Exhibition chemistry

Explosive nitrated carbon compounds

By 2008-01-01T00:00:00

image - exhibition chemistry main

Source: Adrian Guy

Demonstrations designed to capture the student's imagination

Guncotton is trinitro-cellulose, or cellulose nitrate. The material is used as a propellant and as a blasting explosive. Guncotton burns at a lower temperature than gunpowder - a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate - but produces several times the quantity of gas (comprising CO, CO2, H2 O, N2), leaving almost no residue and little smoke.

Nitrated carbon compounds

A partially nitrated version of guncotton (pyroxylin) can be made easily and relatively safely in the laboratory by adding a nitrating mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids to naturally occurring cellulose - cotton wool. The resulting material suitably demonstrates the explosive nature of nitrated carbon compounds.

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