Sodium perchlorate explosive

[ALENGOSVIG1]

While cleaning out my desk today, I found some notes i took on a patent awhile back. I was planning on posting this months ago but i guess I forgot about it.

Basically its a cheap and powerfull cast explosive thats very simple to make. The chemicals are relatively easy to get too.
The finished explosive is sensitve to a #8 blasting cap and has a VoD of 5800-7010 m/s.

You must fist make the liquid matrix,and then add it to dry sodium perchlorate. The final explosive consists of 45% matrix and 55% dry sodium perchlorate.

The maxtrix composition is:
61% Aqueous Sodium Perchlorate solution 35%
Calcium Nitrate 10%
Diethylene Glycol 53.5%
Guar Gum 1.5%

How to make the matrix:
1) Dissolve the calcium nitrate in as little water as possible (doesnt take much! and add it to the diethylene glycol while stirring.

2) Add the sodium perchlorate solution to the diethylene glycol from step 1 while stirring.

3) Add the Guar Gum to the sodium perchlorate solution/diethylene glycol and stir until the guar gum is evenly suspended within the mixture. You have not created the liquid matrix.

All that is left to do is add the matrix to dry sodium perchlorate and stir. The mixture is poured into the desired mold and let sit for a 5 hours. After 5 hours the explosive should be solid.

As i said before, the chemicals are quite easy to find. Diethylene glycol can be found in antifreeze. It should say on the bottle if it contains diethylene glycol. The diethylene glycol can be dehydrated by using calcium chloride. Calcium nitrate can be bought as 15-0-0 fertilizer. The guar gum can be bought at health food stores and the sodium perchloriate can be substituted with potassium perchlorate which can be bought from pyro suppliers.

<small>[ May 26, 2002, 02:55 PM: Message edited by: ALENGOSVIG1 ]</small>

[cutefix]

This is a nice formula Alen..Suitable for improvisation..
Its composition is related to the water gel type explosives.
However Sodium perchlorate does not release as much gas as ammonium perchlorate.Therefore I had doubts about its power.
This particular explosive composition is unlikely to attain detonation velocity near 6000m/s even in maximum theoritical density...unless you put some energetic substances(such as organic nitrates) to replace part of the fuel....

[ALENGOSVIG1]

I found a second page of notes and i found out i had a total of 9 different compositions listed, but i cant read some of the 9'th one so i left it out.

Composition #1
67% sodium perchlorate, 33% matrix.
matrix:
Diethylene Glycol 75%
Water 10%
Calcium Nitrate 12.4%
Guar Gum 2.5%
Glacial Acetic Acid 0.1%

Composition #2
60% sodium perchlorate, 40% matrix.
matrix:
61% Aqueous Sodium Perchlorate Solution 30%
Calcium Nitrate 10%
Diethylene Glycol 57%
Guar Gum 2.9%
Glacial Acetic Acid .1%

Composition #3
65% sodium perchlorate, 35% matrix.
matrix:
61% Aqueous Sodium Perchlorate Solution 20%
Calcium Nitrate 10%
Diethylene Glycol 67%
Guar Gum 3%
Glacial Acetic Acid .1%

Composition #4
62% dry sodium perchlorate and 38% matrix.
Matrix:
61% Aqueous Solution of Sodium Perchlorate 25%
Diethylene Glycol 73%
Guar Gum 2%

Composition #5
68% sodium perchlorate 32% matrix.
Matrix:
Diethylene Glycol 74%
Water 11%
Calcium Nitrate 12%
Guar Gum 2%
Glacial Acetic Acid 1%

Composition #6
64.5% sodium perchlorate, 28% matrix.
Matrix:
Diethylene Glycol 84%
Water 12.5%
Guar Gum 2.4%
Glacial Acetic Acid 1.1%

Composition #7
58 sodium perchlorate, 32% matrix.
Matrix:
Diethylene Glycol 75%
Water 11.5%
Calcium Nitrate 13.5%

Composition #8
55% sodium perchlorate, 45% matrix.
matrix:
61% Aqueous Sodium Perchlorate Solution 35%
Calcium Nitrate 10%
Diethylene Glycol 53.5%
Guar Gum 1.5%

The acetic acid is used to chage the viscosity of the mix. The patent said "an acid" is to be used. it didnt say what kind of acid. I dont know why they chose acetic acid but i am sure there are substitutes.

The detonation velocity i listed must have been for all the explosive compositions. So the velocity of these compositions ranges from 5800-7010 m/s according to the patent. Not just potassium perchlorate and sodium perchlorate can be used, but most inorganic chlorate or perchlorate salts. Some are more sensitive than others though.

1 lb charges of composition 1 and 2 shattered a 3/4" steel plate and the rest of the compositions blasted holes in the plate.

<small>[ May 27, 2002, 12:31 AM: Message edited by: ALENGOSVIG1 ]</small>

[cutefix]

These explosive mixtures are all based on sodium perchlorate,with some variations in fuels.Now for viscosity effect guar gum will supply that through its gellling power.
Sodium perchlorate like sodium chlorate can provide more oxygen per mole compared to potassium perchlorate.So its likely you have to modify slightly the recipe if using the potassium salt.
The acid content is very low and I was thinking it just a pH regulator;but again guar gum is tolerant to acidic substrate.However there is a grain of truth in your statement that it has some effect in modifying viscosity and presumably by ionic interaction between the gum carbohydrates and oxidizing salts cations.
Hence ,it can improve crosslinking through these mechanism....
Regarding detonation velocities,I do not know the method used by its authors -that they are using to calculate or measure it,but generally basing upon these compositions its unlikely even to reach 6000 m/s mark.The approximate range I could make out from these compositions is 3500-5500 m/s.
Hmmn...It would be interesting if some of these recipes can be tested and compared in performance with your ANSOY and ANNM....
This will then confirm its true potentials...

[ALENGOSVIG1]

Yes i am interested in testing the power of these explosives too. I am also doubtfull of the detonation velocities but if the explosive is able to shatter steel it must be quite brisant and powerful. I've been trying to find a source of perchlorate all day.

Unfortionately, its alot harder to get in canada than in USA. I wish there were some canadian pyro suppliers. None of the suppleirs in USA ship to canada. If i can find a supplier i'll test a few of these compositions and compare them with mor well known explosives.

[cutefix]

A confined high explosive can shatter its metal container,The sizes and number of the fragments can be compared with a control HE such as TNT .The smaller the sizes of the pieces the more brisant is the explosive.
This test I find difficult to improvise and obtain consistent result outside laboratory conditions;however I am optimistic that with many ingenious explosive experimenters in this forum basing upon the idea of fragmentation ;who can possibly create a similar tests using his improvised equipment.At least he can have an idea qualitatively about the brisance of the explosive under his tests.
Another good tests for brisance is an improvised shaped charge .If the device are made uniformly then variations in depth in penetration to a certain media; then it can be used as simple yardstick for brisance.

I see, you are interested in testing it;but indeed perchlorates are not as common as chlorates where you can procure it easily.The best bet is to prepare your own perchlorates by known methods,but that is a tedious task.Its more easier to buy it from the chemicalssupplier
A known supplier fo potassium and sodium perchlorate for laboratory use in Canada is Caledon Labs:
<a href="http://www.caledonlabs.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?category=L" target="_blank">http://www.caledonlabs.com/cgi-bin/products.cgi?category=L</a>
Their price for a 500 gram bottle of anhydrous sodium perchlorate is about 101 canadian dollars.
An you will need a water solution from this sodium perchlorate;you can create enough solutions for few selective trials.However I doubt if this particular explosive can be reliably detonated in small quantities...

<small>[ May 28, 2002, 01:47 AM: Message edited by: cutefix ]</small>

[ALENGOSVIG1]

Actually, the explosive is designed to be used in small diameter boosters for detonating anfo and slurries. The patent claims that Small amounts like a couple hundred grams can be detonated.

101 dollars for a bit over 1 lb of sodium perchlorate is a bit rich for my blood. I'd rather find a way to get some potassium perchlorate for a few dollars a pound.

[cutefix]

A few dollars for a pound ?
That is cheap and you can even buy large volumes for that chemical as its not as hygroscopic as the sodium perchlorate.
A technical grade material is cheap;but potassium perchlorate is slightly more expensive than the sodium perchlorate…
Well in that case you may indeed to need to use more of this KClO4.
From rough estimate:
You will need 1.13 more KClO4 for the required level of NaClO4.

Well that particular composition looks intriguing, as its supposedly claimed to boost ANFO.
Would you please to tell me the Patent Number (if Available as US Patent).?

[inferno]

A sound file i downloaded from a members site (cant remember whos though) was titled "350g_CaNAP" - is that calcium nitrate/AP? Because the boom it made was something to be heard in either movies or computer games...ohh so lovely...anyway as calcium nitrate is mentioned here, i thought this could go here, its not worth making a new topic here and i lost the site so i cant ask the author, sorry.
Just want to know if it is calcium nitrate/AP

[Anthony]

How critical is it to use the perchlorate rather than chlorate salt? NaClO3 is as common as muck for some people...

[Hvoroba]

Cutefix:
"unless you put some energetic substances(such as organic nitrates) to replace part of the fuel...."

What do you mean by fuel? If it's a fuel, as in oxidizer/fuel composition, then it's not a HE

[Zambosan]

Sure about that, Hvoroba? What do you think ANFO is? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> I see (and occasionally engage in, hehe) an awful lot of quibbling over definitions and semantics... hell, just look at the recent topic(s) on flash powder. I think if I've learned anything, it's that sweeping, rigid definitions and classifications of explosives should be treated as highly suspect. Hey wait, that's pretty broad & rigid in itself... :D

[cutefix]

Qoute:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What do you mean by fuel? If it's a fuel, as in oxidizer/fuel composition, then it's not a HE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hybrova if you combine nitromethane and ammonium nitrate;which is the fuel and which is the oxidant?
Nitromethane is an organic nitrocompound and ammonium nitrate is an inorganic nitrate.You combine them appropriately,you will get an HE.
In the same manner in this particular formula by Alen,as indicated here is still an HE.
If you replace the carbonaceous fuel or alcohol partly with organic nitrate (example nitroglycerin );in the presence of pure oxidant such as sodium perchlorate and calcium nitrate,then its obvious there is a difference in functionality between the components.
Even if the organic nitrate can be an oxidizer( but only partially as it has carbon atoms in its own structure that it must support for combustion-through detonation).
But in the presence of a pure oxidizer,it will act partly as a fuel.
Indeed in explosives, a fuel can have wider meaning ....
.
You still get an HE in this combination as long as its behavior fits the characteristics of a High Explosive.

An HE can be a unitary such as Nitroglycerin or a binary such as the ANNM.There are also multi-component mixtures.The principle remains the same; an HE undergo a detonation when properly initiated.

<small>[ May 29, 2002, 04:11 AM: Message edited by: cutefix ]</small>

[cutefix]

Qoute:
How critical is it to use the perchlorate rather than chlorate salt? NaClO3 is as common as muck for some people...

Anthony,you can use chlorates;but the main reason its is not well used as compared to perchlorates is its instability.
In this type of explosives, in the aqueous part of the composition where its dissolved with the nitrate ,it tends to crystallize out and decompose releasing chlorine gas.This affects both the safety ,sensitivity and stability of the explosive.
Perchlorates are less prone to this behaviour.

[Zambosan]

On this vein, I'd like to ask a basic question that's hounded me for a while. I would consider a perchlorate a more powerful oxidizer than a chlorate, since it has one more oxygen atom to donate electrons. However, it's common knowledge that perchlorates are more stable than chlorates, which is at least partially why they are favored in commercial pyro compositions and binary HE's, in this case. Why is this? Does it have something to do with the oxidation state of the chlorine? Please excuse if the answer is something that's patently obvious to a chemist, it ain't me line of work. :D Thanks!

