Sciencemadness Discussion Board

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dettoo456 - 18-11-2024 at 08:08

I don’t believe the glass itself would be able to hold the same (or greater) amount of energy of the detonation products before breaking and releasing them towards a main charge, though I haven’t done any research into comparing the plastic strain strengths or fracture tolerances of glass vs aluminum.

Consider that a panel of glass can be broken from one swing of a hammer, whereas that same hammer swing would only dent an aluminum sheet of the same size &/or weight. The aluminum can just tolerate more plastic strain before critically failing, and thus an aluminum cap would be able to store more detonation gases/products before expelling them towards a main charge; meaning more energy to be directed at your booster.

And please do not assume that your glass caps would simply be transported or made safely. Catastrophic events usually occur when people think they are safe and prepared. A suspicious, paranoid, and pessimistic outlook isn’t socially preferable but it is indispensable when dealing with explosives and their manufacture.

dettoo456 - 22-11-2024 at 13:40

Pardon my ignorance if I’m repeating a past inquiry, but does anyone know of any current transcriptions or general literary archives of energetic-related YouTube videos? I think transcriptions of some of Dugan’s, DBX Labs, Ex&F, and others’ videos could be very useful if properly compiled (with important screenshots where needed).

If anyone has already started I’d be glad to help in any way I can, or if not, I was planning on starting myself with Dugan’s recent ‘Detonators’ video just for my own.

Of course the military docs, scientific pubs, and patents are highly regarded (as they should be), but documentation of the amateur experimentation is in my opinion, just as valuable to the amateur.

Metsestra - 23-11-2024 at 04:40

May I ask you (members) what type of PIB you use for plastification PETN? Can you describe technic? - cause I'm not sure that it is only enough PIB. Is it possible to try with PIB32? Or need only PIB150 or PIB200?
What about Silicone oil viscosity 10.000-20.000? Found some patent about it, but not sure about good result - I received not plastic mass, it is more close to pasta, dough.
Another question: what type of mortar do you use? Porcelain, plastic or wood?

And one more question: is it true that plastic mass will be more high density (as you describe 1.56-1.59) then just pressed PETN (with water, after drying). Maybe we can receive higher density after pressing with small amount of acetone - or it is much more dangerous then water?

Laboratory of Liptakov - 23-11-2024 at 08:50

How to make quality binder (plasticizer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euVUa7C5rAM&t=50s

Behaviour quality PIB in gasoline at 10.3%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8mdSSKPoE
........:cool:

Metsestra - 23-11-2024 at 09:43

Quote: Originally posted by Laboratory of Liptakov  
How to make quality binder (plasticizer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euVUa7C5rAM&t=50s

Behaviour quality PIB in gasoline at 10.3%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8mdSSKPoE
........:cool:

Nice channel - will subscribe it for sure!
Glory to Ukraine!

RogueRose - 23-11-2024 at 15:48

Quote: Originally posted by Laboratory of Liptakov  
How to make quality binder (plasticizer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euVUa7C5rAM&t=50s

Behaviour quality PIB in gasoline at 10.3%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8mdSSKPoE
........:cool:


Do you have any other channels on other sites that may have your video's? I seem to recall you having many more video's than what is available on YT. I'm guessing the ones I'm thinking about have been taken down. Do you have any other sites you post on? Fell free to PM/DM me is you don't want to post it publicly. Thank you!

Metsestra - 24-11-2024 at 10:00

Quote: Originally posted by Laboratory of Liptakov  
How to make quality binder (plasticizer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euVUa7C5rAM&t=50s

Behaviour quality PIB in gasoline at 10.3%
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8mdSSKPoE
........:cool:

I got question about that rubber stripe in gasoline (heptane). How long need to wait to move all PIB from stripe to solution? If I measure concentration after 5 days - will it be the same after 10 days? Maybe better to remove stripe after some time?

