The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

152 AROMATIC NITRO COMPOUNDS
sunlight 36 in open tubes, it undergoes a slow decomposition with
a consequent lowering of the melting point. Exposure to sunlight
in a vacuum in a sealed tube has much less effect. Verola 37 has
found that TNT shows no perceptible decomposition at 150°, but
that it evolves gas slowly and regularly at 180°. At ordinary
temperatures, and even at the temperatures of the tropics, it is
stable in light-proof and air-tight containers—as are in general
all the aromatic nitro explosives—and it does not require the
same surveillance in storage that nitrocellulose and smokeless
powder do.
The solubility 38 of trinitrotoluene in various solvents is tabulated
below.
Temp.
0°
5°
10°
15°
20°
25°
30°
35°
40°
45°
50°
55°
60°
65°
70°
75'
80°
85°
90°
95°
100°
Water
0.0100
0.0105
0.0110
0.0120
0.0130
0.0150
0.0175
0.0225
0.0285
0.0360
0.0475
0.0570
0.0675
0.0775
0.0875
0.0975
0.1075
0.1175
0.1275
0.1375
0.1475
SOLUBILITY OP TRINITROTOLUENE
(Grams per 100 grams of solvent)
ecu
0.20
0.25
0.40
0.50
0.65
0.82
1.01
1.32
1.75
2.37
3.23
4.55
6.90
11.40
17.35
24.35
Benzene
13
24
36
50
67
88
113
144
180
225
284
361
478
665
1024
2028
Toluene
28
32
38
45
55
67
84
104
130
163
208
272
367
525
826
1685
Acetone
.57
66
78
92
109
132
156
187
228
279
346
449
600
843
1350
2678
95%
Alcohol
0.65
0.75
0.85
1.07
1.23
1.48
1.80
2.27
2.92
3.70
4.61
6.08
8.30
11.40
15.15
19.50
CHC13
6
8.5
11
15
19
25
32.5
45
66
101
150
218
302
442
. . .
Ether
1.73
2.08
2.45
2.85
3.29
3.80
4.56
• • •
36
Molinari and Quartieri, "Notizie sugli esplodenti in Italia," Milan.
1913, p. 157.
37
Mem. poudres, 16, 40 (1911-1912).
38
Taylor and Rinkenbach, /. Am. Chem. Soc, 45, 44 (1923).