Nitroglycerine with trinitrotoluene

Table 1.2 Impact sensitivity values of selected azide compounds compared with trinitrotoluene and nitroglycerine...

Explosion is burning that takes place sonically, hence, a shock front is produced. The damage mechanisms are physical destruction from the shock wave, collateral damage from falling structures, and human bums. Suffocation and poisoning are not usually associated with an explosion because of its short duration. A chemical explosives such as nitroglycerine, trinitrotoluene, dynamite, and others were discussed in Section 7.2.6. 

Other explosives, discovered in the nineteenth century, were nitroglycerine, a liquid that is absorbed in a solid to make dynamite, and nitrocellulose, a solid that produces less smoke (smokeless powder). They are made by heating glycerine and cellulose with nitric acid, a process that adds nitro (-NO2) groups. Another important explosive is trinitrotoluene, made by heating (very carefully) toluene in nitric acid,... 

Figure 15.14 Separation of explosives extracted from water by using SPE-SFE-GC at several SFE trapping temperatures, peak identification is as follows NG, nitroglycerin 2,6-DNT, 2,6-dinitrotoluene 2,4-DNT, 2,4-dinitrotoluene TNT, trinitrotoluene IS, 1,3-trichloroben-zene. Adapted Journal of High Resolution Chromatography, 16, G. C. Slack et al., Coupled solid phase extraction supercritical fluid extraction-on-line gas chromatography of explosives from water , pp. 473-478,1993, with permission from Wiley-VCH.

Fig. 4. Example of thermal energy analyser (TEA) standard analysis using CPSIL-19 column type. EGDN, Ethylene glycol dinitrate FNT, 2-fluoro-5-nitrotoluene MT, musk tibetine NB, nitrobenzene NG, nitroglycerine PETN, pentaerythritol tetranitrate and RDX, cyclotrimethylene trinitramine TNT, trinitrotoluene. Reprinted with permission from Warren et al. [46], Copyright (1999) Forensic Science Society.

Fig. 5. Solvating gas chromatography (SGC) separation of a standard explosive mixture. Injected amounts 0.33 pg nitroglycerine (NG), 3.3 pg all others. Peaks (1) nitroglycerine, (2) 2,6-dinitrotolene, (3) 2,4-dinitrotoluene, (4) 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, (5) pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). Reprinted from Bowerbank et al. [48], Copyright (2000), with permission from Elsevier.

The same MEKC system was also used for the separation of a test mixture of 15 compounds of interest in high explosive analysis, including nitroguanidine, ethylene glycol dinitrate, diethylene glycol dinitrate, l,3,5-trinitro-l,3,5-triazacyclohexane (RDX), nitroglycerin, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), penta-erythritol tetranitrate, and picric acid, with excellent resolution except for the overlapping of 1,5- and 1,8-isomers of dinitronaphthalene. Also, separation of all the components (26) of the two sets of standards was attempted with extremely limited coelutions. 

Coparisow further states that disposal may be made of the residue from the mother hquor—which residue consists of a complex mixture of various dinitrotoluenes and trinitrotoluenes— by nitrating this with a mixed acid containing only 15 per cent nitric acid. By this method, a liquid TNT is obtained, which has considerable power, and has the property of gelatinizing collodion cotton, the same as nitroglycerine does. This liquid product is used in the manufacture of gelatinized explosives. 

Figure 7. Typical concentrations in air of explosive compounds including di- and trinitrotoluene (DNT, TNT), nitroglycerine (NG) and plastic explosives like RDX with different atomic masses (data taken from US DOE study).

Figure 3. Chemical structure of nitroglycerine (NG), dinitrotoluene (DNT), trinitrotoluene (TNT), pentanerythritoltetranitrate (PETN), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), and trinitrophenyl-n-methylnitramine (Tetryl). Open structures (two on left) are more likely to decompose compared with closed aromatic ring structures.

Another problem is its thermal decomposition. T, Urbahski and Kychler (44) examined the decomposition at temperatures near 400°( and above. The energy of activation between 380 440 ( was of the order of 14 kcal/mo). lietween 490 and 750 0 trinitrotoluene took spherical shape and decomposed slowly with the evolution ol a considerable amount of soot Tlie energy oi activation in the range of temperatures 490 750 C was of the order of 8 kcal. mol and the shape of the curve induction period against temperature was analogous to that shown for nitroglycerine in V ol. II. p. 50. Fig. 13. 

Nitrogen fixed in these forms can be readily converted to other materials. Practically all modern explosives are made by treating various substances with nitric acid for instance, smokeless powder from cotton and nitric acid nitroglycerin, the basis of dynamite, from glycerin and nitric acid picric acid h oni carbolic acid, ami nitric acid trinitrotoluene — T.N.T. — from toluol and nitric acid fulminate of mer-... 

Reference soil was collected in a reference site in Elorence (Italy). Real soil samples were collected in the Associated National Chemical Companies (ACNA) site (Cengio, SV, Italy). ACNA is a closed organic chemical industrial factory active since 1882 with the production of explosives (nitroglycerin, dynamite, and trinitrotoluene), paints, nitric and sulphuric acids, phenols, and amines, with serious levels of contamination of soil and surface waters, where a remediation and bonification plan started in 1999. The serious enviromnental contamination of this area determined its inclusion in the list of national priorities for enviromnental reclamation. The sampling was performed from the soil layers (0-30 cm) in a specific ACNA site, called hill n°5, on March 2003. The hill was made of waste from the industry accumulated during the years and was divided into four zones zone 1 with low contamination level zone 2 with pseudoreference zone 3 with moderate pollution level, and zone 4 with high ecological risk. 

Explosive, Blasting Type B Substances consisting of (a) a mixture of ammonium nitrate or other inorganic nitrates with an explosive such as trinitrotoluene, with or without other substances such as wood-meal and aluminium powder, or (b) a mixture of ammonium nitrate or other inorganic nitrates with other combustible substances which are not explosive ingredients. Such explosives shall not contain nitroglycerin, similar liquid organic nitrates, or chlorates. UN App. B, ICAO A2, lATA App. A... 

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