Sinoxyd primer lead styphnate

The explosive ingredient in Sinoxyd-type primers is lead styphnate (lead trinitroresorcinate), which is very sensitive to static electricity, and fatalities have resulted from handling the dry salt. Preparation of the pure salt is difficult, and many patented preparations, including basic modifications, exist. Some claim special crystalline forms and/or reduced static electricity hazard. Explosive ingredient substitutes for lead styphnate were sought that would be easier to make and safer to use. These included lead azide, diazonitrophenol, lead salts of many organic compounds, complex hypophosphite salts, pic-rate-clathrate inclusion compounds, and pyrophoric metal alloys. 

In 1939 a primer mixture was patented that was identical to Sinoxyd except that diazonitrophenol was substituted for lead styphnate. Heat, humidity, and copper have a detrimental effect on diazonitrophenol and it is no longer used in primer mixes. 

Despite the search for alternatives to lead styphnate and the considerable experimentation with primer compositions, in the United Kingdom and the United States, the vast majority of modern ammunition contains Sinoxyd type primers with lead styphnate and barium nitrate together typically making up 60% to 80% of the total weight. They also contain some of the following ... 

Primers could be grouped into six categories (a) corrosive and mercuric (potassium chlorate and mercury fulminate), (b) noncorrosive and mercuric (barium nitrate replaced potassium chlorate), (c) corrosive and nonmercuric (lead styphnate replaced mercury fulminate), (d) noncorrosive, nonmercuric (modern Sinoxyd type), (e) unusual/miscellaneous primer compositions, and (0 recent nontoxic primers (Sintox). 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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