Explosive properties of dinitrobenzene

One of the characteristics of m- dinitrobenzene is that it shows an exceptionally low sensitivity to impact and friction. For this reason attempts have been made to use it in armour-piercing shells. However they have failed due to its two serious disadvantages namely its great toxicity and the difficulty of effective complete detonation by initiation with an ordinary detonator. Thus, m- dinitrobenzene, even when compressed to a density of 1.44, requires an additional, secondary detonator. 

Sensitivity to impact. According to Wohler and Wenzelberg [25], energy of impact per unit area required to initiate 50% explosions is 19.5 kgm/cm2 Other authors report that the relative value of the energy necessary for initiation by impact is 120 as compared with 100 for picric acid. 

The explosive decomposition of dinitrobenzene may proceed, as Kast [3a] assumes, according to the equation  

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