Table of Contents
Is RDX high or low explosive?
High explosives
High explosives, such as the RDX in the drawing, have the fuel and the oxygen built into the same molecule. The molecule is like a wound-up spring waiting for a stimulus to release its energy. That stimulus is a shock wave that travels through the material much faster than the flame of low explosive deflagration.
Is RDX a real explosive?
The chemical name for RDX is 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine. It is a white powder and is very explosive. RDX is used as an explosive and is also used in combination with other ingredients in explosives.
Which chemical is used to make RDX?
RDX is produced by nitrolysis of hexamine with nitric acid (HSDB 2009; Lewis 2007). In the Bachmann process, used in the United States, hexamine is reacted with nitric acid, ammonium nitrate, glacial acetic acid, and acetic anhydride (Boileau et al.
How does RDX detonate?
The explosion of the flash charge detonates a primer charge, lead azide, which in turn detonates a base charge of powerful explosive such as PETN or RDX.
Does the military use RDX?
The military uses RDX as an ingredient in plastic bonded explosives, or plastic explosives which have been used as explosive “fill” in almost all types of munitions compounds.
What is the difference between HMX and RDX?
RDX is a nitramine used widely as an explosive and as a constituent in plastic explosives. RDX causes seizures at high dose and nervous system disorder at low dose. HMX is a nitramine that burst at high temperatures. It is used in nuclear devices, plastic explosives, and rocket fuels.
Can I buy PETN?
Many countries have tight restrictions on the purchase of PETN, which can be bought in powder form or in thin plastic sheets, but it can also be made from chemicals available over the counter. PETN is used legally by the military and in industries such as mining, where it is used in detonation fuses.