High Order Explosives

PETN

Pentaerythrite Tetranitrate

PETN is a high explosive used in detonating that is one of the most powerful military explosives almost equal in force to nitroglycerine and RDX. When used in a detonating cord, it has a detonation velocity of 21,000 feet per second and is relatively insensitive to friction and shock from handling and transportation.

PREPARATION: Four hundred cc. of strong white nitric acid-prepared by adding a little urea to fuming nitric acid, warming, and blowing dry air through it until it is completely decolorized-is cooled in a 600 cc. beaker in a freezing mixture of ice and salt. One hundred grams of pentaerythrite, ground to pass a 50-mesh sieve, is added to the acid a little at a time with efficient stirring while the temperature is kept below 5 degrees. After all has been added, the stirring and the cooling are continued for 15 minutes. The mixture is then drowned in about 4 liters of cracked ice and water. The crude product, amounting to about 221 grams or 95% of the theory, is filtered off, washed free from acid, digested for an hour with a liter of hot 0.5% sodium carbonate solution, again filtered off and washed, dried, and finally recdata bstallized from acetone. A good commercial sample of PETN melts at 138.0- 138.5 degrees. The pure material melts at 140.5-141.0 degrees, short prismatic needles, insoluble in water, difficultly soluble in alcohol and ether.

RDX/Cyclonite

Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine

RDX is a white cdystalline solid that exhibits very high shattering power. It is commonly used as a booster in explosive trains or as a main bursting charge. It is stable in storage, and when combined with proper additives, may be cast or press loaded. It may be initiated by lead azide or mercury fulminate.

PREPARATION: Detailed instructions are not available on the preperation of this product at this time, but if you are a good chemist, you will be able to make it from the brief description following- Cyclonite, prepared by the nitration of hexamethylenetetramine (C6H12N4), is derived ultimately from no other raw materials than coke, air, and water. Hexamethylenetetramine has basic properties and forms a nitrate (C6H12N4-2HNO3, m.p. 165 degrees) that is soluble in water, insoluble in alcohol, ether, chloroform, and acetone. The product C3H6O6N6, prepared by nitrating this nitrate is cyclonite. Another method of extracting RDX is by treating hexamethylenetetramine directly with strong nitric acid. In the acid process, the tetramine is added slowly in small portions at a time to nitric acid (1.52 s.g.) at a temperature of 20-20 degrees. When all the tetramine and acid are mixed, warm the liquid to 55 degrees. The allow the mixture to stand for a few minutes, allowing it to cool to 20 degrees, and the product will be precipitated with the addition of water. One example is 50 grams of the hexamethylenetetramine added to 550 grams of 100% nitric acid at 30 degrees, over a period of 15 minutes; the mixture was cooled to 0 degrees, held at 0 degrees for 20 minutes, and the drowned with water.

COMPOSITION B

Composition B is a high-explosive mixture with a relative effectiveness higher than that of TNT. It is also more sensitive than TNT. Because of its shattering power and high rate of detonation, Composition B is used as the main charge in certain models of bangalore torpedoes and shaped charges.

COMPOSITION C-4

Composition C4 is the most common military plastic explosive. It is often referred to as C4 Plasique. C4 is a white plastic high-explosive more powerful than TNT. It remains plastic over a wide range of temperatures (-70 to 170 degrees Fahrenheit), and is about as sensitive as TNT. It is eroded less than other plastic explosives when immersed under water for long periods. Because of its high detonation velocity and its plasticity, C4 is well suited for gutting steel and timber and for breaching concrete.

PENTOLITE

Pentolite is a high explosive mixture of equal proportions of PETN and TNT. It is light yellow and is used as the main bursting charge in small shells and shaped charges. Pentolite may be melted and cast in the container. Pentolite should not be drilled to produce cavities, forming tools should be used.

TETRYTOL

Tetryol is a high explosive bursting charge. It is used as a demolition explosive, a bursting charge for mines, and in artillery shells. The explosive force of tetrytol is approximately the same as that of TNT. It may be initiated by a blasting cap. Tetrytol is usually loaded by casting.

