Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a pale yellow crystalline aromatic organic compound that melts at 81 ℃. It is an explosive chemical compound and part of several explosive mixtures, for example amatol, which is obtained by mixing TNT with ammonium nitrate. It is prepared by the nitration of toluene. (C₆H₅CH₃). its chemical formula C₆H₂(NO₂)₃CH₃.

In its refined form, trinitrotoluene is quite stable and, unlike nitroglycerin, is relatively insensitive to friction, shock, or agitation. It explodes when it receives an energy of approximately 6.86 joules). Its explosion temperature, when anhydrous, is 470 °C. This means that a detonator must be used.

Its explosion occurs according to the following reactions:

C₆H₂(NO₂)₃CH₃ → 6CO+2.5H₂+1.5N₂+C

C₆H₂(CH₃)(CH₂)₂ > → 6CO+0.5CH₄+0.5H₂+1.5N₂

The analysis of the gases from the explosion is as follows:

It doesn't react with metals or absorb water, so it's very stable to store for long periods of time, unlike dynamite.

Reacts with alkalis forming unstable compounds that are very sensitive to heat and impact.

History

German chemist Julius Bernhard Friedrich Adolph Wilbrand first made TNT in 1863. It was used as a yellow-ocher dye for dyeing. Its potential as an explosive was not appreciated until several years later, mainly because it was more difficult to detonate compared to other explosives and because it was less powerful than other alternatives. Among its advantages, however, was the ease of liquefying it safely using steam or hot water, and it could then be introduced in liquid form inside the casings of artillery shells. It is also so stable that in 1910 it was withdrawn from the British Explosives Act 1875, losing the consideration of an explosive for manufacturing and storage purposes.

The German Army adopted it for their artillery shells in 1902. Anti-armor shells exploded after penetrating the interior of major British warships, while British lydite-filled shells tended to explode on hitting the armor, wasting much of its energy on the outside of the ships. The British began using it as a substitute for lydite in 1907.

Due to the high demand for explosives in World War II, TNT was frequently mixed with 40–80% ammonium nitrate, producing an explosive called amatol. Although nearly as potent as TNT and much cheaper, Amatol had the slight disadvantage of being hygroscopic (has an affinity for absorbing water). Another variation called minol, consisting of amatol mixed with approximately 20% aluminum powder, was used by the British in mines and as depth charges. Although TNT blocks are available in various sizes (250, 500, 1000 grams) it is more common to find it in the form of mixtures with a variable percentage of TNT and a certain amount of other components. Some examples of explosives containing TNT are:

• Amatol
• Baratol
• Composition B
• Octol
• Pentolita
• Torpex
• Tritonal
• Ditonal