[Edited on 24-11-2024 by Metsestra]

Laboratory of Liptakov - 24-11-2024 at 10:57

Step 1: After 10 days, remove the strip in gloves and run it between your fingers. Measure the concentration and write it on the jar.
Step 2: Place the used strip in a new jar and add the appropriate amount of heptane for secondary PIB dissolving.
Repeat Step 1 after 10 days.....:cool:

Metsestra - 24-11-2024 at 11:01

Quote: Originally posted by Laboratory of Liptakov  
Step 1: After 10 days, remove the strip in gloves and run it between your fingers. Measure the concentration and write it on the jar.
Step 2: Place the used strip in a new jar and add the appropriate amount of heptane for secondary PIB dissolving.
Repeat Step 1 after 10 days.....:cool:

Oh..ok ok...now I understand that heptane can accept only some part of PIB. Maybe 7-8%. Am I right?
Maybe better to use bigger amount of heptane to use all PIB in stripe? Did you calculate it?

Laboratory of Liptakov - 24-11-2024 at 12:09

You can try it. But methode from video is optimal.

greenlight - 28-11-2024 at 04:19

Just out of curiosity, has anyone here ever subscribed to the international journal of propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics?

It is quite pricey for just a years subscription and I'm not sure they would even send it to non institutions or organisations.

dettoo456 - 28-11-2024 at 07:17

Some here may still have access via university accounts. I’d recommend asking for specific articles here on SM or on the Ex&F discord. I’ve only ever used Sci-hub which pulls those PEP articles around 1-1.5yrs after their publication.

In my opinion, none of the Wiley, elsevier, springer, etc. journals are ever worth the prices they ask for. If some hardcover versions were published that may be enticing, but pdfs are not worth more than $1 per, especially considering how easy they are to pirate and how wealthy those publishers are anyways.

greenlight - 28-11-2024 at 18:34

Quote: Originally posted by dettoo456  
Some here may still have access via university accounts. I’d recommend asking for specific articles here on SM or on the Ex&F discord. I’ve only ever used Sci-hub which pulls those PEP articles around 1-1.5yrs after their publication.

In my opinion, none of the Wiley, elsevier, springer, etc. journals are ever worth the prices they ask for. If some hardcover versions were published that may be enticing, but pdfs are not worth more than $1 per, especially considering how easy they are to pirate and how wealthy those publishers are anyways.


Thankyou! I just checked out scihub and already found a few papers that I haven't been able to access before by pasting the DOI numbers in to their search engine. That's a really handy site!

After that, I agree, it wouldn't be worth purchasing unless a sort of hard cover compendium was ever released full of different interesting articles and papers.

MineMan - 26-1-2025 at 21:57

Are these velocities and pressures really realistic? My understanding is organic explosives cannot exceed 10.5kms due to simulations and EOSs.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S22102...

MineMan - 31-1-2025 at 18:22

Are any of the high nitrogen pressure synthesized explosives metastable?


https://phys.org/news/2024-03-nitrogen-based-compounds-high-...

dettoo456 - 1-2-2025 at 19:49

Quote: Originally posted by MineMan  
Are any of the high nitrogen pressure synthesized explosives metastable?


https://phys.org/news/2024-03-nitrogen-based-compounds-high-...


No

underground - 2-4-2025 at 05:24

Could dilute sulphuric acid got concentrated up through evaporation ? For example battery acid is about 30% SA. Would it concentrate if you just leave it there into a big glass dish ? If yes, how much is the maximum concentration that can be achieved this way ?

I know SA is hygroscopic but untill what concentrations ?

[Edited on 2-4-2025 by underground]

Precipitates - 2-4-2025 at 08:12

No

Apparently sulfuric acid is hygroscopic (i.e., absorbs water), down to concentrations less than 10%*

So you will just dilute your sulfuric acid as it absorbs water vapour from the air.

I'm sure someone tried this on here once, but can't find the original post - this idea sounds familiar anyway!

Just boil it.

*At least according to Wiki, but sounds reasonable.

dettoo456 - 13-4-2025 at 13:39

I believe it is widely known that people looking to procure AN these days are usually forced to prepare it through metathesis of NH4SO4 + Ca(NO3)2 or through a convoluted series of reactions of CAN to release AN from the double salt. Now I know that AN is the preferred material for nitrations, even over WFNA in most cases to avoid storing WFNA in a freezer, but for those just looking to use the AN directly such as in ANFO, ANSU, Ammonal, etc., is there any reason why CAN itself isn’t just used (assuming it’s available)?

