Guido's Web - Bombs Page

SAFETY: Read this or leave. If you're not going to read how not to kill yourself you are a fool and I don't want you at my page.

Safety is an important concern in many activities, but it is even more important when working with explosives and related compounds. If you have an accident with a power tool you can permanently maim or kill yourself. An automobile accident can not only kill yourself, but a dozen or more others who have the bad luck to be on the same road as you. When an airplane crashes, it often kills not only the passengers on board, but anybody who happens to have lived near the crash site. An accidental explosion can be much destructive than any of these. Any accident involving explosives is likely to be fatal, and a serious accident can, under some circumstances, circumstances kill hundreds of people.

There are no such things as truly "safe" explosive devices. While some explosives are less dangerous than others, all such compositions are, by their very nature, extremely hazardous.

Basic Safety Rules: Read this or leave. If you're not going to read how not to kill yourself you are a fool and I don't want you at my page.

1) Don't smoke! (don't laugh- an errant cigarette wiped out the Weathermen). Avoid open flames, especially when working with flammable liquids or powdered metals.

2) Grind all ingredients separately. It is alarming how friction sensitive some supposedly safe compositions really are. Grinding causes heat and possibly sparks, both of which can initiate an explosion.

3) Start with very small quantities. Even small quantities of high explosives can be very dangerous. Once you have some idea of the power of the explosive, you can progress to larger amounts. Store high explosives separately from low explosives, and sensitive devices, such as blasting caps, should be stored well away from all flammable or explosive material.

4) Allow for a 20% margin of error. Never let your safety depend on the expected results. Just because the average burning rate of a fuse is 30 secs/foot, don't depend on the 6 inches sticking out of your pipe bomb to take exactly 15 seconds.

5) Never underestimate the range of your shrapnel. The cap from a pipe bomb can often travel a block or more at high velocities before coming to rest- If you have to stay nearby, remember that if you can see it, it can kill you.

6) At the least, take the author's precautions. When mixing sensitive compounds (such as flash powder) avoid all sources of static electricity.

Work in an area with moderate humidity, good ventilation, and watch out for sources of sparks and flame, which can ignite particles suspended in the air. Always follow the directions given and never take shortcuts.

7) Buy quality safety equipment, and use it at all times. Always wear a face shield, or at the minimum, shatterproof lab glasses. It's usually a good idea to wear gloves when handling corrosive chemicals, and a lab apron can help prevent life-threatening burns.

How To Mix Dry Ingredients: Read this or leave. If you're not going to read how not to kill yourself you are a fool and I don't want you at my page.

The best way to mix two dry chemicals to form an explosive is to use a technique perfected by small-scale fireworks manufacturers:

1) Take a large sheet of smooth paper (for example a page from a newspaper that does not use staples)

2) Measure out the appropriate amounts of the two chemicals, and pour them in two small heaps near opposite corners of the sheet.

3) Pick up the sheet by the two corners near the piles, allowing the powders to roll towards the center of the sheet.

4) By raising one corner and then the other, rock the powders back and forth in the middle of the open sheet, taking care not to let the mixture spill from either of the loose ends.

5) Pour the powder off from the middle of the sheet, and use it immediately. Use airtight containers for storage, It's best to use 35mm film canisters or other jars which do not have screw-on tops. If you must keep the mixture for long periods, place a small packet of desiccant in the container, and never store near heat or valuable items.

Some Chemicals and Other Info

Making chlorate and perchlorate

This file has two parts... the first is predominantly about KClO4, and the second about KClO3. Both were taken from the net,
original sources unknown.

MAKING POTASSIUM PERCHLORATE

This procedure is a "tried and true" method. Unlike some rec.pyro postings, which are informational, or just plain speculative,
this procedure WORKS. I have used it myself to make my own supply of perchlorate - until I decided to quit because I was
making it far too fast to use.