TNT

Get two clean beakers. In the first, prepare a solution of 76% sulfuric acid, 23% nitric acid and 1% water. In the other beaker prepare another solution of 57% nitric acid and 43% sulfuric acid. Percentages are on a weight ratio, not by volume. Ten grams of the first solution are poured into an empty beaker and placed in an ice bath. Add ten grams of toluene, and stir for several minutes. Remove this beaker from the ice bath and gently heat until it reaches 50 degrees C. The solution is stirred constantly while being heated. Fifty additional grams of the acid from the first beaker are added and the temperature is allowed to rise to 55 C. This temp is held for the next ten minutes. an oily liquid will begin to form on the top of the acid. After 10-12 minutes, the acid solution is returned to the ice bath, and cooled to 45 C. When reaching this temp. the oily liquid will sink and collect at the bottom of the beaker. At this point, the remaining acid solution should be drawn off using a syringe. Fifty more grams of the first acid solution are added to the oily liquid while the temp. is slowly being raised to 83 C. After this, the temp. is maintained for 30 minutes. At the end of this period, the solution is allowed to cool to 60 C, and is held at this temp. for another 30 minutes. The acid is then again drawn off, leaving once more only the oily liquid at the bottom. Thirty grams of sulfuric acid are added, while the oily liquid is gently heated to 80 C. All temperature changes must be accomplished slowly and gently. Once the desired temperature is reached, 30 grams of the second solution are addedEand the temperature is raised from 80 to 104 C, and is held for 3 hours. After the 3 hours, the mixture is lowered to 100 C and is held for 30 minutes. The oil is then removed from the acid and washed in boiling water. While washing with boiling water, the TNT will begin to solidify. When it starts to solidify, cold water is added to the beaker, so that the TNT will form into pellets.. Once this is done, you have a good quality TNT which is very stable and can be melted at 82 C.

Boil the blu-tack until it's soft. Add the lump into a beaker full of nitric acid and leave it to react for about 30 minutes. You can heat the process on a stove, which will make the blu-tack far more powerful. After 30 minutes mix some baking soda with water and pour it into the acid. This will stop the reaction and neutralize the blu-tack. Now wait until the mixture has cooled down.You can then carefully take the blu-tack (now turned gray) from the beaker and squeeze any fluid out of it. It is now ready to be used. I found that the best way to detonate it is by using two wires and a 9V battery. The blu-tack is very sensitive to electricity, so all you need to do is push the wires into the material and detonate it with the battery. You won't need any casing as the detonation is extremely powerful. I placed the lump 50cm deep underground, and it made a huge pothole. I'm not exactly sure what type of chemical reaction take place to nitrate the blu-tack in this manner, but I'm sure many of the experts in this group can provide some details. It's hard to believe how easy and effective this is.

AMATOL

Amatol is a high explosive, white to buff in color. It is a mixture of ammonium nitrate and TNT, with a relative effectiveness slightly higher than that of TNT alone. Amatol is used as the main bursting charge in artillery shells and bombs. Amatol absorbs moisture and can form dangerous compounds with copper and brass. Therefore, it should not be housed in containers of such metals.

Dynamite

Guhr Dynamite:

This dynamite is primarily used in blasting. It is fairly stable, in the drop test, it exploded by the fall of a 1 kg weight through 12 to 15 cm., or by the fall of a 2 kg weight through 7 cm. The frozen material is less sensitive: a drop of more than 20 cm. with a 1 kg weight is needed to explode it, and the 2 kg weight is necessary to explode it. Frozen or unfrozen, it can be detonated by shooting at it with a military rifle, when held in a paper cartridge. Generally, it is detonated with a steel-on-steel blow. Velicity of detonation vary from 6650 to 6800 meters per second at a density loading of 1.50.

