Explosive Combinations

Discussion in 'Chemistry' started by TruthSeeker, Apr 25, 2007.

  1. TruthSeeker Fancy Virtual Reality Monkey Valued Senior Member

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    What happens when you combine two materials that cause an explosion? Do you necessarily die?

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    What are the explosive combinations anyways? And why do they explode?

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  3. Positron Agony: Not all pain is gain Registered Senior Member

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    I am afraid I dont understand completely what you want to know. YOur question is to vauge, could you narrow it down a bit?
     
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  5. TruthSeeker Fancy Virtual Reality Monkey Valued Senior Member

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    If I add A and B it explodes. What's "A" and "B"?
     
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  7. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    You don't necessarily die, it depends on the size of the explosion.

    They explode because of VERY rapid chemical reactions. A common example is gasoline vapor and air (oxygen) when a spark is introduced. Others don't require a second ingredient, like nitroglycerin and dynamite - all that's required is a sudden, hard physical shock.

    In every case, the reaction results in a massive release of gaseous products and THAT'S what the explosion is - the rapidly expanding ball of gas.
     
  8. TruthSeeker Fancy Virtual Reality Monkey Valued Senior Member

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    Oh, ok. Thanks for the answer

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  9. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    You're very welcome.

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  10. leopold Valued Senior Member

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    bourbon and beans.
     
  11. Positron Agony: Not all pain is gain Registered Senior Member

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    Well I dont know about A and B but if you add a third one, or C it could get interesting.

    for example: gunpowder

    charcoal, Sulfer, Sodium Nitrate. All available at your local gardening store. Just dont ask for sodium nitrate or they will look at you weird. Say Nitrate of Soda. I know ots weird. but they looked at me funny when I said an actual chemical name.

    The mixing process is relatively easy combine the sulfer and charcoal crushed up intoa powder. Then crush up the Sodium Nitrate carefully. Mix it in with the othe mixture VERY SLOWLY AND VERY CAREFULLY! if you go to fast it will burn and emit sulfur gas which will kill you.

    Now it took me a long time to get the ratios of each chemical right on my own, but I havent made it in so long I forgot. Check the internet, or do what I think is more fun, Discover it yourself. Remember the Sodium Nitrate is a big part of how long the powder burns.

    Also Gunpowder does not "explode" in a gun the explosion is from all the gas released from the powder in a confined space. Also, watch which way the wind is blowing, as the gas is poisinous. The slag created from the burning if you haev bad ratios is hard to remove if it is imbedded on like asphalt or concrete. so burn the powder on something your not afraid to ruin. Do it outside to prevent toxic gas buildup. Finally, aluminum foil will not resist the temperature made from the gunpowder, it is that hot!

    Best of luck,
    Positron
     
  12. TruthSeeker Fancy Virtual Reality Monkey Valued Senior Member

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    I wouldn't do that!

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    But thanks for all the explanation!

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  13. [a-5] Sex machine, coin operated. Registered Senior Member

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    Uh. Atom+Bomb = Atomic Bomb?

    :] I'm proud of my 43 average in Chemistry.
     
  14. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Yep, figures - since it's actually a matter of physics and has nothing at all to do with chemistry.

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  15. [a-5] Sex machine, coin operated. Registered Senior Member

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    Haha :] I got owned.
     
  16. Chatha big brown was screwed up Registered Senior Member

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    Explosive combinations are instantenous reactions, i.e reactions that occur very fast. They are characterized by a release of huge amounts of confined energy, i.e they are exothermic. The basic principle by which explosions operate is by trapping huge amounts of energy in compound A, and then releasing this energy with a compount B. Nuclear explosions are easier to underdstand, when two atom collide in nuclear fussion, huge amounts of energy is generated, this energy has to go somewhere and it ends up destroying everything around it. Combustion reactions are instantenous reactions of Hydrocarbons and fossils, they usually require oxygen as a catalyst. Basically, in any reaction, the net energy loss of gain is the explosion or emplosion respectively.
     
  17. dexter ROOT Registered Senior Member

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    Exothermic Reactions Produce Explosions.
     
  18. temur man of no words Registered Senior Member

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    I heard of something called "implosion", does this exist?
     
  19. Diogenes' Dog Subvert the dominant cliche... Registered Senior Member

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    LOL. This thread caught my eye... I think noxious stinks, pyrotechnics and things exploding should be a major part of every school chemistry curriculum!

    Most explosives are either unstable molecules (e.g. nitroglycerine) or mixtures (e.g. gunpowder) that will rapidly decompose i.e. self-destruct into much simpler gas molecules (often carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water) in a chain reaction. The increase in volume from solid to gas can be many thousand times. The sudden appearance (e.g. in 0.001 second) of loads of compressed hot gasses where there was a small volume of solid before creates a shock wave and blast that destroys anything in it's path (I hope that answers your first Q).

    Explosives usually consist of a fuel with an oxygen carrier, so it is often like a very rapid burning. In positron's gunpowder recipe sodium nitrate is the oxygen carrier and the carbon and sulphur are the fuels (they burn with oxygen). In TNT (trinitrotoluene) the 'tri' (3) 'nitro' bits contain the oxygen atoms (6)while 'toluene' is the fuel. I hope that answers your 2nd Q. Ask your chemistry teacher for more, but don't do any homework practicals! :booo:

    An implosion is when all the pieces fly inwards (before they fly outwards) because of a sudden reduction in pressure. If you break a light bulb (don't do it!) the glass flies in towards the centre (before it flies back out again at you

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    ) because of the vacuum in the bulb.
     
  20. temur man of no words Registered Senior Member

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    Does "implosion bomb" exist? I mean is there any compact device that implode so strongly to be dangerous to life within, say, 10 meters?
     
  21. Chatha big brown was screwed up Registered Senior Member

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    The problem is nothing is known to be small and dense enough to be able to accomulate so much energy so quickly. The only thing close to that is a black hole, which is a super massive body. Then you will have to evauate the efficiency of the body, a household vacuum sucks in a lot of dirt but its usually one of the household items that takes a lot of electricity. Most implosions are not instantenous by nature, which is why they require so much energy. When you have an implosion, you have an entity carrying a huge amount of unstable or stable energy in itself, which is the reverse of all things. Just a thought.
     
  22. Diogenes' Dog Subvert the dominant cliche... Registered Senior Member

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    As Chatha says - there's no vacuum strong enough to make a very useful or powerful implosion.

    What might be called a pseudo implosion however was used in the first atomic bomb (Trinity), where a spherical shaped (O) explosive charge on the outside of the bomb was detonated to compact the several sub-critical pieces of uranium together into a super-critical mass and keep them together long enough for the nuclear reaction to take place.

    I believe people have also tried to make diamonds this way too - the pressure and temperature can be high enough to change graphite into (very tiny) diamonds. $$$s!
     
  23. Gently Passing Registered Senior Member

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    I would imagine that the kinetic energy of the reaction would be limited by the fact that matter travels first inwards to some point of maximum density before essentially reflecting outwards again. That's just wasted energy.

    The most effective way to kill someone is to use an old-fashioned explosion, ie no wasted energy.

    Anyway it's all about relative pressure. If a bomb goes off outside your car and the car's internal volume decreases, it could be said to have "imploded" as the pressure outside is significantly greater than the pressure inside. That would increase the pressure inside and may crush you.

    :shrug:

    Pressure waves are a dangerous component of large explosions. Basically everything in a certain radius is disintigrated because it's fundamental structure cannot withstand the high pressure.
     

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