A powerful,unreported new primary explosive--NiCC

Preface:Before introducing NiCC,let's first introduce a primary explosive that someone may know.
Nickel tricarbohydrazide perchloric(NiCP) is a less well-known primary explosive.But its excellent performance has attracted the attention of many Chinese enthusiasts.Powerful,easy to prepare,and environmentally friendly are its advantages.According to different preparation conditions,this is a kind of powder from light blue to dark blue.(Annex 1)

However,raw materials-perchlorate(especially sodium salt and ammonium salt)or perchloric acid are almost impossible to obtain and expensive.And its theoretical sensitivity is not high,but due to the presence of numerous edges and fractures in the crystal,its actual sensitivity is very high, similar to that of peroxide HMTD.(Annex 2)

About a year ago, when I was doing a test,I accidentally found that the mixture of nickel tricarbohydrazide nitrate and Potassium chlorate had strong explosive power.So, would it have a better effect if chlorate ions entered the molecule instead of simply mixing?

I have consulted many similar article,but there are no results.Only one article mentioned the Copper(II) chlorate complex Therefore, I believe that this compound and similar substances have not been synthesized by other researchers.

Later,I successfully synthesized this substance through experiments. After testing,I found that it indeed has strong detonation ability. Sensitivity similar to NiCP but lower.And after multiple experimental optimizations,more suitable preparation conditions were found.
Warning:This energetic material has not undergone strict sensitivity testing, and there is no data to prove its sensitivity. After my simple testing, I believe that its sensitivity is lower than NiCP, but some people have also made dangerous high sensitivity products. So it is not recommended to prepare in large quantities.
１.Preparation
Source of chlorate:I prepare it through Sodium chlorate.In China, Chlorate is difficult to obtain,but Sodium chlorate can be purchased as a water treatment agent(called COD).You can also get a more pure nickel chlorate solution by mixing Barium chlorate and Nickel(II) sulfate solution,filtering out Barium sulfate.
Nickel(II):I use Nickel(II)nitrate hexahydrate. After many experiments,I found that the solubility of nickel tricarbohydrazide nitrate mentioned above is very high.After the experiment of other enthusiasts, Nickel(II) sulfate hexahydrate is also feasible.
Carbohydrazide(CHZ):a chemical raw material that can be purchased directly.

Let's start preparing now
Weigh 0.79g CHZ and 1g NaClO3, and dissolve them together with 4ml of water.(No reaction,no need to worry)
Also weigh 0.85g Ni(NO3)2•6H2O and dissolve in 4ml of water.
Freeze 10ml of distilled water at the same time for subsequent washing.
Take Nickel(II) nitrate solution as the bottom solution, and drip Sodium chlorate CHZ mixed solution under magnetic stirring,and the solution turns blue.
Wait for a while, a small amount of sediment appears
Place the beaker in an ice bath(-5~-10℃)and stir continuously.At this time,a large amount of precipitates will precipitate and settle to the bottom.The upper clear liquid is light blue.
Place the beaker in the freezer to further cool down to increase yield. After filtration or suction filtration,wash with cold water 2-3 times.It is recommended to use suction filtration here,because this material has a large solubility and a fast dissolution rate,and can quickly reach the precipitation Solubility equilibrium when the temperature is slightly higher.Just ordinary filtration time can cause a significant loss of product.
It is difficult for the yield to exceed 80% during ordinary filtration.After preparing so many times,the highest yield is only around 78%,while suction filtration is estimated to exceed 85%
Dry naturally to obtain blue powder
This is the final product(Annex 3)
2.Test.
Mechanical sensitivity:After some testing,I feel that it is lower than the nicp,and capable enthusiasts can help me measure the specific data.
flame sensitivity:It can be directly ignited and detonated by KNSU charges(KNSU:60~65%Potassium nitrate,40~35%Sucrose),but this is unlikely to happen in NiCP.
Power test:Accurately weigh 5mg NiCC,Aluminum foil wrapping,fuel ignition.(Annex 4)

Quote: Originally posted by underground

What is the storage stability ?

