Explosive Combinations

Discussion in 'Chemistry' started by TruthSeeker, Apr 25, 2007.

  1. orcot Valued Senior Member

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    I'm quit certain that a strong enough implosion would fuse any hydrogen in it's center to form a secondairy explosion
     
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  3. Oli Heute der Enteteich... Registered Senior Member

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    All explosions, to a certain extent have an implosion component. Nukes and thermobaric weapons particularly so. But the implosion follows the explosion or detonation - there's a massive outward rush of air away from the epicentre and that's followed some time later by the air coming back into the low-pressure volume that was the centre. But there won't be anything left to get killed by the implosion by that time.

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  5. Quantum Fool Registered Member

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    that makes a lot of sense, fluids move to an area of low pressure before an area of high pressure, so yes that would be right.

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    But can we actually see the implosion? I think not, because air moves faster than anything I know of, except light and sound of course, so we wouldn't see the implosion unless it was so powerful that the air rushing back caused the shrapnel from whatever was detonated to fly back as well.

    So I think the force of the vacuum(low-pressure area) would have to be greater than the force of the detonation to have the shrapnel fly back, that just makes sense.


    and on a completely side and off topic note/question...How do I get rid of the thing that says "Registered User(--- posts)" and put something that I want in there? i.e. Positron's "Agony: Not all pain is gain", right next to his avatar.
     
    Last edited: May 23, 2007
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  7. NobleSilver Registered Member

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    Positron, You said in sciforums.com that gunpowder will not explode if it is not in a confined space. What is the scientific reason gunpowder will not explode when it is not compressed? Inside fireworks these chemicals are compact together tightly to make them go off.
     
  8. NobleSilver Registered Member

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    Chatha, You said in sciforums.com that gunpowder will not explode if it is not in a confined space. What is the scientific reason gunpowder will not explode when it is not compressed? Inside fireworks these chemicals are compact together tightly.
     
  9. NobleSilver Registered Member

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    Will gunpowder eplode if it's not compressed together?

    Hi to all who are reading this. What is the scientific reason gunpowder will not explode when it is not compressed? Inside fireworks these chemicals are compact together tightly for them to detonate. I appreciate anyone's knowledge on this topic. I have a feeling this could be a phenomenon.

    Sterling

    Sterlbo1@hotmail.com
     
  10. Positron Agony: Not all pain is gain Registered Senior Member

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    Well, first you have to realize that gunpowder does not explode. It burns. However, it releases a large amount of sulfur dioxide.(a gas) When you contain the Gunpowder, and burn it, all the gas must go somewhere, so it builds up pressure and blows up its container, giving the effect that Gunpowder "explodes"
    It is just like putting to much air in a balloon. It blows up. So if you just breathing, nothing happens, but if you put your mouth on a balloon, it explodes. that doesn't mean your breath is explosive.
     
  11. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    Explosive chemical reaction occur because one or more chemicals are in a situations were they will undergo a reaction that is self catalyzing without enough regulating mechanism. Lets say you shake nitroglycerine, a enough molecules in the nitroglycerine decay releasing heat and higher products which causes the surround nitroglycerine molecules to decay and thus cause more nitroglycerine molecules to decay, the chain reaction continues experientially until the blast from the sudden release of heat has blown up all the nitroglycerin in your hand... and has taken your hand with it.
     
  12. Echo3Romeo One man wolfpack Registered Senior Member

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    You can see it pretty clearly starting around 2:10 in this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BgBNHwR_FQQ

    As the blast sphere reaches its maximum diameter it has long since stopped receiving energy from the device that created it. The wall of hot, high pressure gas constitutes a bubbles with a partial vacuum at its center (visible in the cloud chamber effect of the Crossroads Baker test of 1946, where the invisible blast wave can be seen as froth on the water as it moves ahead of the vacuum). That gas collapses inward again. When it does, it relinquishes the potential energy it absorbed during its expansion. When it finally meets at the center again, the debris swept up by the collapsing sphere is lofted into the air by its heat in a large columnar draft. The outer wall of the column cools fastest and thus slows its ascent more quickly than the center, peeling away in vortices. This layering effect is the basis of how the characteristic mushroom cloud is formed.