Extra-Dynamite

AMMONIUM TRIIODIDE CRYSTALS

Ammonium triiodide crystals are foul-smelling purple colored crystals that decompose under the slightest amount of heat, friction, or shock, if they are made with the purest ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) and iodine. Such crystals are said to detonate when a fly lands on them, or when an ant walks across them. Household ammonia, however, has enough impurities, such as soaps and abrasive agents, so that the crystals will detonate when thrown,crushed, or heated. Upon detonation, a loud report is heard, and a cloud of purple iodine gas appears about the detonation site. Whatever the unfortunate surface that the crystal was detonated upon will usually be ruined, as some of the iodine in the crystal is thrown about in a solid form, and iodine is corrosive. It leaves nasty, ugly, permanent brownish-purple stains on whatever it contacts. Iodine gas is also bad news, since it can damage lungs, and it settles to the ground and stains things there also. Touching iodine leaves brown stains on the skin that last for about a week, unless they are immediately and vigorously washed off. While such a compound would have little use to a serious terrorist, a vandal could utilize them in damaging property. Or, a terrorist could throw several of them into a crowd as a distraction, an action which would possibly injure a few people, but frighten almost anyone, since a small crystal that not be seen when thrown produces a rather loud explosion. Ammonium triiodide crystals could be produced in the following manner:

Place about two teaspoons of iodine into one of the glass jars. The jars must both be throw away because they will never be clean again. Add enough ammonia to completely cover the iodine. Place the funnel into the other jar, and put the filter paper in the funnel. The technique for putting filter paper in a funnel is taught in every basic chemistry lab class: fold the circular paper in half, so that a semi-circle is formed. Then, fold it in half again to form a triangle with one curved side. Pull one thickness of paper out to form a cone, and place the cone into the funnel. After allowing the iodine to soak in the ammonia for a while, pour the solution into the paper in the funnel through the filter paper. While the solution is being filtered, put more ammonia into the first jar to wash any remaining crystals into the funnel as soon as it drains. Collect all the purplish crystals without touching the brown filter paper, and place them on the paper towels to dry for about an hour. Make sure that they are not too close to any lights or other sources of heat, as they could well detonate. While they are still wet, divide the wet material into about eight chunks. After they dry, gently place the crystals onto a one square inch piece of duct tape. Cover it with a similar piece, and gently press the duct tape together around the crystal, making sure not to press the crystal itself. Finally, cut away most of the excess duct tape with a pair of scissors, and store the crystals in a cool dry safe place. They have a shelf life of about a week, and they should be stored in individual containers that can be thrown away, since they have a tendency to slowly decompose, a process which gives off iodine vapors, which will stain whatever they settle on. One possible way to increase their shelf life is to store them in airtight containers. To use them, simply throw them against any surface or place them where they will be stepped on or crushed.

MERCURY FULMINATE

Mercury fulminate is perhaps one of the oldest known initiating compounds. It can be detonated by either heat or shock, which would make it of infinite value to a terrorist. Even the action of dropping a crystal of the fulminate causes it to explode. A person making this material would probably use the following procedure:

In one beaker, mix 5 g of mercury with 35 ml of concentrated nitric acid, using the glass rod. Slowly heat the mixture until the mercury is dissolved, which is when the solution turns green and boils. Place 30 ml of ethyl alcohol into the second beaker, and slowly and carefully add all of the contents of the first beaker to it. Red and/or brown fumes should appear. These fumes are toxic and flammable. After thirty to forty minutes, the fumes should turn white, indicating that the reaction is near completion. After ten more minutes, add 30 ml of the distilled water to the solution. Carefully filter out the crystals of mercury fulminate from the liquid solution. Dispose of the solution in a safe place, as it is corrosive and toxic. Wash the crystals several times in distilled water to remove as much excess acid as possible. Test the crystals with the litmus paper until they are neutral. This will be when the litmus paper stays blue when it touches the wet crystals Allow the crystals to dry, and store them in a safe place, far away from any explosive or flammable material. This procedure can also be done by volume, if the available mercury cannot be weighed. Simply use 10 volumes of nitric acid and 10 volumes of ethanol to every one volume of mercury.

