2,4,6-trinitroresorcinol lead salt

Trinitroresorcinol (5) (styphnic acid) has also seen limited use as an explosive because of its acidic properties and the relatively high cost of resorcinol. However, the lead salt of styphnic acid has found use as a primary explosive in detonators and primers. 

See under Lead Styphnate, Basic and Lead Styphnate, Normal in Vol 5, D1277-L to D1278-R and D1278-L to D1288-L. Other lead salts of trinitroresorcinol are listed as such on D1288-L of Vol 5... 

This compound has the formula (NO CgHOjPb, but usually contains also one molecule of water as water of crystallisation. Trinitroresorcinol is manufactured by the nitration of resorcinol and is then usually converted to the magnesium salt, which is reacted with lead nitrate solution under warm conditions and with good stirring. The product is precipitated as a red crystalline material which can be washed by decantation and separated by filtration. 

With regard to explosive power and sensitiveness trinitroresorcinol is similar to picric acid. Since its price is considerably higher than that of picric acid it is not used in explosive technology. Only lead trinitroresorcinate is of great practical importance as mi initiator (Vol. HI). On the whole the properties of trinitroresorcinol salts are similar to those of picrates. 

Two structures of basic lead styphnate are commonly used. The first structure represents a double salt of lead styphnate and lead hydroxide (formula I) [20, 33, 39, 64], In the second structure each lead atom is bonded with one oxygen atom of the trinitroresorcinol molecule (formula II) [8, 65, 66],... 

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