Sintox primer

The Sintox primer mixture contains tetracene, diazole, zinc peroxide/ titanium powder, and nitrocellulose ball powder.53 The use of this primer coupled with a totally jacketed bullet (base also enclosed) entirely eliminates the health hazard problem. 

Category (f) Sintox primers can be excluded from consideration as they were introduced at a later date and their use has not yet been encountered in casework. For category (a) mercury would be present and barium would be absent. From Table 21.4 approximately 76.5% of mercury-containing primers are corrosive. For category (b) both mercury and barium would be present. Therefore, approximately 23.5% of mercury-containing primers are noncorrosive. 

The nylon-coated bullets from Smith Wesson and the Geco TMJ bul-let/new primer composition, although effective in markedly reducing the lead levels, did not totally eliminate the problem. In 1983, Dynamit Nobel introduced 9 mmP caliber ammunition with a TMJ bullet and a primer free of lead, antimony, barium. The new primer type was called Sintox. A typical Sintox primer composition contains 15% diazodinitrophenol (DDNP) and 3% tetracene as the explosive ingredients, 50% zinc peroxide as the oxidizer, 5% of 40-pm size titanium metal powder, and 27% nitrocellulose as propellant powder.202 As expected, other munitions manufacturers eventually introduced similar ammunition, some with primers that were lead free but containing antimony and barium and others free of lead, antimony, and barium. The objective was to produce ammunition which performed satisfactorily in every way and did not produce any toxic product on discharge. 

In terms of corrosion and erosion, SINTOX primer compositions behave like -> SINOXID Primer Compositions. There is no adverse effect on hit accuracy. 

Zinc peroxide is used in pyrotechnic mixtures and primer compositions whose reaction products should not contain any corrosive and hazardous components (- SINTOX Primer Compositions). 

In conventional ammunition lead, antimony, and barium are emitted when the ammunition is discharged. These three elements are undesirable from a health viewpoint and pose a major problem for firearms instructors in indoor firing ranges, as they are exposed to an unhealthy environment each working day. To solve this problem Dynamit Nobel AG developed a nontoxic primer composition called Sintox. Lead styphnate is replaced by 2-diazo-4,6-dinitrophenol (diazole) and the barium nitrate and antimony sulfide are replaced by a mixture of zinc peroxide and titanium metal powder. 

Primer mixtures can be divided today into six categories (a) mercuric and corrosive, (b) mercuric and noncorrosive, (c) nonmercuric and corrosive, (d) nonmercuric and noncorrosive, that is, Sinoxyd type, (e) Sintox type, that is, lead free, and (f) miscellaneous (unusual priming compositions). 

R. Hagel, and K. Redecker, Sintox—A New, Non-Toxic Primer Composition by Dynamit Nobel AG, Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics 11 (1986) 184. 

At the start of 1978 the particle analysis method183 replaced the flameless atomic absorption bulk elemental method184 as the firearm residue detection method in the NIFSL. Since then the particle analysis method has been substantially improved by the use of a sample concentration/cleanup procedure,185 the addition of a backscattered electron detector, and the development of an automated residue detection system.186 187 Despite these improvements the technique remains costly and labor intensive. Certain aspects of the system required further work, in particular, the particle classification scheme discharge particles from mercury fulminate-primed ammunition and discharge particles from new primer types (Sintox). 

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). 

Sinoxid = non eroding primer composition (german) 288 SINTOX = lead free priming composition (german) 289 Sixolite = tetramethylolcyclohexanol pentanitrate 310... 

SINTOX is the international registered trademark for newly developed primer compositions of DYNAMIT NOBEL AG. They are required if the ambient air in closed firing ranges must not be polluted with combustion products containing lead, antimony or barium. 

Brede, U., Hagel, R., Redecker, K.H., Weuter, W. Primer compositions in the course of time from black powder and SINOXID to SINTOX ctnnpositions and SINCO booster. Propell. Explos. Pyrotech 21. 113-117 (1996)... 

Hagel, R., Redecker, K. Sintox - a new, non-toxic primer composition by Dynamit Nobel AG. Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics 11, 184—187 (1986)... 

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