NITROGLYCERINE

Nitroglycerine is one of the most sensitive explosives, if it is not the most sensitive. Although it is possible to make it safely, it is difficult. Many a young anarchist has been killed or seriously injured while trying to make the stuff. When Nobel's factories make it, many people were killed by the all-to-frequent factory explosions. Usually, as soon as it is made, it is converted into a safer substance, such as dynamite. An idiot who attempts to make nitroglycerine would use the following procedure:

Place 150 ml of distilled water into one of the 200-300 ml beakers. In the other 200-300 ml beaker, place 150 ml of distilled water and about a spoonful of sodium bicarbonate, and stir them until the sodium bicarbonate dissolves. Do not put so much sodium bicarbonate in the water so that some remains undissolved. Create an ice bath by half filling the ice bath container with ice, and adding table salt. This will cause the ice to melt, lowering the overall temperature. Place the 100 ml beaker into the ice bath, and pour the 13 ml of concentrated nitric acid into the 100 ml beaker. Be sure that the beaker will not spill into the ice bath, and that the ice bath will not overflow into the beaker when more materials are added to it. Be sure to have a large enough ice bath container to add more ice. Bring the temperature of the acid down to about 20 degrees centigrade or less. When the nitric acid is as cold as stated above, slowly and carefully add the 39 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid to the nitric acid. Mix the two acids together, and cool the mixed acids to 10 degrees centigrade. It is a good idea to start another ice bath to do this. With the eyedropper, slowly put the glycerine into the mixed acids, one drop at a time. Hold the thermometer along the top of the mixture where the mixed acids and glycerine meet. DO NOT ALLOW THE TEMPERATURE TO GET ABOVE 30 DEGREES CENTIGRADE; IF THE TEMPERATURE RISES ABOVE THIS TEMPERATURE, RUN LIKE HELL!!! The glycerine will start to nitrate immediately, and the temperature will immediately begin to rise. Add glycerine until there is a thin layer of glycerine on top of the mixed acids. It is always safest to make any explosive in small quantities. Stir the mixed acids and glycerine for the first ten minutes of nitration, adding ice and salt to the ice bath to keep the temperature of the solution in the 100 ml beaker well below 30 degrees centigrade. Usually, the nitroglycerine will form on the top of the mixed acid solution, and the concentrated sulfuric acid will absorb the water produced by the reaction. When the reaction is over, and when the nitroglycerine is well below 30 degrees centigrade, slowly and carefully pour the solution of nitroglycerine and mixed acid into the distilled water in the beaker in step 1. The nitroglycerine should settle to the bottom of the beaker, and the water-acid solution on top can be poured off and disposed of. Drain as much of the acid-water solution as possible without disturbing the nitroglycerine.Carefully remove the nitroglycerine with a clean eye-dropper, and place it into the beaker in step 2. The sodium bicarbonate solution will eliminate much of the acid, which will make the nitroglycerine more stable, and less likely to explode for no reason, which it can do. Test the nitroglycerine with the litmus paper until the litmus stays blue. Repeat this step if necessary, and use new sodium bicarbonate solutions as in step 2. When the nitroglycerine is as acid-free as possible, store it in a clean container in a safe place. The best place to store nitroglycerine is far away from anything living, or from anything of any value. Nitroglycerine can explode for no apparent reason, even if it is stored in a secure cool place.

PICRATES

Although the procedure for the production of picric acid, or trinitrophenol has not yet been given, its salts are described first, since they are extremely sensitive, and detonate on impact. By mixing picric acid with metal hydroxides, such as sodium or potassium hydroxide, and evaporating the water, metal picrates can be formed. Simply obtain picric acid, or produce it, and mix it with a solution of (preferably) potassium hydroxide, of a mid range molarity. (about 6-9 M) This material, potassium picrate, is impact-sensitive, and can be used as an initiator for any type of high explosive.