Of course it's safe.I synthesized this compound on June 22, 2022 and it has been stored at room temperature for over a year. So far, there has been no change in color or morphology. The explosion test is also quite perfect. In addition, I also prepared a solution of this compound and stored it in sunlight and in a dark place for one month without any color change. It should be possible to demonstrate the long-term storage stability of this substance

Quote: Originally posted by underground

Cool. The copper/calcium/magnesium nitrate salt of CHZ could be a good secondary too

Synthesis of a new primary explosive:Nickle tricarbohydrazide perchlorate(NiCP)



Video YT

Quote: Originally posted by Vpatent357

Synthesis of a new primary explosive:Nickle tricarbohydrazide perchlorate(NiCP) Video YT

I made this video

Difference can be advantage use NaClO3 which is easily avaliable (produce) than NaClO4. But carbohydrazide availability as key precursor can be problem in a lot countries.
A like every new substance, also Nickel carbohydrazide chlorate (NiCC) require perpedicular test 1000 mg against lead brick or aluminium brick.
The test on a can of coca cola has no telling value.....

I have experimented a little with the perchlorate variant. I found that preparation was easy and high yielding (89% with no effort to maximize yield except for using ice water to wash the product). NICP is a sky- or baby blue material. It can be air dried and doesn't seem hygroscopic, though I haven't tested that rigorously. If contacted by a flame when on a spatula, it sputters and flashes, but seems less inclined to take fire than NAP or lead styphnate.
If contained in a fold of aluminum foil and held over a flame, it detonates extremely violently, perhaps even more so than NAP. It DDTs in amounts as low as 5 mg from the spit of a thin (1.5 mm) BP fuse when compacted into a piece of PVC tubing, with the two ends closed with compacted Al-foil and tissue paper respectively.

I have tested sensitivity with my oblique impact machine, which combines impact and friction testing by striking the sample at a shallow angle with a steel pendulum (see attached picture). The sample is spread evenly on a small piece of 100 grit sand paper and clamped to a steel plate on the base of the apparatus. Then the pendulum (550 g) is raised to a certain height and released. This is repeated 5 times at a given height and the number of positive tests is recorded.
For NICP 90 cm (4.86 J) gave 2/5 (2 go and 3 no go the positives are number two and three from the bottom) while 95 cm gave 1/5. For comparison, NAP gave 2/5 at 110 cm.

Quote: Originally posted by Microtek

It will be some time before I have an opportunity to test anything else, but yes, more experiments with the copper complex will be undertaken. Magnesium is not great at making complexes with nitrogen rich ligands. It has an affinity for hard oxygen ligands such as water or hydroxylates. For this reason I think transition metals such as iron, zink or cobalt are much more promising.

Quote: Originally posted by littlesky

Ok,guys.Do not try to synthesize Chlorate/Perchlorate of chz copper complex, they are extremely unstable dangerous compounds.I once synthesized Chlorate of chz copper, and this substance blew itself up in the middle of the night

Sorry for not replying to you guys for a while. I have been working on new energetic materials recently, such as fox-7, DNOAF, TEX.
In fact, the content I initially published was only a small part of the full paper. I will place the full text through machine translation below.
Additionally, I will release content on DNOAF and FOX-7 in the near future. Thank you for your reply.

The following is a machine translated version, without careful inspection, there must be many errors.


