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Author: Subject: Nuetralizing Ferric Picrate Crystals
Kemtrail
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[*] posted on 25-8-2024 at 14:13
Nuetralizing Ferric Picrate Crystals


Hi,
I won this wonderful, inert, WWII 37mm Japanese cannon round from a local estate auction. Apparently, in WWII the Japanese used picric acid in these explosive tipped projectiles.

As you can see in the pictures, it was disarmed and cleaned out, but a little residue must have remained, reacting with the metal and crystalizing over the decades since WWII. After some googling and talking on some military ordinance Face Book forums, I think this is probably ferric picrate salts or crystals.

This cannon round been in a wood box getting bounced around here and there for decades, and the residue amount seems relatively small, so I'm not overly concerned about it blowing anything up. However, I'd like to neutralize these crystals and clean this residue out.

Does anyone have a general sense as to how this would burn? Would this little amount burn quickly and explosively or more slowly and moderately, like gun powder? How much energy would these crystals in this quantity release if exposed to flame or shock?

I've read that Fenton's reagent would neutralize this, but I'm not a chemist and don't have ready access to the reagent. The only thing I can think of is soaking it in water and baking soda until the crystals dissolve, scrubbing it out with a nylon brush, drying it and wiping it down with acetone. Would this make sodium picrate? And is sodium picrate benign?

If these crystals aren't too explosively volatile, could I just run a fuse (match stick tips crushed into some tape) into this and let it burn to clear it out, or would I still have picrate residue?

I'd greatly appreciate any info as to the volatility of these crystals in the amount I have and any ideas on how to neutralize and clean this out.

inert round.jpg - 336kBcrystal2.jpg - 279kBcrystal1.jpg - 446kB
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bariumbromate
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[*] posted on 4-2-2025 at 15:53


use ethanol or methylated spirits to dissolve them



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[*] posted on 11-5-2025 at 12:18


Quote:
use ethanol or methylated spirits to dissolve them


And out of curiosity, once dissolved how is it rendered safe?


Quote:
I won this wonderful, inert, WWII 37mm Japanese cannon round from a local estate auction. Apparently, in WWII the Japanese used picric acid in these explosive tipped projectiles.


Rounds containing picric acid did continue to be used into WW2. Some British naval shells had Shellite, a 75:25 mixture of TNP and DNP respectively. The Japanese did have shells containing a mixture of picric acid, but they used it primarily as a booster instead of the main charge. They also had mixtures of 75% TNP and 25% TNT to use as castable explosives (the TNT lowered the melting point).
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