Explosive material

An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An explosive charge is a measured quantity of explosive material.

This potential energy stored in an explosive material may be

Explosive materials may be categorized by the speed at which they expand. Materials that detonate (the front of the chemical reaction moves faster through the material than the speed of sound) are said to be "high explosives" and materials that deflagrate are said to be "low explosives". Explosives may also be categorized by their sensitivity. Sensitive materials that can be initiated by a relatively small amount of heat or pressure are primary explosives and materials that are relatively insensitive are secondary or tertiary explosives.

The Most

The Most may refer to:

See also

Nitrogen triiodide

Nitrogen triiodide is the inorganic compound with the formula NI₃. It is an extremely sensitive contact explosive: small quantities explode with a loud, sharp snap when touched even lightly, releasing a purple cloud of iodine vapor; it can even be detonated by alpha radiation. NI₃ has a complex structural chemistry that is difficult to study because of the instability of the derivatives.

Structure of NI₃ and its derivatives

Nitrogen triiodide was first characterized by Raman spectroscopy in 1990 when it was prepared by an ammonia-free route. Boron nitride reacts with iodine monofluoride in trichlorofluoromethane at −30 °C to produce pure NI₃ in low yield:

NI₃ is pyramidal (C_3vmolecular symmetry), as are the other nitrogen trihalides and ammonia.

The material that is usually called "nitrogen triiodide" is prepared by the reaction of iodine with ammonia. When this reaction is conducted at low temperatures in anhydrous ammonia, the initial product is NI₃ · (NH₃)₅, but this material loses some ammonia upon warming to give the 1:1 adduct NI₃ · NH₃. This adduct was first reported by Bernard Courtois in 1812, and its formula was finally determined in 1905 by Oswald Silberrad. Its solid state structure consists of chains of -NI₂-I-NI₂-I-NI₂-I-... Ammonia molecules are situated between the chains. When kept cold in the dark and damp with ammonia, NI₃ · NH₃ is stable.