Chemistry:Nitrostarch
Nitrostarch is a secondary explosive[1] similar to nitrocellulose. Much like starch, it is made up of two components, nitrated amylose and nitrated amylopectin. Nitrated amylopectin generally has a greater solubility than amylose; however, it is less stable than nitrated amylose.[2]
The solubility, detonation velocity, and impact sensitivity depend heavily on the level of nitration.[2]
Synthesis
Nitrostarch is made by dissolving starch in red fuming nitric acid. It is then precipitated by adding the solution to concentrated sulfuric acid.[2]
Nitrostarch can be stabilized by refluxing it in ethanol to drive off the left over nitric acid.[2]
History
Nitrostarch was first discovered by French chemist and pharmacist Henri Braconnot.[3]
After stabilizers (such as ammonium oxalate) were devised in the early 1900s to prolong its shelf life, it was started to be used as an industrial explosive.[4]
During World War I, it was used as a filler in hand grenades.[5]
References
- ↑ Robert Turkington (26 October 2009). Chemicals Used for Illegal Purposes. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 295–. ISBN 978-0-470-18780-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=4pwMQM3PuyoC&pg=PA295.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Liu, Jiping (2019), "Nitrostarch" (in en), Nitrate Esters Chemistry and Technology (Singapore: Springer Singapore): pp. 581–598, doi:10.1007/978-981-13-6647-5_11, ISBN 978-981-13-6645-1, http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-981-13-6647-5_11, retrieved 2022-02-25
- ↑ John Pichtel (15 September 2016). Terrorism and WMDs: Awareness and Response, Second Edition. Taylor & Francis. pp. 207–. ISBN 978-1-4987-3901-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=GD2LDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT207.
- ↑ Reese, Charles L. (1924-12-01). "Twenty-five years' progress in explosives". Journal of the Franklin Institute 198 (6): 745–768. doi:10.1016/S0016-0032(24)90453-4. ISSN 0016-0032. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016003224904534.
- ↑ Zakaria Abdel-rahman Shalash (1955). Studies on nitration of starch stabilization and explosive prop.... https://books.google.com/books?id=e9MTAQAAIAAJ.
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