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twelti
Hazard to Others
Posts: 217
Registered: 20-2-2019
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My own experience suggests that if there is enough NI3 in the container, the material at the bottom may dry out enough to detonate. I had this happen
when I was a wee lad. I had it in a test tube, around maybe an inch of it. I tapped the bottom of the tube and the stuff on the bottom detonated.
The stuff on the top just sprayed all over the room and then started quickly drying (due to ammonia evaporating). My dad was due home from work in 20
minutes, and I had small bits of NI3 all over the bathroom, and some starting to detonate! I wish I could go back and watch my reaction.
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Morgan
International Hazard
Posts: 1660
Registered: 28-12-2010
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Mood: No Mood
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I remember a method described in the book Chemical Magic where they used potassium iodide and wondered if the salt would have any affect on the
sensitivity?
Action:
Walking into a room, a person is startled by sharp crack-
ling sounds at his feet as he steps on small pieces of paper.
Touching the paper lightly with a meter stick brings about
small but sharp explosions.
You Need:
Five grams iodine; three grams potassium iodide; 20
ml. concentrated ammonium hydroxide; filter paper;
funnel.
Why:
Nitrogen triiodide when dry explodes with the slightest
disturbance.
How:
Stir the potassium iodide and iodine together in a beaker
with 50 ml. of water. Add the ammonium hydroxide with
stirring until no more precipitate forms. Filter and spread
a thin layer of the wet solid on several filter papers. Break
the filter papers into many small pieces and allow to dry for
several hours.
On drying, the paper is extremely sensitive to touch and
will explode violently with the slightest disturbance.
Caution:
The compound nitrogen triiodide, NH3.N!:1, can be safely
handled when wet. Spreading a thin layer of the wet material
on several pieces of filter paper lessens the violence of each
explosion. It is not a powerful explosive, rather a sensitive
one. The touch of a feather can set it off. UNDER NO CON-
DITION ALLOW ANY SIZEABLE QUANTITY OF THE
DRY MATERIAL TO ACCUMULATE.
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AJKOER
Radically Dubious
Posts: 3026
Registered: 7-5-2011
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Actually, I conceived of a path to not only stabilize but possibly further turn the composition into a very problematic dangerous HE as well.
So, take this as advice more on the side of never perform this experiment even in what you suspect is but a tiny crystal of dry elemental Iodine. If
one were to place dry I2 on a flat sheet of say Al foil resting on a pile of damp/wet NH4Cl, a seemingly stable situation (there is nothing inherently
explosive here).
However, on slow warming in a closed vessel so that:
NH4Cl (s) + H2O (l) + Heat = NH3 (g) + HCl (g) + H2O (g)
I2 (s) + Heat -> I2 (g)
And then possibly:
3 I2 + 4 NH3 -H2O-> 2 NI3.NH3
3 HCl + NI3.NH3 -H2O-> Products (may include NCl3, see below)
2 NCl3 -> N2 + 3 Cl2 + Energy
I suspect the presence of water is required as it has been reported:
NI3 + 3 HCl = 3 ICl + NH3 (see https://books.google.com/books?id=e0RFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA93&a...)
And as:
ICl + H2O = HOI + HCl
NH3 + HOI = NH2I + H2O
NH2I + HOI = NHI2 + H2O
NHI2 + HOI = NI3 + H2O (generally cited path to NI3.NH3)
Expect also, however:
3 HOI -> 2 HI + HIO3
HIO3 + 5 HCl (g) -> 1/2 I2 + 5/2 Cl2 (g) + 3 H2O (see https://chemiday.com/en/reaction/3-1-0-6123 )
And, as the action of Cl2 on aqueous NH4Cl is a cited pass to NCl3, I would not dismiss it possible formation here as well.
So, if the system on heating demonstrates higher energetics, then my supposition of the above reaction products (to a limited extent) is likely
affirmed.
[Edited on 6-6-2020 by AJKOER]
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