[vulture]

First of all, defining the power of an oxidizer by the number of oxygen molecules it can release is not a good measure. More importantly is how much energy is needed to release the oxygen.
I would consider chlorate a more powerful oxidizer than perchlorate because it releases the oxygen much more quickly.

You are correct when you point at the oxidation state. In chlorate it is much further away from nobel gas configuration than it is in perchlorate, so the chlorate will more actively seek a more stable situation.

[Zambosan]

I understand, thanks. I've looked around for a molecular structure for chlorates & perchlorates to no avail; based upon the number of valence-shell lone pairs in Cl, all I can figure is that in the chlorate, the three O atoms are bonded directly to the Cl, which is in a +3 oxidation state, while in the perchlorate, the "per-" indicates that there are two O-O groups bonded to the Cl, which is in a +2 state, which would indeed be a more stable state. Am I in the right direction here? I can't see any conceivable way that all 4 oxygens could be directly bonded to the Cl, unless there's some hybridization mechanism I'm not aware of going on in the perchlorate ion.

[kingspaz]

zambosan, oxygen is more electronegative than chlorine and so is able to remove electrons from chlorine (electronegitivity is a measure of how much the the atom pull electrons: Flourine is highest, then oxygen, then nitrogen). in chlorate the chlorine is in oxidation state +5 and ine perchlorate +7.
this is evident from the charges on the oxygens:
ClO3-, oxygen in -2 oxidation state because it is more electronegative than chlorine. there are 3 so total charge = 3*-2 = -6
the total ion charge is -1 so -1--6 = +5
ClO4-, 4 oxygens each with -2 charge: 4*-2=-8, total charge = -1 therefore -1--8 = +7
hope that helped.

edit: there is no molecular structure for chlorates and perchlorates as they are ionic compounds. that means they are a regular lattice of K+ and ClO3- (in the case of potassium chlorate). they are salts of chloric and perchloric acid.

<small>[ May 30, 2002, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: kingspaz ]</small>

[cutefix]

There were few studies done decades ago about using chlorates.
I just cannot remember the exact paper or patent.It was compared in performance with perchlorates.In one and same formulation (in which the variables were only he chlorates and perchlorates);it was noted that chlorates give slightly higher detonation velocities than perchlorates.

As their were never extensive experiments done;I could not attribute that chlorates were superior,but it implies that its instability contributes somewhat to slightly faster detonation velocities of the slurry type chlorate-nitrate oxidized explosives.
So it offers possibilities that as long as the explosive its fresh made and used immedately; using chlorates in this formulation is feasible.

It is storage that creates the problem.

[JoeJablomy]

Diethylene glycol can be found in antifreeze. It should say on the bottle if it contains diethylene glycol. The diethylene glycol can be dehydrated by using calcium chloride.

Forgive me if this is a stupid/ O/T question, but how do you seperate the DEG from the EG? I'm wondering because it seems DEGDN is a good plasticizer for double base compositions such as nipolit. It turns out JA2 tank gun propellant also has 25% DEGDN, unlike a lot of propellants that went before it, so I'm betting it has some significant advantage.
Going further O/T, does anyone have thoughts on how much nitro ester to use in double base formulations? JA2 has a hygroscopicity problem because of the DEGDN, but it doesn't have nearly as much as nipolit. Might have something to do with the NG content of JA2. Here are the compositions:

JA2 from ASC paper on the web:
% component
60 NC
15 NG
25 DEGDN

Nipolit from earlier thread:
Nitrocellulose 34%
Diethylene glycoldinitrate 30%
Diphenyl urea 0 .75%
Graphite 0.10 %
PETN 35%
Magnesium Oxide 0.05%

As you can see, nipolit has nearly as much DEGDN as NC.
Also, I believe I've seen is said that blasting gelatin is NC/NG; is this a higher proportion of NG, or is there something to the curing process that hardens double base in ways that aging does not?