Making Nitroglycerin

Nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin is the basic ingredient in a lot of explosives such as straight dynamites, and gelatin dynamites. Making Nitroglycerin ==================== 1. Fill a 75ml beaker to the 13ml level with fuming red nitric acid, of 98% pure concentration. 2. Place the beaker in an ice bath and allow to cool well below room temperature. 3. After it has cooled, add 39ml of fuming sulfuric acid (99%H2SO4). Remember that when mixing acids, you should do it slowly and carefully to avoid splattering. Especially with this stuff!!! 4. When the two are mixed, lower the temperature by adding more ice to the bath. This is necessary because the mixing of the two acids may generate some heat. The temperature should drop to about 10-15 degrees centigrade. Use a mercury thermometer. 5. When the acid solution has cooled to the desired temperature, it is ready for the glycerin. The glycerin must be added in small amounts using a medicine dropper. (READ THIS STEP ABOUT TEN TIMES! BE *VERY* CAREFUL!!!). Add it slowly (SLOWLY!!!) until the entire surface of the acid is covered with it. 6. This is a DANGEROUS point. The nitration is taking place: as soon as the glycerin is added, the nitration will be producing heat. Keep the solution below 30 degrees centigrade! If it goes above 30 degrees, dump it into the ice bath immediately! This will ensure that it does not blow you and your lab into the next country. 7. For the first ten minutes of the nitration, the mixture should be gently (GENTLY!!!) stirred. In a normal reaction the nitroglycerin will form as a layer on the top of the acid solution, while the sulfuric acid absorbs the ecess water. 8. After the nitration has taken place, and the nitroglycerin has formed on the top of the solution, the entire beaker should be transferred slowly (SLOWLY!) and carefully (CAREFULLY!) to another beaker of water. When this is done the nitroglycerin will settle at the bottom so the acids can be drained away.

9. After removing as much acid as possible without disturbing

the

nitroglycerin, remove the nitroglycerin with an eyedropper

and

place it in a bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarbonate)

solution.

The sodium will neutralize much of the remaining acid.

This

process should be repeated as much as necessary using blue litmus paper to check for the presence of acid. The remaining

acid only makes the nitroglycerin more unstable than it

already from

is. 10. Finally! The final step is to remove the nitroglycerin the bicarbonate. This is done with an eye dropper, slowly

and

carefully. The usual test to see if nitration has been

successful

is to place one drop of the nitroglycerin on a metal plate

and

ignite it. If it is true nitroglycerin it will burn with a

clear

blue flame. SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS =================== Nitroglycerin is very sensitive to decomposition,

heating,

dropping, or jarring and may explode even if left

undisturbed

and cool. Take special care with this substance. Dynamite Now that you've made your nitroglycerin, you can make your own dynamite. Dynamite is nothing more than just nitroglycerin and a stabilising agent to make it safer to use. I will abbreviate nitroglycerin with NG in the instructions that follow. The numbers given are percentages, and be sure to use the exact amounts. These percentages are in weight ratio, not volume. No. Ingredients Amount ====================================== #1

NG Sodium nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate

32 28 10 29

#2

NG Potassium Nitrate Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate

24 9 56 9 2

#3

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal Guncotton Petroleum Jelly Powdered Charcoal

35.5 44.5 6 2.5 5.5 6

#4

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal Barium Nitrate Starch

25 26 34 5 10

#5

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate Guncotton

57 19 9 12 3

#6

NG Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal Potassium Chloride Chalk

18 70 5.5 4.5 2

#7

NG Woodmeal Barium Nitrate Sodium Carbonate

26 40 32 2

#8

NG 44 Woodmeal 12 Anhydrous Sodium Sulfate 44

#9

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate

24 32.5 33.5 10

#10

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal

26 33 41

#11

NG Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal Sodium Carbonate

15 62.9 21.2 .9

#12

NG Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate

35 27 10 1

#13

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate Guncotton

32 27 10 30 1

#14

NG

33

Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate Guncotton

10.3 29 .7

#15

NG Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal

40 45 15

#16

NG Starch Guncotton

47 50 3

#17

NG Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal Potassium Chloride

30 22.3 40.5 7.2

#18

NG Sodium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate

50 32.6 17 .4

#19

NG Potassium Nitrate Woodmeal Ammonium Oxalate Barium Nitrate Calcium Carbonate

23 27.5 37 8 4 .5

Remember to be careful with Nitroglycerin and with the resulting dynamite compound! With 19 varieties, there's sure to be one for everyone.

!This is NEVER to be attempted