The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

426 PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES, DETONATORS, AND PRIMERS
for loading. A small amount of basic salt in the lead azide makes
it somewhat less sensitive to impact and slightly safer to handle,
but has no appreciable effect upon its efficacy as an initiator.
The commercial preparation of the azidcs is carried out either
by the interaction of hydrazine with a nitrite or by the interaction
of sodamide with nitrous oxide. The first of these methods
FIGURE 100. Technical Lead Azide, 90-95% pure (75X)- For use in detonators.
Precipitated in the presence of dextrin, it shows no crystal faces
under the microscope.
follows from the original work of Curtius, 32 the second from a
reaction discovered by Wisliscenus 33 in 1892 and later developed
for plant scale operation by Dennis and Browne. 34 Curtius first
prepared hydrazoic acid by the action of aqueous or alcoholic
alkali or ammonia on acyl azides prepared by the action of
nitrous acid on acyl hydrazides. The hydrazides are formed by
32Loc. cit.; also J. prak. Chem., [2] SO, 275 (1894); Ber., 29, 759 (1896);
cf. survey by Darapsky in Z. gcs. Schiess- u. SprengstoJJw., 2, 41, 64 (1907).
33 Ber., 25, 2084 (1892).
34 Z. anorg. allgem. Chem., 40, 68 (1904).