Liquid explosives tetranitromethane

In liquid mixtures tetranitromethane may be used as an oxidizing agent. A fully oxygen-balanced mixture consisting of 86.5% tetranitromethane and 13.5% toluene has a density of 1.45. It is a powerful explosive (p. 591, Vol. I). 

The oxidizer component in liquid explosives is referred to as the materials that can provide oxygen in a detonation reaction, commonly including dinitrogen tetroxide, nitric acid, nitrogen dioxide, tetranitromethane, hydrogen peroxide, hydrazine nitrate, hydrazine perchlorate, and nitrate esters. The typical raw materials of oxidizers include tris-(2,2,2-trinitroethyl) orthoformate (TNEOF), tetra-(2,2,2-trinitro-ethyl) orthocarbonate (TNEOC), urea perchlorate, nitro alcohol, and azido nitrate. The typical oxidizers are listed in Table 1.1. 

In the extreme conditions of hard rock or permafrost, liquid explosives, because of the features of high speed and high efficiency, have been widely used to build fortifications, such as antitank ditches, trenches, communications trenches, foxholes, tank pits, and personal bunkers [35]. For example, to build a personal bunker needs to excavate the soil layer by a knife first. A liquid explosive of approximate 0.5 kg is then poured in the apertures of soil layer and detonated by a detonator. A personal bunker with a diameter of 1.2 m and depth of 1 m could be formed in 1 min. In application, the explosive containers could be put in a charge room in a straight row or column in advance and connected one another by tubes. Liquid explosives, such as tetranitromethane/toluene (85/15, detonation velocity of... 

Fig. 2.20 The oxygen balance and work capacity of an liquid explosive. 1 TNT 2 ethyl nitrate 3 2,2-dinitropropane 4 special Kuehl 5 taean 6 diethyleneglycol dinitrate 7 NG 8 hexanitro-mannite 9 Hexanitroethane 10 tetranitromethane...

Fedorov AV, Mikhaylov AL, Men Shikh AV et al (2010) On the stability of the detonation wave front in the high explosive liquid mixture tetranitromethane/nitrobenzene. J Energ Mater 01(28) 205-215... 

The mixture of Tetranitromethane and poly butyl methacrylate can be used as a viscous liquid explosive. The poly butyl methacrylate can reduce the volatility of... 

Mixtures with nitrobenzene were formerly used as liquid high explosives, with addition of carbon disulfide to lower the freezing point, but high sensitivity to mechanical stimulus was disadvantageous [1]. During the recovery of acids from nitration of toluene, mixtures of the oxide with nitrotoluene or dinitrotoluene may be isolated under certain process conditions. While such mixtures are not unduly sensitive to impact, friction or thermal initiation, when oxygen-balanced they are extremely sensitive to induced shock and are capable of explosive propagation at film thicknesses below 0.5 mm. It is suspected that many explosions in TNT acid recovery operations, previously attributed to tetranitromethane, may have been caused by such mixtures [2]. 

Aluminum powder also forms sensitive explosive mixtures with oxidants such as liquid CI2 and other halogens, N2O4, tetranitromethane, bromates, iodates, NaC103, KCIO3, and other chlorates, NaN03, aqueous nitrates, KCIO4 and other perchlorate salts, nitryl fluoride, ammonium peroxodisulfate, sodium peroxide, zinc peroxide, and other peroxides, red phosphorus, and powdered pol)Ttetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). 

Tetranitromethane is a colorless to pale yellow, oily liquid with a pungent odor. It is an oxidizer that is highly explosive in the presence of impurities. Tetranitromethane is the primary volatile contaminant of TNT, comprising up to 0.12% of the crude material. 

Mixtures of aluminimn powder with liquid chlorine, dinitrogen tetraoxide or tetranitromethane are detonable explosives, but not as powerful as aluminimn-liquid oxygen mixtmes, some of which exceed TNT in effect by a factor of 3 to 4 [1]. Mixtmes of the powdered metal and various bromates may explode on impact, heating or friction. Iodates and chlorates act similarly [2]. Detonation properties of gelled slurries of almninium powder in aqueous nitrate or perchlorate salt solutions have been studied [3]. Reactions of almninimn powder with potassium chlorate or potassimn perchlorate have been studied by thermal analysis [4]. 

EXPLOSION and FIRE CONCERNS combustible liquid NFPA rating Health 3, Flammability 2, Reactivity 1 moderate explosion hazard reacts explosively with solid or concentrated sodium hydroxide and heat, potassium hydroxide and heat, aluminum chloride and phenol ( at 120°C), sulfunc and nitric acid and heat, and sulfuric acid and aniline and glycerol violent reaction with aniline and glycerin, silver perchlorate, and dinitrogen oxide forms explosive mixtures with aluminum chloride, fluorodinitromethane, tetranitromethane, sodium chlorate, nitric acid, nitric acid and water, dinitrogen tetraoxide, phosphorus pentachloride, potassium, and sulfuric acid products of combustion include oxides of nitrogen use carbon dioxide, dry chemical, foam, or water spray for firefighting purposes. 

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