PERCHLORATES

As a rule, any oxidizable material that is treated with perchloric acid will become a low order explosive. Metals, however, such as potassium or sodium, become excellent bases for flash-type powders. Some materials that can be perchlorated are cotton, paper, and sawdust. To produce potassium or sodium perchlorate, simply acquire the hydroxide of that metal, e.g. sodium or potassium hydroxide. It is a good idea to test the material to be perchlorated with a very small amount of acid, since some of the materials tend to react explosively when contacted by the acid. Solutions of sodium or potassium hydroxide are ideal.

AMMONIUM NITRATE

Ammonium nitrate could be made by a terrorist according to the hap-hazard method below, or it could be stolen from a construction site,since it is usually used in blasting, because it is very stable and insensitive to shock and heat. A terrorist could also buy several Instant Cold-Paks from a drug store or medical supply store. The major disadvantage with ammonium nitrate, from a terrorist's point of view, would be detonating it. A rather powerful priming charge must be used, and usually with a booster charge. The primer explodes, detonating the T.N.T., which detonates, sending a tremendous shockwave through the ammonium nitrate, detonating it.

Ammonium nitrate is a very powerful but insensitive high-order explosive. It could be made very easily by pouring nitric acid into a large flask in an ice bath. Then, by simply pouring household ammonia into the flask and running away, ammonium nitrate would be formed. After the materials have stopped reacting, one would simply have to leave the solution in a warm place until all of the water and any unneutralized ammonia or acid have evaporated. There would be a fine powder formed, which would be ammonium nitrate. It must be kept in an airtight container, because of its tendency to pick up water from the air. The crystals formed in the above process would have to be heated VERY gently to drive off the remaining water. ANFO is an acronym for Ammonium Nitrate - Fuel Oil Solution. An ANFO solves the only other major problem with ammonium nitrate: its tendency to pick up water vapor from the air. This results in the explosive failing to detonate when such an attempt is made. This is rectified by mixing 94% (by weight) ammonium nitrate with 6% fuel oil, or kerosene. The kerosene keeps the ammonium nitrate from absorbing moisture from the air. An ANFO also requires a large shockwave to set it off.

POTASSIUM CHLORATE

Potassium chlorate itself cannot be made in the home, but it can be obtained from labs. If potassium chlorate is mixed with a small amount of vaseline, or other petroleum jelly, and a shockwave is passed through it, the material will detonate with slightly more power than black powder. It must, however, be confined to detonate it in this manner. The procedure for making such an explosive is outlined below:

Grind the potassium chlorate in the grinding bowl carefully and slowly, until the potassium chlorate is a very fine powder. The finer that it is powdered, the faster (better) it will detonate. Place the powder into the plastic bag. Put the petroleum jelly into the plastic bag, getting as little on the sides of the bag as possible, i.e. put the vaseline on the potassium chlorate powder. Close the bag, and kneed the materials together until none of the potassium chlorate is dry powder that does not stick to the main glob. If necessary,add a bit more petroleum jelly to the bag. The material must me used within 24 hours, or the mixture will react to greatly reduce the effectiveness of the explosive. This reaction, however, is harmless, and releases no heat or dangerous products.

NITROSTARCH EXPLOSIVES

Nitrostarch explosives are simple to make, and are fairly powerful. All that need be done is treat various starches with a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids. 10 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid is added to 10 ml of concentrated nitric acid. To this mixture is added 0.5 grams of starch. Cold water is added, and the apparently unchanged nitrostarch is filtered out. Nitrostarch explosives are of slightly lower power than T.N.T., but they are more readily detonated.

PICRIC ACID

Picric acid, also known as Tri-Nitro-Phenol, or T.N.P., is a military explosive that is most often used as a booster charge to set off another less sensitive explosive, such as T.N.T. It another explosive that is fairly simple to make, assuming that one can acquire the concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. Its procedure for manufacture is given in many college chemistry lab manuals, and is easy to follow. The main problem with picric acid is its tendency to form dangerously sensitive and unstable picrate salts, such as potassium picrate. For this reason, it is usually made into a safer form, such as ammonium picrate, also called explosive D. A social deviant would probably use a formula similar to the one presented here to make picric acid.

