> On May 27, 2018, at 3:46 AM, xxxxxx@gmail.com wrote:
>
> On 26 May 2018 at 16:03, Thomas Jones-Low wrote:
>
>> On 5/26/2018 3:48 PM, Timothy Collinson wrote:
>>
>>> I needed to name some TL4 explosives (on Pysadi, harvesting howood)
>>> and came up with quadroglycerine - it was supposed to be a sort of
>>> homage to triticale being turned into quadrotriticale for Star
>>> Trek's Trouble With Tribbles episode.  But is the nature of
>>> glycerine such that that's just completely ridiculous?
>>>
>>
>> Welll, there is Nitroglycerin aka trinitroglycerine, and
>> Trinitrotoluene (aka
>> TNT). Glycerine doesn't have the attachment for additional nitrogen
>> groups.
>>
>> TNT on the other hand. In theory, since the core of toluene is a
>> benzene ring,
>> you can attach up to 6 NO2 groups. Of course these are unstable, and
>> adding more makes the explosive more powerful. So QNT would be really
>> scary stuff.
>
> You want scary?
>
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octaazacubane
>
> More than 5 times as powerful as TNT. And it decomposes into nitrogen
> gas (so no toxic fumes).
>
> Then there's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_gauche_nitrogen
> which is 50% more energetic.
>
> For that matter, metallic hydrogen (if it turns out to be metastable)
> would be around 50 times as powerful as TNT. Of course, all those
> very energetic hydrogen ions encountewring oxygen (and nitrogen) in
> air would boost things a fair bit.
>
> If you want something less drastic try
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octanitrocubane

There’s a chemist who has (had? it’s been a while) a blog detailing ‘Scary things people make in chemistry labs’ mainly about really unstable compounds.

It’s an entertaining/horrifying read for someone chemically inclined, lots of notes about ‘Do not let this compound get above -50 degrees.’ or ‘all apparatus must be completely dry at all times, trace amounts of water will cause it to explode/deflagrate/burn uncontrollably’, etc. Also tales of stuff that makes Alien blood eating it’s way through 5 decks look like ‘oops I spilled some kool-aid, time for some Bounty!'

I may have even been introduced to him here at some point over the years...

--
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs