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The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

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132 AROMATIC NITRO COMPOUNDS<br />

explosives that are quite as necessary as TNT for military<br />

purposes<br />

Effects <strong>of</strong> Substituents on Explosive Strength<br />

Bomb experiments show that tnnitrobenzene is the most powerful<br />

explosive among the nitrated aromatic hydrocarbons. One<br />

methyl group, as in TNT, reduces its strength, two, as in TNX,<br />

reduce it further; <strong>and</strong> three, as in tnnitromesitylene, still further<br />

yet. <strong>The</strong> ammo <strong>and</strong> the hydroxyl groups have less effect than the<br />

methyl group, indeed, two hydroxyl groups have less effect than<br />

one methyl—<strong>and</strong> tnnitroresorcmol is a stronger explosive than<br />

TNT, though weaker than TNB TNT is stronger than trmitrocresol,<br />

which differs from it m having an hydroxyl group <strong>The</strong><br />

figures given below were determined by exploding the materials,<br />

loaded at the density indicated, in a small bomb, <strong>and</strong> measuring<br />

the pressure by means <strong>of</strong> a piston <strong>and</strong> obturator Density <strong>of</strong><br />

loading is grams <strong>of</strong> explosive per cubic centimeter <strong>of</strong> bomb<br />

capacity.<br />

Trimtrobenzene<br />

Trinitrotoluene<br />

Tnnitro-TO-xylene<br />

Tnnitromesitylene .<br />

Tnnitrophenol (picric acid)<br />

Tnnitroresorcinol (styphinic acid)<br />

Trinitroamline (picramide)<br />

Tnnitro-TO-cresol<br />

Tnnitronaphthalene<br />

Pressure: Kilograms<br />

per square centimeter<br />

Density <strong>of</strong> loading: 0 20<br />

2205<br />

1840<br />

1635<br />

1470<br />

2150<br />

2080<br />

2080<br />

1760<br />

0 25<br />

3050<br />

2625<br />

2340<br />

2200<br />

3055<br />

2840<br />

2885<br />

2480<br />

2045<br />

0 30<br />

4105<br />

3675<br />

2980<br />

2780<br />

3865<br />

3940<br />

3360<br />

2670<br />

Similar inferences may be made from the results <strong>of</strong> lead block<br />

tests. Fifteen grams <strong>of</strong> the explosives produced the expansions<br />

indicated below, each figure representing the average from twenty<br />

or more experiments:

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