Place 9.5 grams of phenol into the 500 ml flask, and carefully add 12.5 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid and stir the mixture. Put 400 ml of tap water into the 1000 ml beaker or boiling container and bring the water to a gentle boil. After warming the 500 ml flask under hot tap water, place it in the boiling water, and continue to stir the mixture of phenol and acid for about thirty minutes. After thirty minutes, take the flask out, and allow it to cool for about five minutes. Pour out the boiling water used above, and after allowing the container to cool, use it to create an ice bath, similar to the one used in section 3.13, steps 3-4. Place the 500 ml flask with the mixed acid an phenol in the ice bath. Add 38 ml of concentrated nitric acid in small amounts, stirring the mixture constantly. A vigorous but "harmless" reaction should occur. When the mixture stops reacting vigorously, take the flask out of the ice bath. Warm the ice bath container, if it is glass, and then begin boiling more tap water. Place the flask containing the mixture in the boiling water, and heat it in the boiling water for 1.5 to 2 hours. Add 100 ml of cold distilled water to the solution, and chill it in an ice bath until it is cold. Filter out the yellowish-white picric acid crystals by pouring the solution through the filter paper in the funnel. Collect the liquid and dispose of it in a safe place, since it is corrosive. Wash out the 500 ml flask with distilled water, and put the contents of the filter paper in the flask. Add 300 ml of water, and shake vigorously. Re-filter the crystals, and allow them to dry. Store the crystals in a safe place in a glass container, since they will react with metal containers to produce picrates that could explode spontaneously.

AMMONIUM PICRATE

Ammonium picrate, also called Explosive D, is another safety explosive. It requires a substantial shock to cause it to detonate, slightly less than that required to detonate ammonium nitrate. It is much safer than picric acid, since it has little tendency to form hazardous unstable salts when placed in metal containers. It is simple to make from picric acid and clear household ammonia. All that need be done is put the picric acid crystals into a glass container and dissolve them in a great quantity of hot water. Add clear household ammonia in excess, and allow the excess ammonia to evaporate. The powder remaining should be ammonium picrate.

NITROGEN TRICHLORIDE

Nitrogen trichloride, also known as chloride of azode, is an oily yellow liquid. It explodes violently when it is heated above 60 degrees celsius, or when it comes in contact with an open flame or spark. It is fairly simple to produce.

In a beaker, dissolve about 5 teaspoons of ammonium nitrate in water. Do not put so much ammonium nitrate into the solution that some of it remains undissolved in the bottom of the beaker. Collect a quantity of chlorine gas in a second beaker by mixing hydrochloric acid with potassium permanganate in a large flask with a stopper and glass pipe. Place the beaker containing the chlorine gas upside down on top of the beaker containing the ammonium nitrate solution, and tape the beakers together. Gently heat the bottom beaker. When this is done, oily yellow droplets will begin to form on the surface of the solution, and sink down to the bottom. At this time, remove the heat source immediately. Alternately, the chlorine can be bubbled through the ammonium nitrate solution, rather than collecting the gas in a beaker, but this requires timing and a stand to hold the beaker and test tube. The chlorine gas can also be mixed with anhydrous ammonia gas, by gently heating a flask filled with clear household ammonia. Place the glass tubes from the chlorine-generating flask and the tube from the ammonia-generating flask in another flask that contains water. Collect the yellow droplets with an eyedropper, and use them immediately, since nitrogen trichloride decomposes in 24 hours.

LEAD AZIDE

Lead Azide is a material that is often used as a booster charge for other explosive, but it does well enough on its own as a fairly sensitive explosive. It does not detonate too easily by percussion or impact, but it is easily detonated by heat from an igniter wire, or a blasting cap. It is si