4 ms·
Picric acid's reputation for sensitivity to detonation has somehow greatly inflated in recent decades. It was safely fired out of artillery pieces millions of t
by philipkglass 5y ago
Picric acid's reputation for sensitivity to detonation has somehow greatly inflated in recent decades. It was safely fired out of artillery pieces millions of times during World War I. It was known to chemists for decades before it was considered/known as an explosive:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picric_acid#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picric_acid#History
It has friction and impact sensitivity comparable to TNT (see tables 13.4.6.5.1 and 13.5.1.5) according to the UN's "Classification Procedures, Test Methods and Criteria Relating to Explosives of Class 1":
https://unece.org/DAM/trans/danger/publi/manual/Rev5/English/01en_part1.pdf https://unece.org/DAM/trans/danger/publi/manual/Rev5/English...