NITROGUANIDINE

DETONATION VELOCITY
5630 M/sec. @ 1.0 G/cc.
7650 M/sec. @ 1.5 G/cc.
FRICTION SENSITIVITY - Very insensitive

Nitroguanidine is a powerful explosive. First made from bat guano, by extraction and formation of guanidine nitrate and subsequent treatment of this nitrate with
sulfuric acid (95% +) and filtration of the product. This explosive is similar in performance to picric acid and T.N.T.. While not being quite as brisant as these two
explosives the ease of manufacture and lack of friction sensitivity make nitroguanidine an attractive choice for a blasting cap base charge explosive. It is a cool
explosive and does not give a high temperature of detonation but gives a larger volume of gases upon detonation. This base charge explosive, should be loaded
in the caps with the density not exceeding 1.35 G/cc. Excess loading densities will render the base charge undetonatable with 1.5 G. charges of H.M.T.D.. This
explosive will work and work well and is very storage stable. Larger diameter cap containers (3/8" +) should be used to ensure propagation of the detonation
through the entire cap.
Obtain two clay flower pots with a small hole in their bottoms. Fitted to one of these is stainless steel tubing. A refractory made from "firebrick" and fired by
charcoal should be built. The flower pots will need to fit into this refractory and have ample room around them to pack the charcoal. An air blower (e.g. hair
dryer, vacuum cleaner is hooked up to blow air through the coal to generate the heat needed. In the bottom flowerpot, a stainless steel screen will be needed to
keep from clogging the stainless steel tubing from the ammonia inlet tube. Place 200 grams of calcium carbonate (Limestone, chalk) in the bottom flower pot,
with the stainless tubing attached. Place the other flowerpot upside down directly on top of the bottom pot. Place this in the refractory furnace and place a
pyrometer or high temperature thermometer into the hole in the top clay flower pot. Start the furnace and blow air through the burning charcoal until the
temperature inside the pots reaches 700 degrees C.. At this time begin to pass ammonia gas through the stainless tubing into the lime inside. The temperature
should never go over 820 degrees C. as the lime will decompose. The ammonia generator the gas generator in the TACC section. The amounts needed in the
generator are 170 G. ammonium nitrate fertilizer, 100 G. sodium hydroxide and adding 100 ml water to the mixture. This water addition would be done in small
portions to ensure the absorption of the gas by the calcium carbonate. This gas needs to be generated slowly! When all the ammonium nitrate has been added
and the gas ceases to generate from the generator deprive the charcoal of oxygen to extinguish the flame. Let the refractory furnace cool and remove the
flowerpots from it. The black material in the bottom is calcium cyanamide. Place 216 grams of urea in a stainless steel pan. Heat until it begins to melt. Add in
small portions 1300 grams ammonium nitrate. CAUTION: This is dangerous and extreme care should be used in this step. This mixture could explode if allowed
to burn. Water should be. used if a fire does break out by immediate dilution and quenching of the reaction mixture!! Keep the temperature of the melt at
120 degrees centigrade. When the addition of the ammonium nitrate is complete and the mixture is liquid and at 120 degrees C. the calcium cyanamide from
above is added in portions over a twenty minute period. This mixtures temperature is held at 120 degrees C. for two hours and then diluted with 720 ml water.
This liquid is heated to 95 degrees C. and then filtered through several coffee filters or a "fast" filter paper. The liquid thus obtained is allowed to cool to 25
degrees C. and then the crystals formed are filtered out. The liquid is reduced to 1/2 its volume by boiling. It is cooled and filtered and the crystals obtained are
added to those from the first filtration. These crystals are washed with 40 ml cold water. They are then dried in a shallow pyrex dish while heated in a hot oil
bath at 110 degrees C. for two hours. These crystals are guanidine nitrate (90% purity). Immerse a one liter flask, containing 500 ml. concentrated sulfuric acid,
in cracked ice. This acid is stirred until the temperature drops to 10 degrees C. or less. In small portions, add 400 grams of dry guanidine nitrate to the acid with
stirring to keep the temperature below 11 degrees C.. When all the guanidine nitrate is dissolved, pour the now milky liquid into three liters of cracked ice and water. Let this stand until the nitroguanidine is completely crystallized out of the liquid. Filter these crystals out and dissolve in four liters of boiling water
(distilled if possible). Allow to cool by standing overnight and filter the crystals out. Dry these crystals by heating gently in a container placed in a pan of boiling
water. This dried material is then ready to store in a plastic container or to load into finished caps.

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Pub: 29 Dec 2022 06:08 UTC
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