This procedure works well to make chlorates as well. The procedure can be modified easily to make only chlorates. When
using this procedure to make perchlorate, it produces significant amounts of chlorate as a by-product. This is because carbon
rods are not highly efficient in converting chlorate to perchlorate. Other anodes work better, but this procedure was designed
using easily available common materials and supplies. --- Author

Carbon Rods

Get some carbon rods from the welding shop. They are made by "arcair", and are 3/8" diameter by 12" long, and cost between
40 to 60 cents(US) each. They are copper plated, and they are used for a welding procedure known as "gouging".

Cut off the top of a plastic 1 gallon milk jug. This is a good cheap source of containers for using in this procedure.

Dissolve 1/2 cup of salt in 2 liters of warm water. Put this in a small plastic container. Cut out a piece of coffee can, roughly 4" by
4" with a tab extending up to connect a wire to. The dimensions are not critical. With a 6 volt battery charger, connect the minus
(-) connector to the piece of coffee can. Wrap some aluminum foil on the end of the carbon rod, to improve the electrical
connection, and connect the plus (+) connector of the charger to it.

Turn on the charger, and let it run for about 20 minutes. The copper will be removed from the rod. If some still remains, run it for
a little longer till it is free of copper.

Discard the salt water used to remove the copper.

You can probably use a 12V charger, but the current may get too high, so you may need to reduce how much of the rod is being
etched at one time.

Electrolyte solution

Make a mixture of salt and potassium chloride solutions. Dissolve roughly 2 ounces (60 grams) of salt, and 8 ounces (240
grams) of potassium chloride in 2 liters (just a bit more than 2 quarts) of hot water. There is much room for inaccuracy here,
because the exact mixture is not absolutely critical.

At this point, it is good to add between 2 to 10 grams of either potassium chromate or dichromate. While this is not absolutely
necessary, it helps improve how much perchlorate is finally produced. The process will work without it, but not quite as well.

NOTE: Potassium chloride can be obtained as several commonly available products, such as: dietary salt substitute, ice melter
(look at label for actual contents), and "muriate of potash" from farm and garden supply shops. Hagenow Laboratories carries
potassium dichromate.

The reason a mixture of salt and KCl is used, is two fold. First, salt is more easily electrolyzed than KCl, but after it converts to
chlorate (and perchlorate), it will tend form the potassium salt instead of the sodium salt. The electrolysis tends to work on the
sodium salt, while the final potassium perchlorate forms, and due to it's poor solubility, tends to crystallize out of solution.
Secondly, the concentration of KCl is chosen to help prevent chlorate from crystallizing out, while being too high for the
perchlorate to remain in solution, which causes it to crystallize out as it is created. These concentrations may be varied, to
compensate for different operating temperatures. It was designed to operate at 40C, and will work fine above that temp, but
below it, you might get some chlorate crystallizing out, in which case you might need to reduce the amount of KCl just a little.

I have been using a little salt in my mixture, but someone could exclusively electrolyze KCl, without the addition of salt. The
purpose of the salt is to provide a sodium salt which is more easily electrolyzed than the potassium salt. It is NOT necessary, and
will probably work well with only KCl. ****** (Chlorate note) ******

BTW, chlorates are produced here as an intermediate chemical product. Chlorates tend to be the predominant component
around 1 1/2 to 2 days of operation. Chlorate could be caused to crystallize out during electrolysis if the concentration of KCl in
the starting electrolyte solution is increased to nearly saturation (about 21 ounces KCl/ with 2 ounces of salt). Although I have
not concentrated on chlorate production, I would expect that you could actually run it for more than 2 days - possibly up to 4 or
5 days, and keep building up a layer of largely chlorate crystals on the bottom. In that case, I would _GUESS_ that you could
get around 2 pounds of chlorate after 5 days of operation.

Electrolysis

Using a coffee can for a source of steel, cut it out to form an inverted U shaped trough. Insert it in the mixture of salt and KCl
dissolved in water. The (-) connector is connected to the steel. The steel U trough (similar to a rain gutter, except upside down)
is setting at an angle to increase the amount of surface area in contact with the liquid. The carbon rod has some aluminum foil
wrapped around the end of the rod, and the (+) connector is connected to it. The rod is positioned within the U shaped trough -
under it, without touching. The charger is turned on, and he position & depth of the rod is adjusted to get 8 to 12 amps of
current.

NOTE: A setup with the electrodes running electricity through an electrolyte is called a "Cell". This setup is commonly referred to
as a cell throughout this description.

Let the liquid electrolyze for about 5 days continuously. Add water to make up for water lost during the process, and try to keep
it roughly constant.

A couple times a day, you will need to check the current level, and adjust the rod position to keep the current in the 8-12amp
range. Mine has been running between 40 - 50C, but commercial procedures keep the temp just below 40C to reduce carbon
rod erosion. The rods will gradually erode away, but if you use a 6V charger, one rod will probably last for the full 5 days.

You can also use higher voltage chargers, but you will probably need to connect several electrolytic cells together to keep the
voltage across ONE cell to be about 6 volts. If you use a 12 V charger, you will need 2 cells ( 12V/(6V per cell) = 2cells). If
you connect more than 1 cell in series, you may need to use a voltmeter to check the actual voltage across each cell - because it
will change depending upon the resistance differences between the cells, which can be adjusted by re-positioning the rods.

The purpose for the U shaped trough cathode (-) electrode, is to cause the gas bubbles formed to generate a convection flow up
through the trough. This causes the chemical products produced at each electrode to mix and react efficiently. Other electrode
geometries will work, some better, and others worse. The key is to cause the two electrodes to be very close to each other, and
cause the chemical products to mix well to help form chlorate and perchlorates. The WORST case situation is where the
electrodes are on opposite sides of the cell, causing the chlorine gas produced at the anode (+) to tend to bubble and escape out
of solution into the air.

Crystallization

The potassium perchlorate crystallizes out as it electrolyzes. When you're done, you have a mixture of black carbon, perchlorate,
and some chlorate after you drain off the liquid. I generally get a layer of perchlorate crystals about 1 inch (2.5cm) thick on the
bottom, which tends to be about 1 pound.

Cool the liquid in a freezer to help increase the amount of perchlorate that is crystallized out, before draining the electrolyte liquid.
When draining the electrolyte, save it if you want to re-electrolyze it to make even more perchlorate again.

Load the crystals into a filter, and use boiling water to dissolve the perchlorate out. As it filters, the perchlorate forms nice flat
rhombic shaped (almost square) flakes that float out of solution. You watch it as it cools, and watch for chlorate crystals, which
tend to look like clusters of cactus needles. When they start to form (well after the perchlorate has largely crystallized out), you
drain the liquid, and add some room temp water which is to be about 2 - 3 times the volume of the crystals you have in the
container. Shake them, and let it stand overnight to dissolve any chlorate crystals. Then drain, wash (with ice cold water), and
dry the crystals.

NOTE: Coffee filters generally aren't good enough to filter out the black carbon particles. You can load a coffee filter with a
good layer of diatomaceous earth, and then use it to filter the liquid. Diatomaceous earth is used to filter swimming pool water,
and a 10 pound bag can be obtained for less than US$10.00.

You can purify them again by weighing the dried crystals, and adding enough water to dissolve the whole mass as if it was pure
chlorate (i.e. 7g/100ml water)*. Use hot water, and then cool it down to room temp. You might even need to cool get the
perchlorate to begin to crystallize (it seems to super saturate commonly). You might be able to get it started by adding a small
amount of perchlorate dust as crystal seeds - if you have some to start with.. Then wash your crystals (with ICE COLD water),
and dry them. That will help produce a higher purity product of perchlorate. If you want to make a chlorate-free batch of
perchlorate, repeat this process again. It will be essentially free of chlorate if you double crystallize it, and make certain you wash
the crystals several times with cold water.

Example: 100 grams of crystals would require 100grams/(7gm/100ml) = 14.3 (100 ml), or 1430 ml of water, or about 48
ounces.

NOTE: When harvesting the crystals, a cotton cloth makes a good filter. I wear rubber gloves, and squeeze the excess liquid
from the crystals before & during washing them. Squeezing helps remove additional contaminants which are dissolved in the
liquid that wouldn't otherwise be removed by simple gravity filtering. While this method loses very small crystalline particles, the
loss tends to be very small in comparison to the amount of crystals harvested.

Perchlorate is very easy to make, but it takes a little work. The hardest ingredient to get is patience.

WARNINGS

This procedure generates small amounts of chlorine gas, as well as hydrogen gas. It should be conducted outdoors, or in a well
ventilated building which is NOT used for living quarters! Hydrogen can accumulate in non-ventilated and sealed rooms to form
potentially explosive mixtures with air!! Chlorine generally is more of a irritant, but can be poisonous at high concentrations.
There are also other (?) chlorine oxides and/or ozone produced which should also be avoided.

Chlorates and perchlorates are NOT chemicals for playing!! They are serious oxidizing agents which can be used to make
VERY DANGEROUS pyrotechnic mixtures - _ESPECIALLY CHLORATES_ !!! Be certain to read up on all literature
describing the use and dangers of these compounds! It is VERY EASY to forget the safety hazards associated with these
oxidizers in a time of haste - and lose a limb or your life as a result of your forgetfulness! Be careful to clean up any oxidizer
which is spilled on carpets, or solutions which have spilled or splashed on any form of flammable material, including clothes, wood,
paper, etc.

CHLORATES ARE ESPECIALLY FRICTION AND SHOCK SENSITIVE! PERCHLORATES CAN ALSO PRESENT
THE SAME HAZARDS, BUT NOT AS BADLY AS CHLORATES!

ALSO, AVOID THE DISASTROUS MIXTURE OF CHLORATE WITH SULFUR. NEVER MIX EITHER OF THESE
WITH ANY FORM OF PHOSPHORUS, AS IT CAN IGNITE OR EXPLODE BY THE FRICTION OF SIMPLY
MIXING THEM!!!!!

Also, chlorates must be kept from any form of acids, especially sulfuric. Even small traces of acids (from the presence of sulfur,
etc.) can cause what "appeared" to be a stable mixture, to ignite at some unknown time later!

Explosives

There are many commercially available materials which are either used as explosives, or which are used to produce explosives. Materials which are used to produce explosives are known as "precursors", and some of them are very difficult to obtain. Chemical suppliers are not stupid, and they will notice if a single person orders a combination of materials which can be used to produce a common explosive. Most chemicals are available in several grades, which vary by the purity of the chemical, and the types of impurities present. In most cases lab grade chemicals are more than sufficient. There are a few primitive mixtures which will work even with very impure chemicals, and a few which require technical grade materials.

Ammonium nitrate is a high explosive material that is used as a commercial "safety explosive". It is very stable, and is difficult to ignite with a match, and even then will not explode under normal circumstances. It is also difficult to detonate; (the phenomenon of detonation will be explained later) as it requires a powerful shockwave to cause it act as a high explosive.

Commercially, ammonium nitrate is sometimes mixed with a small amount of nitroglycerin to increase its sensitivity. A versatile chemical, ammonium nitrate is used in the "Cold-Paks" or "Instant Cold", available in most drug stores. The "Cold Paks" consist of a bag of water, surrounded by a second plastic bag containing the ammonium nitrate. To get the ammonium nitrate, simply cut off the top of the outside bag, remove the plastic bag of water, and save the ammonium nitrate in a well sealed, airtight container. It is hygroscopic, (it tends to absorb water from the air) and will eventually be neutralized if it is allowed to react with water, or used in compounds containing water. Ammonium nitrate may also be found in many fertilizers.