Preface: Nickel perchlorate tricarbonylhydrazide (NiCP) is a high-performance, highly stable, and easy to prepare primary explosive. Its derivatives such as GTX and GTG have also been widely known. However, one of its raw materials, perchloric acid, is difficult to purchase and expensive, greatly limiting its potential for promotion. (Another good method is to use NaClO4 as a source of perchlorate, similar to the following method)
During a fire lead test, I accidentally discovered that a mixture of nickel tricarbonylhydrazide nitrate (XTN) and potassium chlorate had strong explosive properties, even surpassing NiCP in power. So, would it be better to introduce chlorate ClO3- directly into the molecule instead of simply mixing it?
I have tried to consult many similar literature, but have not mentioned this compound. Therefore, I personally believe that this compound has never been prepared by other researchers. Later, I successfully prepared this compound through experiments and found through testing that it indeed has strong explosive properties, but sensitivity and other aspects still need further research.
Warning: This energetic material has not undergone strict sensitivity testing and there is no data to prove its sensitivity. However, after a simple test (see below), I personally believe that its sensitivity is moderate, similar to the NiCP mentioned earlier, so it is not recommended to prepare too much.
1. Discussion on raw materials:
Reaction principle: 3CHZ+Ni2++2ClO3- (excess)=Ni (CHZ) 3 (ClO3) 2
① ClO3- Source: The best is of course the chlorate of Ni. However, it is almost impossible to obtain, and chlorates commonly used in the metathesis reaction ions (such as Ca2+, Ba2+, etc.) are also difficult to purchase. So, since it is no longer possible to prepare without introducing other ions and to precipitate NiCC, a high concentration of ClO3- needs to be used. The author used NaClO3 in the preparation, with an excess of about 1.5 times.
② Source of Ni2+: From previous experiments, it has been found that the solubility of nickel tricarbonylhydrazide nitrate (XTN) is relatively high, which may precipitate NiCC. Therefore, the author used nickel nitrate hexahydrate as the source of Ni2+. (Hexahydrate nickel sulfate can also be used, thank you for the experiment with @ Keto_RDX)
③ carbonylhydrazide (CHZ): It can be purchased directly as a chemical raw material.
2. Preparation
Weigh 0.79g CHZ and 1g NaClO3, and dissolve them together with 5ml of water. (No reaction, no need to worry)
Also weigh 0.85g Ni (NO3) 2 • 6H2O and dissolve in 5ml of water.
Attention: After multiple experiments (over ten times), I have found that when the solution concentration is too high, the product precipitates and the beaker becomes very viscous, showing a gelatinous appearance, making it difficult to filter. And the product appears in flakes and will stick to the filter paper, making it inconvenient to collect. A slightly higher amount of water can cause all the products to sink to the bottom (as shown in the figure below), and the production flow has good dispersion.
Freeze more than ten milliliters of distilled water by the way, and wash and use it later.
Using a nickel nitrate solution as the base solution, drip a mixture of sodium chlorate and carbazide under magnetic stirring, and the solution turns blue.
After a while, a small amount of precipitation precipitates.
Place the beaker in an ice bath (-5~-10 ℃) and continue stirring (manual stirring or magnetic stirring can be recommended). At this point, a large amount of precipitates will precipitate and gradually settle to the bottom. The upper clear liquid is light blue.
Place the beaker in the freezer to further cool down to increase yield. After filtration or suction filtration, wash with cold water 2-3 times. It is recommended to use suction filtration here, as the solubility of this substance is high and the dissolution rate is fast. When the temperature is slightly high, the precipitation dissolution equilibrium can be quickly reached. Just ordinary filtration time can cause a significant loss of product.
It is difficult for the production rate to exceed 80% during ordinary filtration, and the highest rate for individuals who have done so many times is around 78%, while suction filtration is estimated to exceed 85%
After drying, it becomes a powder with excellent flowability.
3. Testing
① Sensitivity test (extremely rough)
Mechanical sensitivity:
1) Take a very small amount of sample on the aluminum foil, wrap it well, and use a hammer to strike it. Even if struck with force, it is difficult to explode.
2) Take a very small amount of sample onto the brick, stick it with tape, and use a hammer to strike it. Strong tapping can cause an explosion.
3) Same as above, use a hammer to vigorously rub and make a slight "crackling" sound.
Compare it with its brother NiCP:
1) Not done.
2) You can knock it out with a slight force. (subjectively speaking, NiCC is more difficult to be knocked out)
3) Basically the same.
Summary of mechanical sensitivity: NiCC has a moderate mechanical sensitivity, similar to its brother NiCP. Breaking my previous belief that explosives containing chlorates are unstable. In fact, due to crystal structure issues, the sensitivity of NiCP is much higher than expected. This is also why NiCP can only be used for amateur enthusiasts.
Flame sensitivity:
This initiating explosive can be directly ignited by a pen core tube containing KNSU (60-65% KNO3, 35-40% sucrose). The flame sensitivity is high.
3. Limit dosage test:
1) Hammer press 0.5g of 5-ATNO3 with a density of 1.38g/cm3 into an 8 * 6mm 6061 aluminum alloy tube
Insert circular paper slices and pour 60mg (uncompacted, loose) of NiCC onto the surface of the metal can, ignite and ignite.
Due to lack of compaction, the detonation effect is poor, and only the surface of the metal can is concave.
2) Ditto, 0.5g5-ATNO3, press and install using a vise, increase the density of the charge to>1.45g/cm3, use 40mgNiCC and compact with a wooden rod, and also stick it to the surface of the metal can to ignite and detonate.
A violent explosion occurred, and the back of the metal can was also pierced by debris.
The test results show that the initiating ability of this explosive is quite strong, and it can successfully detonate the high-density low sensitivity explosive 5-ATNO3 with a dosage less than 40mg. Based on experience and data estimation, the maximum initiating charge for RDX is less than 30mg, significantly stronger than commonly used initiating charges such as NHN and HMTD.
4. Inspection of chlorate in the product:
After the initial release of this article, it sparked discussions among some enthusiasts and experts, mainly questioning whether the product, especially the anion, is chlorate. I also have doubts about the authenticity of this substance, so in response to these doubts, I attempt to test it.
1) Principle: ClO3-+3NO2-+Ag+=AgCl ↓+3NO3-. Analysis: To precipitate Cl - with Ag+, the first step is to have Ag+, which cannot coordinate with chz, so chz must be oxidized and removed. The second step is to reduce chlorate to obtain chloride ions. The author inspired the idea through the experiment on "Inspection of Chlorine Elements in Matchhead" in the textbook "Experimental Chemistry" published by the Jiangsu Education Press. The use of nitrite to reduce chloride ions and the introduction of impurities (nitrite) are relatively simple to treat.
2) Experiment. Drugs: 1g NiCC, potassium permanganate (medicinal grade), dilute nitric acid (extremely dilute, pH ≈ 2), silver nitrate, sodium nitrite, sodium hydroxide, ethanol (all analytical pure)
Dissolve NiCC in 10ml of water and slowly add potassium permanganate solid under magnetic stirring, emitting a large amount of gas and gradually turning into a dark brown colloidal fluid.
Stop adding potassium permanganate when no gas is emitted. A small amount of ethanol can be added to reduce excess potassium permanganate. At this point, the pH is approximately 8. Add a small amount of sodium hydroxide, adjust the pH to 13-14, maintain strong alkalinity, filter to remove manganese and nickel species, and obtain a colorless treatment solution. Add dilute nitric acid to restore neutrality.
Afterwards, take a sample and add a silver nitrate solution acidified with dilute nitric acid. The solution becomes turbid, and after slight stirring, it dissolves and becomes clear. Suspected to be precipitated with silver chlorate or silver hydroxide.
Add solid sodium nitrite and dilute nitric acid to reduce chlorate. Immediately, a large amount of precipitation occurs, with a small amount of NO2 released, which should be due to the reaction between nitrite and acid. Due to the fact that silver nitrite is also a precipitate, to prevent interference, 30% H2O2 was added and stirred slightly to prevent the precipitation from dissolving.
Due to the hasty nature of the experiment, there was no time to take photos during the process, which will be supplemented in the future. Only one final sedimentation diagram is shown below.
5. Recrystallization
Weigh 0.3g of dried primary product ①, add 3ml of water, stir and dissolve in a water bath at~50 ℃, then place it in an environment at~5 ℃, wait for 2-3 days, and crystal products appear. The macro photos are as follows:
Due to equipment and time constraints, further detailed testing cannot be conducted yet. Detailed data on sensitivity and related explosion data cannot be provided. Further research is needed on this material.


