Re: Conservation of Environment : Exploding tent pegs


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Posted by John Nichols on August 18, 2003 at 20:06:13 from 165.91.199.202 user Mcneacail.

In Reply to: Re: Conservation of Environment : Exploding tent pegs posted by Peter Ceresole on August 18, 2003 at 18:54:35:

picric acid


(pk´rk) (KEY) or 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (tr´´n´´trf´nl) (KEY) , C6H2(NO2)3OH, a toxic yellow crystalline solid that melts at 122°C and is soluble in most organic solvents. Picric acid is a derivative of phenol. It reacts with metals to form metal picrates, which like picric acid itself are highly sensitive explosives that can be detonated by heat, flame, shock, or friction. The high explosives lyddite and melinite are composed mostly of compressed or fused picric acid. Picric acid is often used as a booster to detonate another, less sensitive explosive, such as TNT (trinitrotoluene). Although picric acid can be synthesized by nitration of phenol, higher yields are obtained if chlorobenzene is used as a starting material; the latter method involves several steps and the formation of several intermediate products. In addition to its use in explosives, picric acid has been used as a yellow dye, as an antiseptic, and in the synthesis of chloropicrin, or nitrotrichloromethane, CCl3NO2, a powerful insecticide.


Nice stuff I must say - this was at a cannon testing range to zero the sights and test the barrels before they went to war.
Apparently there was an old gate at the end of a long flat road. They zeroed the sights by trying to put the shot through the gate - hole so to speak.




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