[HN Gopher] Life after detonation (2012) ___________________________________________________________________ Life after detonation (2012) Author : areoform Score : 47 points Date : 2023-07-04 22:38 UTC (1 days ago) (HTM) web link (www.sciencemadness.org) (TXT) w3m dump (www.sciencemadness.org) | stevespang wrote: | Erythritol tetranitrate (ETN) - - cousin of PETN, for which the | detonation velocity of ETN is just above 8,000 meters per second | - - while PETN det vel is about 8,300 meters per second plus, | which is in the top 90% of highest velocity detonation velocities | available from high explosives. | | ETN is about 3 times more sensitive than PETN and is more | sensitive to friction than the former mentioned compound. The | decomposition of ETN is oxygen positive: C4H6N4O12 - 4 CO2 + 3 | H2O + N2 + 3/2 O. | | Why would any professional mess around with something that is 3x | more sensitive than PETN ? Easier synthesis perhaps, but life | changing or ending, if it detonates accidentally | | PETN is the preferred explosive in the widely used "det cord", | likely for a good reason, at 3x less sensitive. | K0balt wrote: | You still need an initiator to set off PETN. He was making a | primary explosive, which is needed to make an initiator or | blasting cap. | | Primary explosives are, as a rule, (and to perform their | function) easy to set off, typically with heat or minor impact | alone. | | PETN just burns if you set it on fire. ETN detonates, which is | what you want when you are building an electric initiator. | | Making primary explosives is always sketchy business, since a | spark or minor impact is often enough to set them off. | sidewndr46 wrote: | from what I understand this is the mystery of the Alfred P | Murrah building bombing. There was never any conclusion as to | how the torpex acting as the primary explosive was obtained. | moralestapia wrote: | I would actually expect professionals to come close to these | kind of things more regularly. Seems like he left his guard | down a little bit after working for years on these things. | twelve40 wrote: | and here we are complaining about bringing down production... | kazinator wrote: | > _the cause of the accident turned out to be the Chinese | knockoff beaker_ | | That's my takeaway here. | twelve40 wrote: | by following the 5 whys analysis technique, it appears that the | actual root cause of this accident is "trying stupid shit at | home"... (maybe just buy some firecrackers for the reenactment | next time? no pressing need to cook them at home Breaking Bad | style...) | JohnMakin wrote: | > What I should have done right then was drop to the floor and | cover my ears. I'd give my left nut to be able to time travel | back 2 years and do that. | | Or his left hand, as it were. | twelve40 wrote: | seems like a bit more, the left hand+eardrums+right thumb are | mentioned... a pretty intense tradeoff :thinking_face: | Wojtkie wrote: | Yeah, losing your thumb on the only hand you have left is | rough. There are prosthetics, but the thumb is extremely | important for overall functionality of the hand. | adhesive_wombat wrote: | > Instead of being made with Pyrex borosilicate glass, it was | cheap soda-lime glass that couldn't stand up to heating. I never | noticed the difference. | | American-made[1] "genuine" Pyrex is now also soda-lime, so just | the name isn't proof enough any more, at least for cookware | rather than labware. | | [1]: and I think some stuff found in the UK, as I have a Pyrex- | brand jugs and dishes that have got a distinct blue hue when seen | edge-on. | aidfobnaiosrnio wrote: | Remember, kids, the purpose of trademarks is to prevent | consumer confusion! When a person buys PYREX(r), they know it's | a name they can trust. | fmajid wrote: | No, the lab-grade stuff is still borosilicate, only the | consumer products were gimped. | AlbertCory wrote: | After I just watched the Mythbusters episode where they show some | experiments that you _can_ do at home. | | One of the ones you _can 't_ is mixing water with dry ice. They | put a rubber "hand" near a soda bottle, which they then fill up | and cap tightly in the way you shouldn't do. | | The damage to the "hand" was really impressive. | [deleted] | techbro92 wrote: | This was almost me after I lit off 3lbs of thermite. It instantly | reacted and the heat blast burned off 5% of my skin. I got very | lucky and completely recovered though. | twelve40 wrote: | offtopic, but I love such old-school niche forums, there used to | be so many diverse communities out there... Probably mostly wiped | out by one and only Reddit by now : ( ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2023-07-05 23:00 UTC)