nitrogentriiodide

[A_W]

After 20 min. of searching, I can conclude that there are no topics on nitrogentriiodide except from perhaps the archives (please correct me if i`m wrong). I hope opening this thread won`t get me banned.

I have recently taken interest to this explosive. Even though it has no use as an explosive, it makes a good chemistry demonstration. In my opinion, the manufacture and using of this explosive is quite safe (no, I`m not kidding/crazy). At least the way I make it.

I use household strenght ammonia, wich is about 5%, and solid iodine. Using such a low strenght of ammonia, will make the explosive safer/less powerful. A very small amount (point of a knife) of I2 is placed on a plastic plate. Enough ammonia to make it all wet is then poured over the iodine. The NI3 is then left on the plate, and not touched until it is to be used. As this method does not recuire any filtering etc., it is quite safe, as long as nobody steps on it by accident while drying. To set it off, I use a broomstick. It makes a cracking sound, and some nice, purple iodine vapour.

Has anyone any experience with this explosive? I have never dared to make this, until I thought of this simple and safe method.
Any comments?

[nbk2000]

It's been discussed plenty of times before.

And you're posting it in the wrong section. This is a low explosive, not a high explosive.

Transferring to the appropriate section.

And do some searches on NI3, that'll get you some results.

[A_W]

Sorry if this has been discussed before. My searches ended up with no results.

About the HE/LE: I have also thought of this as a LE, until some guy (in the archives, discussing the VOD of NI3), said:

"I'd class NH3•NI3 as a HE. It certainly does not deflagrate (no oxygen)! And from demonstrations I've seen, this stuff certainly is a lot more powerful than flash powder."

I figured this guy (CodeMason) knew alot more about explosives than me, hence I posted it in the HE, but you`re probably right NBK.

[Madog555]

codemason is cool, and i think NI3 is a HE, it is an energetic chemcal compound, not a fuel oxidizer mix. but i think it should be in this section sience primarys are discussed here. (well, its not realy a primary but it is not something that is set off with a blasting cap, and everything discussed in the HE section is)

edit: i just found a page that looks like it has some good info with experiances

<a href="http://yarchive.net/explosives/ni3.html" target="_blank">http://yarchive.net/explosives/ni3.html</a>

<small>[ April 27, 2002, 03:57 PM: Message edited by: Madog555 ]</small>

[A_W]

Great page! Thanks! That guy has some experiance with NI3!

[Pu239 Stuchtiger]

Firstly, NI3*xNH3 is a high explosive. Secondly, there is no such thing as a "simple and safe" method of preparing NI3*xNH3. There are only less extremely unpredictable methods.

[VX]

This was the first thing that I ever made, and the one I had least luck with. (probably because I was very young/ very kewl, and following the instructions from the Jolly Roger crapbook!!)

We made several 'pieces' of the stuff, and let it dry, we hit one of them with a brick to set it off, this set 3 of them off instead of the one as intended.

This left us with one piece left which my friend picked up and put in his pocket! He then walked around for about half an hour (with no problems) but when he tried to get it out of his pocket.... Pop, and fumes pouring from his jacket, which instantly turned his white school shirt dark brown.

The pieces were about 0.5 cm round, made with household ammonia and lab grade I2, (The friend of mine is a real friend). Apparently it didn’t hurt him at all, although he was in lots of trouble about the shirt! :D

[A_W]

What a smart guy who put NI3 in his pocket :D If it had been made with conc. lab grade ammonia, he probably would get into more trouble than a ruined shirt!

I really don`t see the danger in putting a small amount of iodine on a safe place that you`re sure that nobody will come near, pour some ammonia over it, and leaving it to dry. You don`t come near it until your going to detonate it, wich obviously is done with a long stick.

If it detonates before intended to; big deal. It is left to dry in the same place that you`re going to detonate it on anyway, so nothing more will happen than you have to make the batch over again.

This method is, in my opinion, very simple and safe. Much safer than other explosives.

[vulture]

A lot of chem staff at colleges put NI3 on the pavement on busy days, people walk over it and wonder where the crackles and pops come from... :D
They consider it as harmless....

[Kettch42mk.2]

I made some NI3 with lemon-scented household ammonia, intending to wrap it in foil and throw it to set it off. I tested a small amount, and the only way i could get it to go off was with a flame. Figuring that a larger amount would go off more easily, I wrapped the rest into a single ball (probably about 2-3 grams) of foil and took it oustide to throw against my driveway. When I got outside, I noticed that the ball was getting war, so I dropped it and stepped back. A couple seconds later, it started hissing and a big cloud of purplish smoke came out. Later, I realized that I hadn't washed the NI3, and excess ammonia had reacted with the Al, producing heat and setting off the NI3.

My next batch used clear ammonia. I made it and let it dry overnight. When I went to check on it, I flipped on the light in my basement and the entire batch exploded. This stuff is ridiculously unpredictable, but it's fun as long as you don't make too much.

[Mick]

when i was in school (i think it was in year 7?..) someone found out about nitrogentriiodie off the net.
he gave the instructions to someone else, and they made it.

one of the boys left the NI3 in his bedroom closet to dry - in the midddle of the night it went off. the other boy left it under his bed and his mum reached under there next day and removed the ends of her fingers.

personaly, this shit is more unstable, and more unpredictable then AP.
i wouldn't make it even in you paid me.

[BrAiNFeVeR]

AP (or HMTD) doesn't even comes near the sensitivity of NI3 !!

Never make it in quantities over 1 gram !!! (unless of course you have a death wish)

[megalomania]

This stuff definately fits in the catagory of a primary explosive in the common sence definition that we use at The Forum, and hence belongs in this section. Indeed this substance is made for undergraduate demonstrations in general chemistry labs at many universities. On my website I have some pictures of the demonstration in question: The product is allowed to dry on filter paper and it is later detonated by touching with a feather. The explosive is safer (not, it should be noted, safe) when spread out into a thin layer. If done as a demonstration of explosives as suggested on my website, it can be quite enjoyable, but nothing more.
<a href="http://roguesci.org/megalomania/explo/nitrogen_triiodide.html" target="_blank">Nitrogen triiodide synthesis at Megalomania's Controversial Chem Lab</a>

<small>[ April 30, 2002, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: megalomania ]</small>

[Winston Bailey]

This was the second explosive I ever made (after AP). A very un-intelligent decision on my part :rolleyes:, although I opted to anyways because of the ease of the synth. I aqquired ~5 grams of Iodine crystals and bought a gallon of Ammonia (previously) for $.97 at the local super market (Fry's in my case).

I then proceeded to pour the I2 in a small mason jar (approximately 400 ml) and adequately cover them in the Ammonia. After a few seconds, the Ammonia had streaks of I2 die (sort of like food coloring dropped in water) in it which quickly advanced to become a deep dark purple colour.

After shaking for a good 20 sec. I set it in the fridge (for no particular reason other than to keep my parents from dumping it down the drain or asking what i was up to?? I am only 17 and still live at home.) For the next hour or so I watched Mythbusters (Nitro-Cellulose episode, so i had forgotten all about my little endeavor :rolleyes:.)

After the show, I took the mason jar out of the fridge and grabbed 2 coffee filters. I filtered the solution with three red party cups. Two had the bottoms cut out (not off) and the third was left normal. I made a funnel out of them and placed it around the first cup with the bottom cut out and slid the second one of similar fasion around the first cup to secure the filter in place.

The third cup was set on my kitchen bar on a paper towel. I used two square chopsticks on top (spread the width of the bottom of the first and second cup) to hold over the the cup. Filtered the liquid, keeping the filtrate, and placed the dark purple coloured crystals on some napkins.

I let this dry for approximately 10 mins when i decided it was time to straighten up the kitchen. It was three in the morning and I didn't want the parentals coming out to a mess of plastic, ammonia, and iodine stains everywhere.

I took the knife i had used to spread the crystals evenly over the coffee filter and started cleaning it off. The crystals werent very dry but none the less it wasn't a smart choice. While I was wiping the crystals off the knife....BOOOM!.....Oh Shit, :eek:!!!