Some photos were not uploaded. If necessary, please contact me and I can send them to your email.



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Quote: Originally posted by Microtek

Quick update: I tried initiating RDX with CuCP. It failed at 10 mg but succeeded at 20 mg, so the minimum required amount is probably somewhere in the 10-20 mg range. Note that I didn't do a statistically significant number of repetitions, so there is still some uncertainty. Next will be CoCP, the cobalt analogue.

Quote: Originally posted by Microtek

OK, a new update: The cobalt derivative CoCP seemed very promising at first. Low sensitivity (like the others) very high power when heated in Al foil, non-hygroscopic, sensitive to flame from fuse and DDTs in small amounts with little containment. However, when I did initiation tests, it didn't perform so well. I had multiple failures from ca. 20 mg loadings on 5mm coloumns of RDX. I have since turned towards the iron derivative, FeCP. It behaves a little strangely during synthesis, and I suspect that the iron(III) ions that I have been using are oxidizing the carbohydrazide. The iron(II) that is formed is probably what is precipitating as the energetic complex in the form of (suprisingly) white, needle shaped crystals. I have only done very preliminary testing, but it seems very powerful indeed. It detonates in sub-milligram amounts in the open on flame contact. I can't comment on sensitivity yet, but will report when I have new findings.

Quote: Originally posted by Microtek

OK, a new update: The cobalt derivative CoCP seemed very promising at first. Low sensitivity (like the others) very high power when heated in Al foil, non-hygroscopic, sensitive to flame from fuse and DDTs in small amounts with little containment. However, when I did initiation tests, it didn't perform so well. I had multiple failures from ca. 20 mg loadings on 5mm coloumns of RDX. I have since turned towards the iron derivative, FeCP. It behaves a little strangely during synthesis, and I suspect that the iron(III) ions that I have been using are oxidizing the carbohydrazide. The iron(II) that is formed is probably what is precipitating as the energetic complex in the form of (suprisingly) white, needle shaped crystals. I have only done very preliminary testing, but it seems very powerful indeed. It detonates in sub-milligram amounts in the open on flame contact. I can't comment on sensitivity yet, but will report when I have new findings.