I found this doc (attached below) a while ago that reports that the PIRA apparently used CAN/SU for at least some of their *activities* during the troubles, and if the data reported is correct, it is no wonder why. The VODs and peak pressures of the 11/1 W/W CAN/SU charges are decently similar to those of ANFO charges (barring the booster design differences). Also, apparently only a 0.227% W/W of booster/total charge mass was required for the 1000kg CAN/SU firing. Obviously at a 1-ton scale, booster sizes can be lowered simply due to exceeded critical diameters, but even so, this information seems outlandish. Results would almost certainly differ for amateurs using a 1kg CAN/SU charge for example, but by how much if the results in this report are actually accurate?

Am I missing something?



[Edited on 13-4-2025 by dettoo456]

Attachment: 1997 FEL Large Charge Firings.pdf (3.2MB)
This file has been downloaded 149 times

HeinzBeans - 12-5-2025 at 01:33


Hello, I have a few questions about dinitrogen tetroxide and its uses since I recently found a cheap and accessible way to make fairly large amounts.


1)
Can N2O4 be directly used as a nitration/nitrolysis agent? As in a direct replacement for HNO3? I am aware that dinitrogen pentoxide can but have heard very little about the tetroxide which is far easier to make in bulk (condensation of 2 NO2 groups at low temps). Unless I am missing something I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, but I have found very little info on this.

2)
If it can indeed nitrate things would it be feasible to use it whilst dissolved in a solvent such as dichloromethane for lower temperature reactions? My thinking behind this is that since N2O4 freezes at -11c dissolving it in a solvent with a much lower freezing point (DCM -96c) would lower the overall freezing temp. The reason I ask this is cause I’m interested in producing potassium dinitramide and other dinitramide salts in the future which require very cold conditions (-30 to -40c) and using N2O4 (if it works) would be cheaper than fuming HNO3 it seems.

3)
From what I have heard when reacted with water N2O4 forms nitric/nitrous acid, along with some nitric oxide, the nitrous acid then presumably oxidises into nitric acid after a while. If this is so could N2O4 potentially be used as a kind of desiccant? For example if pure N2O4 was added to azeotropic nitric acid would the N2O4 react with the excess water forming more nitric acid and therefor concentrating the nitric acid? Perhaps fuming nitric acid could be easily produced from azeotropic nitric acid this way.

4)
And finally if N2O4 does not indeed work as I had hoped, does anyone know of an effective way of converting it to the pentoxide? I know that N2O5 can be formed by reacting ozone and nitrogen dioxide and I assume that dinitrogen tetroxide would react with ozone to form the pentoxide too, but could some other method that doesn’t use ozone work?

Anyway, I know I have asked a lot but these questions have really been bugging me for a while, and I have found little info about it. So if any reaction savvy people want to help please do, thank you :)

Axt - 12-5-2025 at 03:36

NO2 will enter into a lot of interesting reactions but not in the way you are thinking. Nitrations generally require the nitronium ion NO2+, not NO2 per se. It can and will react with many things, often producing nitro derivatives but in more complex ways. For example if you were to just react toluene with NO2 you would expect a variety of nitro and oxidation products from nitro toluene to nitro phenols, benzoic acid and ultimately oxalic acid, in other words; a mess.

It can be used however, NO2 will directly add to olefins to form the corresponding dinitro compounds. NO2 will also react with sodium acetate to form acetic anhydride, one of the most useful dehydrating agents.
2CH3COONa + 2N2O4 -> (CH3CO)2O + 2NaNO3 + N2O3

dettoo456 - 12-5-2025 at 08:05

I’m assuming your method to produce the N2O4 is from alkaline earth nitrate thermal degradation under vacuum & cryocooling. If not, I’d be interested to know if you’re willing to share. In any case, the N2O4 is very useful as long as you can store it like you mentioned. DCM at low temps with a low conc% of N2O4 should store well enough.

