The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

442 PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES, DETONATORS, AND PRIMERS
The first volume of the Memorial des Poudres et Salpetres
contains a report by Berthelot and Vieille 54 on the properties of
benzenediazonium nitrate (diazobenzene nitrate). They prepared
the material by passing nitrous gas into a cooled aqueous solution
of aniline nitrate, diluting with an equal volume of alcohol,
and precipitating in the form of white, voluminous flocks by the
addition of an excess of ether.
2C6HS—NH2 • HNO3 + N2O3
> 3H2O + 2C6H6—N—NO,
The product was washed with ether, pressed between pieces of
filter paper, and dried in a vacuum desiccator. In dry air and in
the dark it could be kept in good condition for many months.
In the daylight it rapidly turned pink, and on longer keeping,
especially in a moist atmosphere, it turned brown, took on an
odor of phenol, and finally became black and swelled up with
bubbles of gas.
Benzenediazonium nitrate detonates easily from the blow of a
hammer or from any rubbing which is at all energetic. It explodes
violently when heated to 90°. Its density at 15° is 1.37, but under
strong compression gently applied it assumes an apparent density
of 1.0. Its heat of formation is —47.4 Calories per mol, heat of
explosion 114.8 Calories per mol.
m-Nitrobenzenediazonium perchlorate was patented by Herz 56
in 1911, and is reported to have been used in compound detonators
with a high-explosive charge of nitromannite or other brisant
nitric ester. It explodes spontaneously when heated to about 154°.
It is sensitive to shock and to blow. Although it is very sparingly
soluble in water and is stabilized to some extent by the nitro
group on the nucleus, it is distinctly hygroscopic and is not
exempt from the instability which appears to be characteristic of
diazonium salts.
N
NH2
-NO2
N—C1O4
+ HNO2 + HCIO4 > 2H2O + I
**M6m. poudres, 1, 99 (1882-1883). Berthelot, op. cit., Vol. 2, p. 35.
"" r. Pat. 258,679 (1911).
I