Flash powder is a mixture of powdered aluminum or magnesium metal and one of any number of oxidizers. It is extremely sensitive to heat or sparks, and should be treated with more care than black powder, and under no circumstances should it be mixed with black powder or any other explosives.

Small quantities of flash powder can be purchased from magic shops and theatrical suppliers in the form of two small containers, which must be mixed before use. Commercial flash powder is not cheap but it is usually very reliable. There are three speeds of flash powder commonly used in magic, however only the fast flash powder can be used to create reliable explosives.

Flash powder should always be mixed according to the method given at the beginning of the book, and under no circumstances should it be shaken or stored in any packaging which might carry static electricity.

PREPARATION OF CHEMICALS

While many chemicals are not easily available in their pure form, it is sometimes possible for the home chemist to partially purify more easily available sources of impure forms of desired chemicals. Most liquids are diluted with water, which can be removed by distillation. It is more difficult to purify solids, but there are a few methods available.If the impurity is insoluble in water but the pure chemical is, then the solid is mixed into a large quantity of warm water, and the water (with the chemical dissolved in it) is saved. The undissolved impurities (dregs) are discarded. When the water is boiled off it leaves a precipitate of the desired material. If the desired chemical is not water soluble and the impurity is, then the same basic procedure is followed, but in this case the dregs are saved and the liquid discarded.

There are several ways to make this most essential of all acids for explosives. It is often produced by the oxidation of ammonia per the following formula:

If the chemist has sodium and potassium nitrate available, they can be used to convert the much less useful sulfuric acid. While this method can be used to produce nitric acid, the process is extremely hazardous, and it should not be carried out unless there is no other way to obtain nitric acid. Do not attempt this on a larger scale without the use of remote manipulation equipment.

1) Carefully pour 100 milliliters of concentrated sulfuric acid into the retort.

2) Weigh out exactly 185 grams of sodium nitrate, or 210 grams of potassium nitrate. Crush to a fine powder in a clean, dry mortar and pestle, then slowly add this powder to the retort of sulfuric acid. If all of the powder does not dissolve, carefully stir the solution with a glass rod until the powder is completely dissolved.

3) Place the open end of the retort into the collecting flask, and place the collecting flask in the ice bath.

4) Begin heating the retort, using low heat. Continue heating until liquid begins to come out of the end of the retort. The liquid that forms is nitric acid. Heat until the precipitate in the bottom of the retort is almost dry, or until no more nitric acid forms.

CAUTION: If the acid is heated too strongly, the nitric acid will decompose as soon as it is formed. This can result in the production of highly flammable and toxic gasses that may explode. It is a good idea to set the above apparatus up, and then get away from it.

There are two common processes used to make sulfuric acid, unfortunately neither of them is suitable for small scale production outside of a laboratory or industrial plant. The Contact Process utilizes Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), an intensely irritating gas.

The Chamber Process uses nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide. On contact with air, nitric oxide forms nitrogen dioxide, a deadly reddish brown gas.

Sulfuric acid is far too difficult to make outside of a laboratory or industrial plant. However, it is readily available as it is a major component of lead-acid batteries. The sulfuric acid could be poured off from a new battery, or purchased from a battery shop or motorcycle store. If the acid is removed from a battery there will be pieces of lead from the battery which must be removed, either by boiling and filtration. The concentration of the sulfuric acid can also be increased by boiling it or otherwise removing some of the water from the solution. Very pure sulfuric acid pours slightly faster than clean motor oil.

It could be made very easily by pouring nitric acid into a large flask in an ice bath. Then, by simply pour household ammonia into the flask and keep a safe distance away until the reaction has completed. After the materials have stopped reacting, one simply has to leave the solution in a warm dry place until all of the water and any neutralized ammonia or acid have evaporated. Finely powdered crystals of ammonium nitrate would remain. These must be kept in an airtight container, because of their 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 before they can be used.

Potassium nitrate can be obtained from black powder. Simply stir a quantity of black powder into boiling water. The sulfur and charcoal will be suspended in the water, but the potassium nitrate will dissolve. To obtain 68g of potassium nitrate, it would be necessary to dissolve about 90g of black powder in about one liter of boiling water.

Filter the dissolved solution through filter paper until the liquid that pours through is clear. The charcoal and sulfur in black powder are insoluble in water, and so when the solution is allowed to evaporate, small crystals of potassium nitrate will be left in the container.

EXPLOSIVE FORMULAS

Once again, persons reading this material should never attempt to produce any of the explosives described here. It is illegal and extremely dangerous to do so. Loss of life and limbs could easily result from a failed (or successful) attempt to produce any explosives or hazardous chemicals. These procedures are correct, however many of the methods given here are usually scaled down industrial procedures, and therefore may be better suited to large scale production.

An explosive is any material that, when ignited by heat, shock, or chemical reaction, undergoes rapid decomposition or oxidation. This process releases energy that is stored in the material. The energy, in the form of heat and light, is released when the material breaks down into gaseous compounds that occupy a much larger volume that the explosive did originally. Because this expansion is very rapid, the expanding gasses displace large volumes of air. This expansion often occurs at a speed greater than the speed of sound, creating a shockwave similar to the sonic boom produced by high-speed jet planes.

Explosives occur in several forms: high order explosives (detonating explosives),low order explosives (deflagrating explosives), primers, and some explosives which can progress from deflagrating to detonation. All high order explosives are capable of detonation. Some high order explosives may start out burning (deflagration) and progress to detonation. A detonation can only occur in a high order explosive.

Detonation is caused by a shockwave that passes through a block of the high explosive material. High explosives consist of molecules with many high-energy bonds. The shockwave breaks apart the molecular bonds between the atoms of the material, at a rate approximately equal to the speed of sound traveling through that substance. Because high explosives are generally solids or liquids, this speed can be much greater than the speed of sound in air.

Unlike low-explosives, the fuel and oxidizer in a high-explosive are chemically bonded, and this bond is usually too strong to be easily broken.

Usually a primer made from a sensitive high explosive is used to initiate the detonation. When the primer detonates it sends a shockwave through the high-explosive. This shockwave breaks apart the bonds, and the chemicals released recombine to produce mostly gasses. Some examples of high explosives are dynamite, ammonium nitrate, and RDX.

Low order explosives do not detonate. Instead they burn (undergo oxidation) at a very high rate. When heated, the fuel and oxidizer combine to produce heat, light, and gaseous products.

Some low order materials burn at about the same speed under pressure as they do in the open, such as blackpowder. Others, such as smokeless gunpowder (which is primarily nitrocellulose) burn much faster and hotter when they are in a confined space, such as the barrel of a firearm; they usually burn much slower than blackpowder when they are ignited in the open. Blackpowder, nitrocellulose, and flash powder are common examples of low order explosives.

Primers are the most dangerous explosive compounds in common use. Some of them, such as mercury fulminate, will function as a low or high order explosive. They are chosen because they are more sensitive to friction, heat, and shock, than commonly used high or low explosives. Most primer perform like a dangerously sensitive high explosive. Others merely burn, but when they are confined, they burn at a very high rate and with a large expansion of gasses that produces a shockwave. A small amount of a priming material is used to initiate, or cause to decompose, a large quantity of relatively insensitive high explosives. They are also frequently used as a reliable means of igniting low order explosives. The gunpowder in a bullet is ignited by the detonation of the primer. Blasting caps are similar to primers, but they usually include both a primer and some intermediate explosive. Compounds used as primers can include lead azide, lead styphnate, diazodinitrophenol or mixtures of two or more of them. A small charge of PETN, RDX, or pentolite may be included in the more powerful blasting caps, such as those used in grenades. The small charge of moderately-sensitive high explosive initiates a much larger charge of insensitive high explosive.

