> chemistry > explosifs > messing-with-picric-acid-reactivechem

Messing with Picric acid

ReactiveChem - 2019-10-30

This is very dangerous, so don’t do this unless you are stupid like me.

@Prerajunaization - 2024-02-24

Phenol + nitric acid + sulphuric acid - - > picric acid

@Icy_Pumpkin - 2022-10-06

Man I thought Picric acid would be more explosive since Picric acid is explosive when dry

@Andrew-my1cp - 2020-04-28

Interesting. I thought dunnite was used in munitions that withstood penetrating metal because it was so insensitive to shock. Maybe the very large crystals helped make it more sensitive. Nice video :)

@reactivechem7408 - 2020-04-28

Yes probably, crystals usually do that to the sensitivity. Thx.

@kaisersose5549 - 2020-09-23

@@reactivechem7408
Given the propensity for larger crystals to detonate on impact, relative to smaller crystals, could it be a property of tribolumenesence in highly energetic crystalline substances that causes this phenomenon (thus making it deflagration on impact)?

You may have the knowledge (which I'm lacking in this subject) to disprove this theory...
If a highly energetic crystalline substance exists that is sensitive to impact, but is insensitive to sparks & flame, the reaction would have to be a detonation and not tribolumenesence induced deflagration.

@SodiumInteresting - 2022-05-25

Purer crystals of picric acid are friction sensitive, even opening a container cam set it off

@joeestes8114 - 2020-07-16

Awesome! It would have been interesting to see it mixed with potassium perchlorate! Boom!

@greencornucopia3298 - 2021-06-02

The Japanese used picrate salts in many of their munitions in WWII.

@agenttassadar7272 - 2021-08-06

Fireworks cookbook! Greatest website on Earth.

@K0ester - 2021-08-17

Pyrochemsource is better. Dude who runs it has every pyro related chem youd need

@SPHYNX99752 - 2022-03-18

There are certain safety protocols that should be in place as well as containment procedures that aren't available in your back yard or porch.
Though I do enjoy watching chemistry, I personally feel as though your video could cause others to attempt this, and the hazards that can cause injury, that could have happened to you, will happen to them.

@refluxcatalyst7190 - 2022-10-07

React the picric acid with sodium hydroxide, and then hit the product with a hammer. (Don't actually do that - if you know what I'm talking about, you'll laugh).

@BetterDeadThanRed99 - 2023-01-30

Do you store your picric acid in a ziplock bag? No water? How would you personally store this for long term?

@reactivechem7408 - 2023-01-31

Long term you don’t store it, if you really have to store it underwater. Short term is fine to store dry in a humid area.

@BetterDeadThanRed99 - 2023-02-01

@@reactivechem7408 Thanks

@mikegLXIVMM - 2023-03-27

Ammonium Picrate AKA Explosive "D".
Hard to detonate.

@levieastwood7506 - 2022-04-09

R.I.P that concrete, that picric acid will eat it up

@namenloseheld1469 - 2019-11-15

Isn´t it dangerous to mix Ammoniumpicrate and KClO3 because of Formation NH4ClO3?

@reactivechem7408 - 2019-11-15

Yes and no. In an aqueous solution of the 2 compounds there would be an equilibrium reaction of NH4ClO3 and potassium picrate. These aren’t energetic when wet. The reaction that you saw was decomposition of the kclo3 to make oxygen in order to directly oxidize the ammonium picrate. So it is dangerous to mix these, but it won’t form the nh4clo3 without them being in an aqueous solution.

@namenloseheld1469 - 2019-11-16

@@reactivechem7408 So it would be interesting to test an KClO3/cheddite based exlplosive including KClO3, Castor Oil and Ammoniumpikrate because NH4picrate is not an Acid so it wouldn´t form sensitve picrates such as Iron or lead picrate in contact with for example the hull of the metall initiating cap.

@reactivechem7408 - 2019-11-16

namenlose Held I was planning on doing something similar to that to do a finally on the Ammonium picrate, but using a binder like mineral oil or paraffin instead. However I decided not to because I’m lazy. However I may try it in the future.

@namenloseheld1469 - 2019-11-18

@@reactivechem7408 I hope you upload a test Video.

@reactivechem7408 - 2019-11-18

namenlose Held I probably will, I’m just focusing mainly on tetrazoles rn

@industrialadhesive6357 - 2020-02-23

Next you should make lead picrate

@reactivechem7408 - 2020-02-24

That will be done eventually, I’m going to make a video all about the picrates

@Tresoroeffnung - 2022-12-03

That's the spirit! 😆

@gregkral4467 - 2020-11-24

picric acid makes a good secondary booster to put more oompf in your homemade blasting caps, but I prefer HMTD overall.

@gregkral4467 - 2021-01-16

@@c2n10 much safer than they say, but as with everything, just don't be dumb with em.

@TheFireGoose - 2022-08-14

Hang on so your saying it can be used as a primary to replace say HMTD, or it can be used as a secondary booster to replace or use with say ETN?

@gregkral4467 - 2022-08-19

@@TheFireGoose only a booster, it could never replace the hmtd. Hmtd is much more powerful, a gram of picric is used sometimes after the initial like hmtd or acetone peroxide, but picric has a bad habit of making unstable salts. Best to use it for potassium picrate whistling fireworks. hehe.