    Note that mushroom clouds can occur after any explosion, from an M80 to Castle Bravo. The ones created by nuclear weapons are much larger, so their phenomena is more dramatic and easier to observe.

    Edit: nitroglycerine and other high order explosives do not burn in the conventional sense, they detonate. Detonation is supersonic combustion that is initiated mostly by pressure-induced heat rather than heat that propagates through the explosive material via conduction. The velocity of a detonation wave is many orders of magnitude higher than the velocity of deflagration (subsonic burn) in a low order explosive like gunpowder. This leads to a more dramatic pressure gradient which is why high explosives have so much more yield per unit of weight.
     
    Last edited: May 14, 2008
  13. NobleSilver Registered Member

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    No one can still explain the scientific reason why gunpowder will not burn when it is not in a confined space. If any of you were experts I would of had a answer by now.
     
  14. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    it burns in an unconfined space as well, /thread.
     
  15. Echo3Romeo One man wolfpack Registered Senior Member

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    Haha, I dare you to fill your palm with Pyrodex and stab it with a match.
     
  16. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    Don't say that, He might do it and then sue you!
     
  17. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Perhaps because that's a totally incorrect statement/question????? Of course it will burn unconfined!!!

    It will just sit there and burn away very quickly once it's been ignited and produce a fairly rapid fire and lot of smoke in the process. Sorry, but that's about THE silliest question I've ever seen here.
     
  18. kevinalm Registered Senior Member

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    I presume you mean explode instead of burn.

    Because in 'low' explosives like gunpowder (old fashion black powder for example) the flame front travels subsonically. Combustion gasses vent away into the surroundings so no pressure builds up at the flame front. No shock wave. Confinement allows pressure and temp to rise and the burn accelerates. Bang.

    High explosives either burn supersonically or can be induced to do so with a relatively small pressure/temp increase. Start a shock wave/supersonic flame front and it will maintain itself untill all the fuel is gone. Loud bang.
     
    Last edited: May 15, 2008
  19. NobleSilver Registered Member

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    ElectricFetus & Read-Only. If gunpower burns in a unconfined space as well, why would gunpowder not burn when a cannon fuse is touching the gunpowder when it was lite? If heat & fire were contacting the gunpowder why would it not burn? This is a mystery I'm trying to solve. I believe Kevinalm has answered these questions. Its a superb explaination on why this would happen.
     
  20. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Well, well. Evidently you didn't even understand what Kevin said (he was correct) but you attempt to claim you did. Your continued "mystery" reveals that you didn't grasp ANY of the explanations given.

    I'll make ONE more attempt. It most certainly DOES burn - confined or unconfined! It's very simple chemical reactions that any 16-year old should understand if they've been to school.

    What Kevin was trying to tell you is that it DOES burn - but much more slowly than compounds that are classified as high explosives. Pour some on a table, touch a match to it and watch it burn - everytime!!!!!!!!

    Are you quite certain that you even know the difference between "burn" and "explode?" Rusting/corroding, burning and exploding are all the same chemical reaction - oxidation. The only difference between them (generally speaking) is the speed.
     
  21. Elucinatus Registered Member

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    You take a common light bulb, fill it up with gasoline, screw it back into the socket from whence it came, and the next time someone steps into the room to flip the switch shining light on their new issue of Penthouse, they will find they've walked into an explosion and flames will engulf the room.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2008
  22. Read-Only Valued Senior Member

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    Now that's just great!!!!:bugeye: You've just told some stupid kid of 14 how to set his house on fire!

    But, thankfully, he probably won't be able to figure out how to do it without breaking the glass in the first place.
     
  23. ElectricFetus Sanity going, going, gone Valued Senior Member

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    maybe, if there is enough air in the bulb, but gasoline does not burn without oxygen, gunpowder on the other hand burns without air.
     

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