The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives - Sciencemadness Dot Org

434 PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES, DETONATORS, AND PRIMERS
ments on several primary explosives loaded into detonator capsules
7.7 mm. in internal diameter and compressed to the densities
which they usually have in commercial detonators 44
EXPLOSIVE
Cyanuric triazide
Lead azide
Mercury fulminate
Mixture. Hg(ONC)2 85%, KC103 15%
Lead styphnate
DENSITY
115
3.8
33
31
26
VELOCITY OF
DETONATION,
METERS PER
SECOND
5545
4500
4490
4550
4900
Taylor and Rinkenbach found that cyanuric triazide is a more
efficient initiator of detonation than mercury fulminate. This
result cannot properly be inferred from its higher velocity of
detonation, for there is no direct correlation between that quality
and initiating efficiency. Lead azide is also a much more efficient
initiator than mercury fulminate but has about the same velocity
of detonation as that substance. The following results 43 were
secured by loading 0 4 gram of the high explosive into detonator
capsules, pressing down, adding an accurately weighed amount
of the initiator, covering with a short reenforcing cap, and pressing
with a pressure of 200 atmospheres per square inch. The size
of the initiating charge was reduced until it was found that a
further reduction resulted in a failure of the high explosive to
detonate.
MINIMUM INITIATING CHARGE
(GRAMS) OF
Cyanunc Mercury
HIGH EXPLOSIVE Triazide Fulminate
Trinitrotoluene 010 0.26
Picric acid 0 05 021
Tetryl 0 04 024
Tetranitroanilme 0 09 0.20
Ammonium picrate 015 0 85
Cyanuric triazide is slightly more hygroscopic and distinctly
more sensitive in the drop test than fulminate of mercury. 44 It is
slightly volatile, and must be dried at as low a temperature as
possible, preferably in vacuum. 44 Detonators in which it is used
44 Kast and Haul, loc cd , footnote 42.