Zinc
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Registered: 10-5-2006
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Dinitrobenzene
I searched the forum but found no thread about this explosive.
It is very easy to make (nitrating benzene), and was used as a replacement for TNT (or so I heard) as it has similar sensitivity. Also apparently it
is also quite toxic so be careful when working with it.
Today I made some
To around 200-250 ml of conc. H2SO4 (boiled down battery acid) I added around 70-80g (perhaps even 100g) of a sodium nitrate/ammonium nitrate mix
(don't know the proportions, and it was slightly wet). Then I added around 30-40 ml of benzene in several portions and heated the mixture on a water
bath for around 30-40 min while adding some small portions of conc. H2SO4. The benzene layer at first turned green, then orange/red and some NO2
evolved. then I removed the heat and let the mix coll down (it took over 45 min to at least partially coll down). The organic layer then turned green
and a lot of some white mass (probably ammonium and sodium hydrogen sulfate) precipitated. Then I shook the flask and the dinitrobenzene almost
instantly solidified. I then diluted the mixture with water. The dinitrobenzene particles floated and the white chunks remained on the bottom. I then
filtered only the dinitrobenzene, washed it with dilute Na2CO3 solution to neutralize the remaining acid and then with water to make it neutral. Now
it is drying. I don't know how much I got (don't have a scale accurate enough to weight it) but it looks like 10g or so.
So did anyone else made it? And is there anything interesting you can do with it?
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Zinc
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Posts: 472
Registered: 10-5-2006
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Quote: Originally posted by Zinc  | then I removed the heat and let the mix coll down (it took over 45 min to at least partially coll down). The organic layer then turned green and a
lot of some white mass (probably ammonium and sodium hydrogen sulfate) precipitated.
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Well today I dissolved the white mass in boiling water. Most of it dissolved but a considerable amount of dinitrobenzene separated as an water
insoluble oil. When it cooled down the dinitrobenzene solidified. I then remelted it several times under dilute Na2CO3 solution and pure water to
purify it. So it seems that the yield is not so small as I thought This second
batch is slightly green from some impurities (the first is nearly white) but it is pure enough for me
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