Oxidation with Ozone to N2O5 is the easiest way to produce N2O5, the other being electrolysis of liquid N2O4 which I don’t believe is easier. Don’t try bubbling Ozone into a DCM solution though, you’d be asking for a random detonation or potential oxidation to phosgene.

The N2O4 reaction with water (or azeo HNO3) will produce NO + HNO3, so it is a suitable way to produce HNO3 of high purity, but the NO will want to stay dissolved in your acid and cause issues with nitrations.

A better way to dry HNO3 is with PPA, which can simply be boiled to regenerate/dry, as opposed to H2SO4 which requires distillation to bring back to 98%.

The Kyodai Nitration is the only reaction I know of that uses N2O4 directly, and that uses Ozone as a co-reactant anyways.

[Edited on 12-5-2025 by dettoo456]

MrDoctor - 12-5-2025 at 18:30

combining oxone with organic solvents: is there any general protocol for handling this, perhaps more overlooked OHS practices outside of the obvious not letting solutions dry out until reduction has been done/passes peroxide test.
two im especially interested in is oxone with either acetone, or diethyl ether. acetone forms some sort of intermediary that is related to acetone peroxide, wheras ether just degrades and oxidizes as a minor side reaction. I noticed these two in quite a few reactions on orgsyn, i think the site was, listing loads of reactions involving oxone, but without much more context other than the reaction formula.

dettoo456 - 13-5-2025 at 07:29

I can’t tell if you’re speaking of Oxone or Ozone.

Oxone, as in Potassium peroxymonosulfate, will oxidize acetone to dimethyldioxirane, i.e. monoacetone monoperoxide. Oxone may interact with other polar protic solvents as well. It may be able to oxidize N2O4 to N2O5, but I haven’t read up on that.

Ozone, as in O3, may also oxidize Acetone to DMDO, but would likely further oxidize it into a bunch of other products on top of that.

MrDoctor - 13-5-2025 at 08:16

Yes, oxone as in peroxymonosulfate.
Its incredibly useful, plus it doesnt seem to be treated as particularly hazardous either, so it seems easy to buy in bulk units to offset the low molar efficiency.

HeinzBeans - 13-5-2025 at 08:55

Thanks for the response Axt and dettoo456, and you where pretty much right in regards to your question about the method of production, I’ll be following this synthesis;

http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=12966

Only difference is that I’ll use potassium nitrate instead. Also vacuum and cryocooling are a little overkill and optional. N2O4 forms at about -10c so no need for liquid nitrogen temps lol

I have been thinking though, and what do you think about the idea of using Dinitrogen tetroxide + Sulfuric acid as a nitration mix instead of just N2O4 alone.
Perhaps the Sulfuric acid will act like it does with nitric acid to help form the nitronium ion?
Will also bind to any residual water, though the N2O4 should be anhydrous anyways from this method.


[Edited on 14-5-2025 by HeinzBeans]

dettoo456 - 13-5-2025 at 09:54

I’d only recommend vacuum and strong cooling since I’d be worried that some NO2 would decompose at the high temps involved in the thermal decomposition. If no vacuum is used, I’d at least try to heavily agitate the melt somehow to ensure the NO2 is stripped and cooled as quickly as possible. Leading O2 into the off-gas is overkill but could also work if you had a O2 concentrator lying around.

N2O5/H2SO4 is overkill, anhydrous N2O5 will nitrate basically anything.

HeinzBeans - 13-5-2025 at 23:52

Ok, thank you for the input :)
Also when I referred to using Sulfuric acid I meant with the tetroxide not the pentoxide, little spelling mistake on my part.

dettoo456 - 14-5-2025 at 08:02

N2O4 will not nitrate anything really, it’ll nitrosate instead. Like Axt mentioned, you need the NO2- species in solution.

dettoo456 - 26-5-2025 at 10:48

I have seen differing procedural methods, mainly depending on availability, but does anyone here nitrate with <98% H2SO4? Basically in the range of 93-98%? I figure it shouldnt complicate reaction conditions that drastically, but I dont have any practical experience with anything less than 98%. I mean to use AN with the H2SO4 directly, not with azeo HNO3.

