many times I beat it with a hammer.

MineMan - 26-6-2019 at 19:08

Interesting. Can you estimate how much acetone is present? This would be really fantastic if soaked into AP for OB and density.

Microtek - 28-6-2019 at 13:34

Nitromethane is miscible with NG and is oxygen deficient and very insensitive. Mixtures of the two could be adjusted to required levels of performance (more NG) or safety (more NM).