Questions discussing explosive nature of chemicals. Also, consider using the safety tag.
Questions tagged [explosives]
105 questions
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Why is black powder used in modern military munitions?
I was surprised to read in this recent WSJ article about a black powder shortage:
Today, [black powder] is a specialty commodity with few commercial applications—mostly for rocket hobbyists—but it’s still used in more than 300 munitions, from…
Lysander
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Odorless smoke from 1812 Overture cannon fire
I went to an outdoor performance of the 1812 Overture last night. At the finale, a sequence of 'cannon fire' occurred.
In past years the smoke has had the expected sulfur odor but this year the dense cloud of white smoke that drifted over the crowd…
BobT
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Was nitroglycerin invented as an explosive?
Although I have researched this as carefully as the web allows, it is not clear to me if the inventor was planning to make an explosive and if so, why he thought the process he undertook would yield one. Were there similar compounds created with…
releseabe
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Cold Gas Inflation
What and how is cold gas inflation used as replacement for traditional gas ingredients in airbag deployment? Can we make our own version of cold gas inflation?
Osama Dar
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Detonation and deflagration
I understand that deflagration is slower and smoother than a detonation, but can't a deflagration be used to initiate detonations of other explosive agents?
Abdelrahman Esmat
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Would a loaded cartridge ignite/explode when hit from the side or front by a bullet?
This question https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/193472/93888 explains what would happen after a cartridge is ignited: the bullet gets propelled by the gases in one direction and the cartridge (with the person, in the case of the question) in the…
FarO
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Ammonium nitrate in fuel-air bombs
Are there any fuel-air bombs / thermobaric weapons that utilise ammonium nitrate as a fuel?
I know that BLU-82 is often mistakenly referred to as fuel-air bomb, so I became curious as to whether or not there were any actual fuel-air bombs that used…
drunkBrain
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Reaction of Hydrogen and Dinitrogen Tetroxide?
What might be the possible products of a reaction between hydrogen and dinitrogen tetroxide ($\ce{N2O4}$)? They are fuel and oxidizer respectively in rockets.
user24174
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At which temperature does carbon monoxide explode?
I had doubt whether carbon monoxide explodes or not. I checked out this resource and found out that carbon monoxide explodes when heated. But they didn't mention the temperature at which it explodes. So my question is that at which temperature does…
AAD INO
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What causes oxygen cylinders to explode when in contact with oil (oiled cloth)?
Perhaps I did not put it correctly, but from the welders I know that if you leave the oiled rag on the cylinder valve, it can explode. At least, I saw how greasy oily rags that just lay in the trash can are smoldering. It is interesting to me to…
Mouvre
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What is the compound I made from KNO3 and table sugar which subsequently exploded when I exposed it to a flame?
I mixed 75% $\ce{KNO3}$ and 25% $\ce{C12H22O11}$ (by volume) in boiling water to make slow burn fuses. Some of the product became a thick brown paste.
After drying, a hard cake of an approximate 1 tablespoon amount exploded when lit. What compound…
David
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What am I doing wrong with the fuel and packing I am using for a cannon I made?
Recently I have been using flash powder in a cannon that I made, for a chemistry project, however, it is not causing the rubber ball I put in it to propel out of the tube. First I put in 30g of flash powder, then pack a small wad of paper on top,…
Kenna
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why Nitrocellulose does not explode
my question is simple why Nitrocellulose does not explode since it contains Nitrogen and oxygen in the structure of the cotton why it does burn ?
iMyth
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