Impact explosives are often used as primers. Of the ones discussed here, only mercury fulminate and nitroglycerin are real explosives; Ammonium triiodide crystals decompose upon impact, but they release little heat and no light. Impact explosives are always treated with the greatest care, and nobody without an extreme death wish would store them near any high or low explosives.

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 so sensitive that they will decompose 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 only when thrown, crushed, or heated.

The ammonia available in stores comes in a variety of forms. The pine and cloudy ammonia should not be used; only the strong clear ammonia can be used to make ammonium triiodide crystals. Upon detonation, a loud report is heard, and a cloud of purple iodine gas will appear. Whatever the unfortunate surface that the crystal was detonated upon, it will probably be ruined, as some of the iodine in the crystal is thrown about in a soil form, and iodine is corrosive. It leaves nasty, ugly, brownish-purple stains on whatever it contacts. These stains can be removed with photographer's hypo solution, or with the dechlorinating compound sold for use in fish tanks.

Iodine fumes are also bad news, since they can damage your lungs, and they will settle to the ground,leaving stains there as well. Contact with iodine leaves brown stains on the skin that last for about a week, unless they are immediately and vigorously washed off.

1) Place 5 grams of iodine into one of the glass jars. Because the iodine is very difficult to remove, use jars that you don't want to save.

2) Add enough ammonia to completely cover the iodine. Stir several times, then add 5 grams of potassium iodide. Stir for 30 seconds.

3) 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 semicircle 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.

4) 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.

5) 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.

6) Collect all the crystals without touching the brown filter paper,and place them on the paper towels to dry. 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 small pieces as large as your thumbnail.

To use them, simply throw them against any surface or place them where they will be stepped on or crushed. When the crystals are disturbed they decompose into iodine vapor, nitrogen, and ammonia.

iodine + ammonium hydroxide ammonium iodide + ammonium nitrogen triiodide + water

The optimal yield from pure iodine is 54% of the original mass in the form of the explosive sediment. The remainder of the iodine remains in the solution of ammonium iodide, and can be extracted by extracting the water (vacuum distillation is an efficient method) and treating the remaining product with chlorine.

Mercury fulminate is perhaps one of the oldest known initiating compounds. It can be detonated by either heat or shock. Even the action of dropping a crystal of the fulminate can cause it to explode. This material can be produced through the following procedure:

Solvent alcohol must be at least 95% ethyl alcohol if it is used to make mercury fulminate. Methyl alcohol may prevent mercury fulminate from forming.

Mercury thermometers are becoming a rarity, unfortunately. They may be hard to find in most stores as they have been superseded by alcohol and other less toxic fillings. Mercury is also used in mercury switches, which are available at electronics stores. Mercury is a hazardous substance, and should be kept in the thermometer, mercury switch, or other container until used. At room temperature mercury vapor is evolved, and it can be absorbed through the skin. Once in your body mercury will cause damage to the brain and other organs. For this reason, it is a good idea not to spill mercury, and to always use it outdoors. Also, do not get it in an open cut; rubber gloves will help prevent this.

1) In one beaker, mix 5 g of mercury with 35 ml of concentrated nitric acid, using the glass rod.

2) Slowly heat the mixture until the mercury is dissolved, which is when the solution turns green and boils.

3) 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.

4) between thirty and forty minutes after the fumes first appear, they should turn white, indicating that the reaction is near completion. After ten more minutes, add 30 ml distilled water to the solution.

5) 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.

6) 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.

7) 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.

Copyright "Guido: The Destroyer of Men" 1997.
For problems or questions regarding this web contact [Guido666@Raex.Com].
Last updated: October 28, 1997.
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Welcome to my Bombs & Explosives page!

Basic Safety Rules: Read this or leave. If you're not going to read how not to kill yourself you are a fool and I don't want you at my page.

Some Chemicals and Other Info

Explosives

PREPARATION OF CHEMICALS

EXPLOSIVE FORMULAS