Tovex?

[A-BOMB]

Do anyone know about this AN explovise? Is there any problems with this formula for it I found it while browsing the FTP, but still I don't want to waste any chems if I can help it.

Tovex

Ingredients

1. Ammonium Nitrate 55%
2. Powdered Aluminium 20% (blend of flaked and atomized).
3. Potassium or Sodium Nitrate 10%
4. Gelatine or Starch 2.5% (kitchen grade)
5. Potassium Dichromate 1% (thickening agent). You may substitute this with Cr,Fe,Sn, sulfates, nitrates or chlorides, i.e. kitchen grade borax.
6. Urea 0.5%, retardant, prevents swelling and gas generation in storage. Optional if material is not stored for long.
7. KH2PO4 L/NaOH (in 29/1 mol. ratio), also optional if not stored.
8. Distilled Water

Process:

1. Filter an adequate quantity of each solid material through a sieve.
2. If necessary crush the ammonium nitrate first.
3. Weigh the required quantity of each material.
4. Place the screened and weighed materials in separate containers and close tightly.
5. Place AN into mixing bowl.
6. Add boiling water and stir until all AN is dissolved.(AN solubility is 580 gm per 100 ml's water @ 80 c.
7. Blend the gelling powder and the potassium or sodium nitrate in a separate container.
8. Add the mix from step 7 to the hot AN solution.
9. Stir for 3 minutes.
10. Add aluminium powder.
11. Mix contents of bowl thoroughly.
12. Dissolve thickener/cross linking agent(potassium dichromate), in a little hot water and add to the bowl's contents.
13. Add mixed stabilizer and enhancer to the mix. Ingredients 6 & 7. Optional for storage.
14. Blend thoroughly for 5-10 minutes, or until mix is free of lumps.
15. Pour filler into the grenade body.
16. Insert a spacer into the molten filler for the detonator.
17. Place grenade with filler and spacer into a warm air dryer until filler coagulates into a uniform, tough gelatinous mass.
18. Remove spacer and install detonator at time of use.

<small>[ January 09, 2003, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: A-BOMB ]</small>

[Kriegsminister]

The ratios given confused me a bit:

55 + 20 + 10 + 2.5 + 1 + 0.5 = 89

When percentage ratios are give it should be 100% and not 89%. :confused:

1. I doubt that the aluminium powder will mix very well with the water due to the diffrent specific weight.

2. It says "molten filler". But it's just water with some salts dissolved in it. It's not molten at all, just dissolved.

3. I don't know if it works too well considering it just contains 55% AN.

The best thing would be to prepare a small ammount of it to make sure it works as described. The chemicals are quite common and not too expensive so you won't waste much if it doesn't work.

[Anthony]

I'm pretty sure that a member tried this stuff many times before and had no success with it.

But can't hurt to try :)

[Mr Cool]

Don't know if you're referring to me (IIRC someone else has tried it too), but I tried it a couple of times but it didn't gel like it should. It should form a stiff, tough gel. I just got a soggy mass of crystals.
It should detonate though, if you give it a big enough det.

[Kalium]

Excuse me my broken english :)

Hmm. It seems like it needs a denstity lowering agent, otherwise it's denstity will be too high to detonate.
Next... Usualy, urea is used as catalisator of NaNO2 decomposion in emulsion explosive compositions with nitrites FOR gas generation, and I have never heared that urea can prevent it.

[Mr Cool]

Urea is being used here to stabilise the AN against its change in crystal form that happens at 30-something degress C.
I think that when they say "prevents... gas generation in storage", I don't think they mean actual gas production. I think that by stopping the AN's phase change, it stops the Tovex from expanding and contracting, which would otherwise crack it and let gas into the cracks. I don't think the composition would actually produce any gas.
Although... under the right conditions AN could react with Al to produce H2 and NH3, and also Al can rduce nitrates and release ammonia - but how could urea prevent this?
I think the KH2PO4 is used to prevent the Al and nitrates reacting, instead of boric acid which is mentioned more commonly.

[Kalium]

I know that meta- and polyphosphates can prevent crystalisation of AN, may be KH2PO4 too.