I have a decent amount of 98% from Duda along with some 93% industrial grade stuff, and if blended, Ill end up with approx 95.5%, which to me seems fine. Id prefer not to distill it if possible.

Microtek - 26-5-2025 at 12:55

I have only ever used 96% and that has worked fine for everything from nitric esters to TNT.

dettoo456 - 26-5-2025 at 16:28

Alright, thanks. Ill blend what I have up and just use that.

BoroNar - 3-8-2025 at 05:42

have problem making
Silver Azide directly via Hydrazine Sulfate/HNO3

Tried this reaction:
http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=1987&a...

Same from Astral Chemistry’s video:
“Preparation of hydrazoic acid (azoimid) and silver azide” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53BvufurXKA

exactly 1:1 no point to re-write all my steps,

even heating very gently, runaway happens and Noxes are polluting nitrate solution, once I managed to redirect noxes to scrubber but precipitate is still unusable.
Precipitate is snow white color, powderly. After drying it will not ddt, as shown in video, I use torch and it will just melt that powder and metal (silver) droplets are formed.
Any ideas or variations of this method are welcome. Sodium nitrite and therefore IPN is not available to me, so I have only this route to have azide.

Thanks

[Edited on 3-8-2025 by BoroNar]

Axt - 3-8-2025 at 09:08

Quote: Originally posted by BoroNar  

Any ideas or variations of this method are welcome.


I don't know why it's not working for you nor have i tried HNO3 oxidation in this setup. But if you check early in that megathread pg. 3 or 4 I did test persulphate/H2SO4 and successfully caught HN3 as lead azide. It was of questionable safety so I didn't experiment any further. I posted that H2O2 seems to do the same thing but I cannot remember any of that now.

Silver nitrite has low solubility, if you are passing NO/NO2 into solution this is your likely precipitate.

[Edited on 4-8-2025 by Axt]

Dense nitroguanidine?

UndermineBriarEverglade - 28-8-2025 at 16:41

Quote: Originally posted by dettoo456  
NQ is far and away the best option for mixing with ETN, as it’s very powerful on its own, insensitive, and very stable. The only issue is obtaining the right crystal morphology to select for small particle size and rounded crystal shape. Even so, UN is just too weak and finnicky IMO.


What are the usual ways to get high-density nitroguanidine? Are there suitable melt-cast carriers? Can the crystals be wet-ground in a blender? Are there any solvents that result in better crystals?

Axt - 28-8-2025 at 21:59

Quote: Originally posted by UndermineBriarEverglade  

What are the usual ways to get high-density nitroguanidine?


This is the Chinese method

1 eq NQ
14 eq water with 0.01-0.10 % PVA (poly ~1750)
Boil to dissolve
Adjust pH to 8 with ammonia solution
Under stirring cool 0.1-0.5C per minute to 50C
Rapidly cool from 50C to 20C
Filter, rinse and dry at 65C.
Nominal density increased from 0.16 to 0.8-0.9g/cm3.

pva recrystalised nq.png - 198kB

[Edited on 29-8-2025 by Axt]

UndermineBriarEverglade - 29-8-2025 at 16:38

Thanks. I read about antisolvent recrystallization which promises .94-.97g/cm3 but calls for NMP and more precision. PVA and water looks accessible to the amateur. Do you have a link to this Chinese paper? I'm not sure how well I can control the rate of cooling with a simple ice bath.

Axt - 30-8-2025 at 03:06

It's all in Chinese.

You won't need an ice bath for that slow cooling, you'll need a larger or insulated thermal mass bath. It'd take some experimentation but 1L or 2L bath heated to boiling then place beaker in it and let it all cool slowly more mass more insulation slower the cooling.

