3 ms·

Powerful oxidizers. The PEPCON disaster in 1988 was a different oxidizer, ammonium perchlorate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster https://en.wikiped

Powerful oxidizers. The PEPCON disaster in 1988 was a different oxidizer, ammonium perchlorate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster Derek Lowe has a good post on some very strong peroxides: http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2014/10/10/things_i_wont_work_with_peroxide_peroxides http://blogs.sciencemag.org/pipeline/archives/2014/10/10/thi... Of course quantity matters. But messing about with strong oxidizers is scary. The article doesn't say which organic peroxide it is, and that matters a lot too. Edit: Given the list of products made at the site[1] (PVC, acrylic paints, etc) it might be MEKP[1]. That's quite a strong explosive. [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20170830090410/http://www.arkema-americas.com/en/arkema-americas/united-states/crosby-tx/ https://web.archive.org/web/20170830090410/http://www.arkema... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_ethyl_ketone_peroxide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methyl_ethyl_ketone_peroxide

vvanders 9y ago
Uf, ammonium perchlorate is literally rocket fuel, they use it in the SRBs and for a lot of amateur rocketry.
- SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
  Yes, and TATP is a high explosive. MEKP is almost as powerful (5200m/s detonation velocity vs 5300m/s for TATP) but much more useful commercially. It's a precursor for all sorts of plastics.
- ams6110 9y ago
  It's not rocket fuel itself, it's an oxidizer. Storing it in aluminum bins as PEPCON did strikes me as quite risky, since aluminum powder with such an oxidizer would make a good solid rocket fuel or explosive. As a kid, friends and I used to make our own fireworks with ammonium nitrate fertilizer. These days if you buy much of that and aren't a farmer you'll likely get a visit from serious men in dark suits.

3 ms·

Powerful oxidizers. The PEPCON disaster in 1988 was a different oxidizer, ammonium perchlorate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEPCON_disaster https://en.wikiped

by SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago

vvanders 9y ago
Uf, ammonium perchlorate is literally rocket fuel, they use it in the SRBs and for a lot of amateur rocketry.
- SAI_Peregrinus 9y ago
  Yes, and TATP is a high explosive. MEKP is almost as powerful (5200m/s detonation velocity vs 5300m/s for TATP) but much more useful commercially. It's a precursor for all sorts of plastics.
- ams6110 9y ago
  It's not rocket fuel itself, it's an oxidizer. Storing it in aluminum bins as PEPCON did strikes me as quite risky, since aluminum powder with such an oxidizer would make a good solid rocket fuel or explosive. As a kid, friends and I used to make our own fireworks with ammonium nitrate fertilizer. These days if you buy much of that and aren't a farmer you'll likely get a visit from serious men in dark suits.