Heavy-metal-containing explosives

Concentrated and fuming nitric acids are also dangerous because of their severe deleterious effects on tissues. 

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Heavy-metal-containing explosives. Ammoniacal silver nitrate, on storage or treatment, will eventually deposit the highly explosive silver nitride fulminating silver. Silver nitrate and ethanol may give silver fulminate (see Chapter 5), and in contact with azides or hydrazine and hydrazides may form silver azide. 

Many metal derivatives of nitrogenous systems containing one or more bonds linking nitrogen to a metal (usually, but not exclusively, a heavy metal) show explosive instability. Individually indexed compounds are ... 

Mercury can also form such compounds. Similarly, ammonia or ammonium ions can react widi gold salts to form "fulminating gold". Metal fulminates of cadmium, copper, mercury and thallium are powerfully explosive, and some are detonators [Luchs, Photog Sci Eng 10 334 1966], Heavy-metal-containing solutions, particularly when organic material is present, should be treated with great respect and precautions towards possible explosion should be taken. 

In organic chemistry the term refers to compounds containing the NH2 ion or the > NH group. These are prepared by the action of heat on amides or by metathetica reactions in liquid ammonia. The heavy metal imides are explosive. 

Three beakers containing lead styphnate were being heated in a laboratory oven to dry the explosive salt. When one of the beakers was moved, all 3 detonated. Other heavy metal salts of polynitrophenols are dangerously explosive when dry [1], The desensitising effect of presence of water upon the friction sensitivity of this priming explosive was studied. There is no effect up to 2% content and little at 5%. Even... 

Evaporation by heating a filtrate from precipitation of potassium cobaltinitrite caused it to turn purple and explode violently [1]. This was attributed to interaction of nitrite, nitrate, acetic acid and residual cobalt with formation of fulminic or methylnitrolic acids or their cobalt salts, all of which are explosive [2], Mixtures containing nitrates, nitrites and organic materials are potentially dangerous, especially in presence of acidic materials and heavy metals. A later publication confirms the suggestion of formation of nitro- or nitrito-cobaltate(III) [3],... 

Contamination of cone, peroxide causes possibility of explosion. Readily oxidis-able materials, or alkaline substances containing heavy metals, may react violently. 

This class of compounds showing explosive instability deals with heavy metals bonded to elements other than nitrogen and contains the separately treated groups ... 

Several members of this (often endothermic) group of compounds which contain heavy metals tend to explosive instability, and most are capable of violent oxidation under appropriate circumstances. Fusion of mixtures of metal cyanides with metal chlorates, perchlorates, nitrates or nitrites causes a violent explosion [1], Addition of one solid component (even as a residue in small amount) to another molten component is also highly dangerous [2], Individually indexed compounds are ... 

Primary explosives are sensitive to modest stimuli such as heat, spark, or friction application of the correct stimulus will lead to a detonation. The primary explosives used in detonators are typically extremely sensitive but not particularly powerful common examples are mercury fulminate, lead azide, and lead styphnate. In principle, the heavy metals present in most primary explosives should be a good cue for detection however, there are primary explosives that do not contain such elements. 

This substance was the first diazo compound to be discovered. It was prepared by Griess [11] by diazotizing picramic acid. Its explosive properties attracted the attention of Lenze [12] who found it to be as valuable as mercury fulminate in spite of its higher sensitiveness to impact. This compound is also of interest as being the first initiator containing no heavy metals. It has now been utilized in the United States of America and Japan as a component of initiating charges in detonators and caps. 

Crude material prepared in glass on 3 g mol scale was distilled uneventfully at 40°C/ 0.067 mbar from a bath at 70—80°C. A 30 mol batch prepared in a glass-lined vessel with a stainless steel thermo-probe (and later found to contain 15 ppm of iron) decomposed very violently during distillation at 75°C/13 mbar from a bath at 130°C. Thermal analysis showed that the stability of the methyl (and ethyl) ester was very sensitive to traces of heavy metals (iron, copper, chromium, etc.) and was greatly reduced. Addition of traces of hydrated iron(II) sulfate led to explosive decomposition at 25°C. 

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