Attachment: High bulk density nitroguanidine (chinese).pdf (1.9MB)
This file has been downloaded 139 times

BoroNar - 18-10-2025 at 13:44

I have aminoguanidine bicarb batches prepared via reducing nitroguanidine with zinc powder. Synth done exactly per dug's video "Aminoguanidine [small batch]" all carefully scripted and executed.

One batch I have is white and another is yellow

only difference is that at the end after adding bicarb, accidentally left stirring for hour or so, when came back very fine white precipitate was in beaker. "Yellow batch" was left overnight to slowly form precipitate.

questions are:
what is "fast white" precipitate, if not AQB then what?
how do amateur can test AQB? what are options for testing and confirmation

Tried burning on alu foil, both "fast white" and "slow yellow" burn with yellow residue. Burn was same for both, same fizzling, fumes and speed.
any idea where that "yellow" comes from? what may be the cause? wanted to recryst, but even in boiling water so tiny powder dissolved, gave up.


Axt - 18-10-2025 at 16:52

Aminoguanidine bicarb wont "burn" it'll fizz and decompose with considerable white smoke leaving yellow residue but not in a self-sustaining reaction. If yours is self sustaining its likely partial reduction to nitrosoguanindine, which happens to be yellow. Aminoguanidine will yellow over time though, even lab acquired will produce a yellow solution.

Attached is my sample of nitrosoguanidine, its recrystallisable from boiling water. Soluble in dilute NaOH which precipitates an energetic silver salt from AgNO3.

nitrosoguanidine fluff.jpg - 1.6MB

BoroNar - 18-10-2025 at 23:40

Axt
Thanks for reply,
yes, there was no burn with flames, only fizzing and smoke and foil was heated from bottom with torch.
But residue left is quite large, color is same yellow as on your picture. if nitrosoguanidine was there, it would dissolve in water when I tried to recryst AQB. I always try to confirm results one way or another, melting point, water solubility, color, etc.. so sad I have no practical way for AQB. will report back results if these AQB batches have any success in further reactions down the line.

[Edited on 19-10-2025 by BoroNar]

Axt - 19-10-2025 at 01:32

Note that nitrosoguanidine wont "burn" with a flame either, just that it's a rapid self-sustaining reaction when touched with a flame. If what you have is only decomposing when heat is applied, it's likely the bicarb. Just sit a bit underwater and add HCl and see if it fizzes and goes into solution. Just don't add H2SO4 out of water as that'll make nitrosoguanidine fizz off as well.

The above was made via zinc-NH4Cl reduction of nitroguanidine.

[Edited on 19-10-2025 by Axt]

currawong - 1-12-2025 at 20:26

This has probably been asked and answered before, but when setting something off with an impact, is it the shock or the very localised heat generated that cause it to go off? I have been experimenting with nitrocellulose prepared based on this https://www.sciencemadness.org/smwiki/index.php/Synthesis_of... and I have discovered that if I take a pea sized bit of the guncotton and hit it with a hammer on concrete, it explodes loudly enough that I probably should have been wearing hearing protection. I haven't tried larger amounts. Is it the shock or the heat generated that is causing this?

Axt - 1-12-2025 at 23:23

The quick answer is adiabatic heating is the primary initiator, but it's a complex question. You could try solvent casting it into a small pellet and striking that to show the insensitivity created by removing the gas voids. Pressed gun cotton is very sensitive to initiation, but if its solvent cast into a block (removing the entrapped air) it's practically impossible to detonate.

As mentioned, it’s complex and is reflected in the often poor correlation between impact and friction sensitivities.

KFeNAT - 2-12-2025 at 05:52

The main factor triggering detonation is the "shock wave" or the forced ignition induced when the shock wave sweeps across the material surface. Essentially, the propagation of detonation is the propagation of the shock wave itself—striking a hard object with a hammer will generate an intense "shock wave" at the point of impact.

Axt - 6-12-2025 at 10:42

Shock isn't independant of heating, it's either referring to pressure (ie. shock) induced heating or a tribochemical reaction where the pressure if essentially squishing or shearing the crystal/molecule itself. Although instinctually one tends to favour the later and I don't think there is any definite answer as its likely a combination effect, but the studies and in practice show that bubble/hot spot sensitisation is the driving factor.


