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jdurg:

--- Quote from: hmx9123 on April 15, 2004, 05:25:13 AM ---jdurg--
  Just OOC, what interested you in explosives, specifically, synthesis and detection?  I'm always curious to find that out.

--- End quote ---

Well, I've always had an interest in things that made very bright flashes or very loud noises.  I guess that's just an instinct type of thing.  I got very interested in the chemistry of explosives after the original World Trade Center bombing.  I found it remarkable how they could take a blast site and easily find out what chemical was used to make the explosion.  Because of that, I also wanted to learn about the chemicals that were used and how they were made.  I just find it remarkable how one chemical is perfectly stable and won't detonate, but just change one or two things in it and it's suddenly a powerful explosive.  Things like octanitrocubane, nitroglycerine, trinitrophenol, fulminic acid, nitrogen triiodide, etc. etc. just really interest me.  (In fact, nitrogen triiodide is a major reason why I have an element collection).  The chemistry of explosives is a fascinating subject, and while I'd like to discuss it in more detail here, I have to be careful of what I say since someone might take some of the information I give and have a horrible accident.

hmx9123:
Materials with a severe difference in energy from the norm have always interested me.  Explosives have an energy that is much greater than that of most compounds, and cryogenic liquids, like liquid nitrogen, have a severe lack of energy.  I'm still fascinated by liquid nitrogen, even though I work with it every day.  Unfortunately, we do have to be careful what is said on this forum, as people do look at it and may do something stupid.

One thing that I have always liked is pyrotechnics.  I find it an incredibly fascinating side of chemistry.  If you're interested in reading some internet things on pyrotechnics, check out rec.pyrotechnics.  It's a usenet newsgroup, and it's a bunch of amateurs (and a few pros) talking about fireworks.  It's pretty amazing the chemistry behind some of that.

Donaldson Tan:
Perhaps one day one of us will be in the weapons industry developing a compact form of C4.. LOL.. It alwis been a childhood dream to be a member of the UN Weapon Inspection Team for WMDs..

 8)

Mitch:
hmx9123 does explosives research. He scares the rest of us with his dinitroacetylene project.

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