If the factories are using zinc carbohydrazide perchlorate, it will probably be a good choice.....

Quote: Originally posted by smithdotyu

I made some NiCC for my home made strontium chlorate. when strontium chlorate is pure the product color is blue-white. when strontium chlorate not pure the product color is blue like sky. both them can DDT when use a green fuse. but some time can't DDT, the success rate maybe 90%. high than CuNH4NT CuNH4NT is more cost time to make.....

The name source of NiCC: Ni, nickel element, the first C stands for carbohydrazide, and the second C stands for chlorate ion. This is named after the NiCP analogy. According to this rule, your compound should be named SrCC. My friends and I have never tried alkaline earth metal complexes. You can do more experiments and participate in the discussion.:

Quote: Originally posted by smithdotyu

I think this compound should have a Chinese short name: GTN ---- gao tan nie LTN ---- lv tan nie

Haha,You are right. NiCP＝GTN＝高氯酸（三）碳酰肼合镍.
Among this compounds, "G" stands for "高氯酸根(gao lv suan gen, ClO4-)", "T" stands for "碳酰肼(tan xian jing, CHZ)" and "N" stands for "镍(nie,Ni)". But I don't know why, I think the name LTN is very strange, so I use NiCC for analogy with English abbreviations.

Quote: Originally posted by littlesky

Quote: Originally posted by smithdotyu   I made some NiCC for my home made strontium chlorate. when strontium chlorate is pure the product color is blue-white. when strontium chlorate not pure the product color is blue like sky. both them can DDT when use a green fuse. but some time can't DDT, the success rate maybe 90%. high than CuNH4NT CuNH4NT is more cost time to make..... The name source of NiCC: Ni, nickel element, the first C stands for carbohydrazide, and the second C stands for chlorate ion. This is named after the NiCP analogy. According to this rule, your compound should be named SrCC. My friends and I have never tried alkaline earth metal complexes. You can do more experiments and participate in the discussion.:

Quote: Originally posted by smithdotyu

Quote: Originally posted by littlesky   Quote: Originally posted by smithdotyu   I made some NiCC for my home made strontium chlorate. when strontium chlorate is pure the product color is blue-white. when strontium chlorate not pure the product color is blue like sky. both them can DDT when use a green fuse. but some time can't DDT, the success rate maybe 90%. high than CuNH4NT CuNH4NT is more cost time to make..... The name source of NiCC: Ni, nickel element, the first C stands for carbohydrazide, and the second C stands for chlorate ion. This is named after the NiCP analogy. According to this rule, your compound should be named SrCC. My friends and I have never tried alkaline earth metal complexes. You can do more experiments and participate in the discussion.: I just use strontium chlorate replace sodium chlorate. The strontium chlorate produced by use MMO anode electrolysis. first time i use KClO3 to make NiCC. it's failed. I got some blue powder. burn fast but can't DDT. than i start to electrolysis make strontium chlorate. after a few days later i got some strontium chlorate . than the make the steps is same as yours.

Quote: Originally posted by littlesky

In my test, nicc showed more power than NiCP(GTN) and NaCuNT. These are three test videos. Obviously, the order of strength is NICC > NICP (GTN) > Nacunt. I didn't synthesize NH4NT but NaNT, so I only did the test about NaCuNT. However, the strength of these two compounds should be similar, and even Na salt will be more powerful than ammonium salt, because NH4+ ion decomposition will absorb heat.

Quote: Originally posted by B(a)P

Quote: Originally posted by littlesky   In my test, nicc showed more power than NiCP(GTN) and NaCuNT. These are three test videos. Obviously, the order of strength is NICC > NICP (GTN) > Nacunt. I didn't synthesize NH4NT but NaNT, so I only did the test about NaCuNT. However, the strength of these two compounds should be similar, and even Na salt will be more powerful than ammonium salt, because NH4+ ion decomposition will absorb heat. How much test material do you have in each of those little sleeves for each of your tests?

Who can help me measure the density of NiCC under different pressures?

Quote: Originally posted by MineMan

Idk. Hey buddy disappeared….