Attachment: initiation-of-solid-explosives-by-impact-and-friction-the-influe-1949.pdf (553kB)
This file has been downloaded 66 times

High-density NQ compositions or derivatives?

UndermineBriarEverglade - 15-12-2025 at 18:30

Synthesized some nitroguanidine. I plan to recrystallize with PVA for 0.8-1.1g/cm3 (thanks Axt) but even at that density the performance of nitroguanidine is not that good compared to max density 1.7g/cm3. How can I improve its performance while retaining the insensitivity and stability? I also have access to ETN and urea nitrate.

KFeNAT - 17-12-2025 at 04:18

Quote: Originally posted by UndermineBriarEverglade  
Synthesized some nitroguanidine. I plan to recrystallize with PVA for 0.8-1.1g/cm3 (thanks Axt) but even at that density the performance of nitroguanidine is not that good compared to max density 1.7g/cm3. How can I improve its performance while retaining the insensitivity and stability? I also have access to ETN and urea nitrate.

  • Are any NQ derivatives suitable? ANQN tends to weep nitric acid. Has anyone here made PrNQ?
  • Eutectic mixes of NQ with nitrate salts all seem to be hygroscopic.
  • There are many experimental TNT melt-cast alternatives, but are any accessible to the amateur? Sir_Gawain reports that NQ doesn't dissolve in ETN. I'd need to buy a lot of stuff to make DNAN. TNAZ is harder to make than TNT. ADN is hygroscopic and tricky to melt without decomposition.
  • Hey Buddy found that the extremely hygroscopic AspNO3 melts NQ, and then can be dissolved away by cold water to leave behind very high-density NQ of 1.4-5 g/cm3. Has anyone else verified this? Why would NQ dissolve in AspNO3, and could it work with a different nitrate, plain aspartic acid, or other solvents?


As an alternative to TNT for amateur casting, 2,4-Dinitrophenoxyethyl nitrate could be tried. It is said to have a melting point of about 64 degrees Celsius and can be prepared simply by nitrifying Phenoxyethanol with mixed acid at low temperatures.

UndermineBriarEverglade - 6-1-2026 at 00:05

Quote: Originally posted by Axt  
It's all in Chinese.

You won't need an ice bath for that slow cooling, you'll need a larger or insulated thermal mass bath. It'd take some experimentation but 1L or 2L bath heated to boiling then place beaker in it and let it all cool slowly more mass more insulation slower the cooling.


Tried the Chinese method on a small scale but without a temperature-controlled hot plate I wasn't able to cool it slowly enough. With the right equipment or on a larger scale it seems very doable. Even though my temperature dropped at least 10x faster than specified, there was still an obvious density improvement. Thanks.

[Edited on 2026-1-6 by UndermineBriarEverglade]

BoroNar - 11-2-2026 at 09:58

Quote: Originally posted by BoroNar  
I have aminoguanidine bicarb batches prepared via reducing nitroguanidine with zinc powder. Synth done exactly per dug's video "Aminoguanidine [small batch]" all carefully scripted and executed.

One batch I have is white and another is yellow

only difference is that at the end after adding bicarb, accidentally left stirring for hour or so, when came back very fine white precipitate was in beaker. "Yellow batch" was left overnight to slowly form precipitate.

questions are:
what is "fast white" precipitate, if not AQB then what?
how do amateur can test AQB? what are options for testing and confirmation

Tried burning on alu foil, both "fast white" and "slow yellow" burn with yellow residue. Burn was same for both, same fizzling, fumes and speed.
any idea where that "yellow" comes from? what may be the cause? wanted to recryst, but even in boiling water so tiny powder dissolved, gave up.




answering to my own question:
it turns out both "fast" and "slow" precipitated are both aqb and work as any other aqb obtained in other synths.
Densities differ, crystalls are different both visual and handling, but work in uNAP synth.
Can't say which precipitate is better yelding, since uNAP synth is still hit, half hit and miss every time for me... randomly getting yelds from 10% to 45% from AQB used.
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