I thought for shure the parents were going to come out trippin. Oddly enought they did no such thing, so I decided it was best to clean everything up in a hurry in case they decided to. Obviously by this point I had taken the napkins with the NI3 on them and placed them on the ground out back.

When I started wiping my bar down, hundreds of little "snaps" started making themselves appearent. VERY LONG story short, the bigger bang earlier threw the stuff all over the kitchen floor. When I finished cleaning the kitchen I took the filtrate which I had not yet discarded out back with me and re-wet the NI3.

I took 15 gel-capsules emptied them and filled them with *wet* crystals put them back together and let them all sit in a medicine bottle out back in my shed overnight.

The next morning when my two friends came over, I thought it would be funny to show this shit to them so i went and grabbed the container, and taped it to a yard stick. I carefully took the lid of as to fling contents out into the streen over my fence.

Un beknownce to me at the time, my neighbor was out front (he is mormon). I went to throw the shit out and *accidentally* hit my gate (metal) and got a VERY loud report along with a huge cloud of I2 vapour.

When I had walked out front to inspect the damage, my neighbor looked at me with one of the priceless startled looks on his face, then proceeded to ask,..."Blowin stuff up again, huh" :cool:??

Sorry this was soo long, just thought it would be nice to read, as I enjoy reading stories. There wasn't any detailed accounts of personal expieriences in this thread.

CHEERS

[Ratman2050]

Nice story, if it were my neighbor I would have gotten into trouble.

You know as I've seen many incidents, the explosive either explodes or it doesn't. For ex. I hit AP with a spoon but it didn't det, but when it fell it did.

In this thread someone mentioned NI3 in his pcoket for 30 min and it didn't det., but when he touched it with his fingers, it did...which is very peculiar.

So primaries are a cornucopia of interesting incidents and cases of premature and/or dud detonations. Even though you may be able to hit NI3 and it won't det, maybe another time you may whisper and the sound wave will set it off. All in all, we should always treat any explosive with respect, as only God knows what will be our fate.

[Charles Owlen Picket]

It may have exploded from touch due to very minor static electric shock; so small as to not notice but enough to supply the need stimulus. Actually this could be VERY good training if done on a small scale. It TEACHES the issues of static electric initiation, impact stimulation, etc.

TTBoMK the material IS a true primary in the sense that it can initiate secondaries at large enough levels (suicidal shit; true enough)....I know it had no problems initiating imported number one dynamite (nitroglycol and ammonium nitrate).

What with iodine being a List One material now I suppose it won't be used that often but personally I think it's damn useful on a lot of levels. One of the biggest issues with flash and TATP is the static [accidental] initiation. If people can learn that from iodine and ground themselves out of habit.....so much the better.

[Winston Bailey]

Sorry to state something a bit off topic, but when dealing with primaries or flash I usually wear special gloves that won't allow static discharge. I have them mainly for making det. boxes(to prevent accidental shock).

That is a good idea. My expirience with NI3 taught me alot about incidents that can unknowingly uprise. Since, I have not made the stuff, but in any case the mess was worth scaring the piss out of my friends. Not worth losing my fingers or the use of them =]]. So an un-needed word of warning goes out when dealing with NI3, not so much for the sensitivity of it, but on the other hand, the couple hundred little pops it will give you or other situations in the like.

CHEERS

[Charles Owlen Picket]

When I was an undergrad I used to live in a dorm; I hated it but I had to in my freshman and 1st part of sophomore year as I had zero money. One thing I had a lot of fun with was putting this [material to dry] in a key hole. A tiny bit (seriously TINY) produced a really funny phenomenon (use level was in the milligram amount). It crackled like electricity and the idiots who wondered, stupefied that they got shocked from their key, was priceless.

Hyper sensitive explosives like this one have limited practical use outside of jokes & demonstrations. Silver fulminate is another. I found that I could dope it with flour or starch to the point of being able to work with it to a very limited degree. But importantly it teaches that the limits of whatever energy initiation for a material can be so minute that the need to search for any available energy input is needed. This is a -=VERY=- valuable lesson.