@TheFireGoose - 2022-08-19

@@gregkral4467 yeh haha. I’m soon going to try make potassium picrate. So is all you do dissolve picric acid in a solvent (ethanol, etc) then add potassium carbonate and mix them together? Do you need to heat? I would imagain so then crystalize them out slowly.

@gregkral4467 - 2022-08-19

@@TheFireGoose jeez, i have to look that one up again, sounds right, last i knew about it was around 1994 when looked it up before we hadinternet, and we diled in to a bulletin board to share messages once a week over satellite.... but the RCMP officer running the pyro echo who was gonna ban me for picric acid instructions, (until i told him about the potasium picrate) gave me a safer recipe, I believe it was one part potassium perchlorate to 7 parts sodium benzoate... but i could be a little off on that one, sounds right from my memory banks....

@thedevilinthecircuit1414 - 2022-01-01

You like an energetic reaction? Drop some brake fluid into a very small (very small) container of granulated pool chlorine. Don't breathe the smoke!

@griffin5226 - 2020-01-28

I thought picric acid was more inclined to explode rather than just burn in the presence of heat. Is this untrue? can you get just the picric acid alone to detonate?

@reactivechem7408 - 2020-01-29

Explosives like these have to go through detonation to deflagration. In picric acid it doesn’t happen because it is very oxygen negative and relatively stable. You can get picric acid to detonate by itself, but you have to do it through shock and not flame.

@industrialadhesive6357 - 2020-02-23

It is not easily detonated but in makes for a great booster charge

@artcultureindia6757 - 2023-04-08

In india I can not find it a it's name ...
Are there any other which is it in. ????

@georgelahanas1927 - 2019-10-30

I was even more bamboozled

@artcultureindia6757 - 2023-04-08

Where to get potassium clorate

@chemistryofquestionablequa6252 - 2023-04-24

Look for videos on chlorate cells, it's easy to make.

@nighthawklabs2352 - 2019-10-30

I’ve been bamboozled

@hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzit9185 - 2019-10-30

Nice

@wasserwasser8726 - 2020-04-29

Is this less sensitive/poisonous than tetryl? How long can you store picric and tetryl without moisturizer? Also is aspirin/phenol picric the same?

@reactivechem7408 - 2020-04-29

I don’t know much about tetryl but picric is very toxic and it stores for a long time. Also yes phenol or aspirin makes same product.

@wasserwasser8726 - 2020-04-29

@@reactivechem7408 thanks!

@c2n10 - 2020-12-11

@@wasserwasser8726 tetryl is way more toxic/sensitive than picric and is definitely carcinogenic whilst picric has no data on carcinogenicity, it does have a mutagenic effect in studies on bacteria.

Despite tetryl being worse from a health perspective, don't underestimate picric acid's ability to cause liver failure.

@wasserwasser8726 - 2020-12-12

@@c2n10 thanks for the info!

@Andrew-my1cp - 2020-07-04

That's interesting how your acid wouldn't light. The stuff I made I lit it in powder form and it went FOOF and deflagrated very quickly. Weird. Also I'm putting the freezing method for peroxide to the test right now. What I'm doing differently than you is doing what I call fractional crystallization. The crystals that formed are pretty big and so after enough form, I filter them using my ghetto rigged vacuum filter. Then I put it back to freeze further. The point where no more crystallizes is when I stop. It should be a decent method for making 20-30% peroxide. I'm expecting 20-25% based off of how cold my freezer goes. It's semi tedious but I prefer it over distillation or simmering since that requires cont TITS I almost dropped my phone because a HUGE FUCKING spider just crawled out of nowhere. I'm not even that affected by spiders but that thing is fucking HUGE. It ran away too. RIP. Lol anyway, they require continous watching and the freezing method is just a quick filtration every few hours which is not bad if you're just chilling (badum tsss) all day. I'm going to make teeny tiny amounts of TATP and HMTD to test how sensitive they are with my own eyes plus I'll make two more explosives that I haven't made before. I'll get back to you to see how peroxide goes.

@reactivechem7408 - 2020-07-04

Yea idk why my acid doesn’t light very well but at least it works I guess. Also good luck with the freezing method, it should work well but will take lots of time. I assume your going to use that conc h2o2 to make the tatp and hmtd? As long as your making super small amounts your going to be ok. You will see why all the kewls blow fingers off with I because it is fairly sensitive.

@reactivechem7408 - 2020-07-04

Also sorry about the spider and good luck with those future synths

@Andrew-my1cp - 2020-07-04

@@reactivechem7408  ReactiveChem  Yea the acid lighting is a bit weird. Then again I had a finer powder and more lower nitrates which could've been a factor as well. Yea the peroxide is to test how much less sensitive HMTD and TATP can be made if recrystallized to remove the trapped acids. Haha I definitely was a huge advocate against them because kids were making gram amounts and throwing it around like a plain firecracker. I'll make some small amount of TATP but I'll be focusing the experiments and tests on HMTD since it's far better than TATP. If made right it's still sensitive af but a little less sensitive than TATP but the biggest reason is because it doesn't have that sublimation issue. Thanks haha and yea that spider is still somewhere... I couldn't get it.

@callmeclouds - 2021-03-07

😗😗😗

@richardsmith3199 - 2023-04-24

try K2S208