My PETN Synth....

[Red Beret]

Well This evening I made some PETN :cool: , first time for me. I' looking forward to trying it. I used wantsomefet's method from ages ago. It's the H2SO4 and KNO3 method. I will let it sit overnight and filter in the morning.

I have lumps of KNO3 on the surface that won't dissolve, what is the best way to deal with this? I am thinking either; leave it and most will dissolve when I filter the PETN, or, carefully scoop them off before I filter the solution. It fucking shits me because the PE dissolve beautifully. I added the KNO3 over about one hour, its hydroponic grade, supposed to be highly soluable.

Anyway, what should I do with my new material? I'm making a few caps, but the rest.....I may do some metal cutting, and I'll see if my mate will bring his camera along. Any tips on the lumps of KNO3 would be greatly appreciated.

Isn't it great when you make something for the first time? Especially when it's super powerfull. The last time I felt like this was back in '98 when I did my first crude batch of blackpowder, hand milled. Ahh, simpler times...I feel all nostalgic now! :D

[Cindor]

Maybe your KNO3 is coated, so try to wash it with MeOH or EtOH and then dissolve it with water and filtrate it, then you have to recrystallize the KNO3.

[Red Beret]

Thanks, the whole mix is now a thicks sludge, so I can't see the KNO3 anymore. The amount left there shouldn't matter a great deal now, given the amount of PETN.

[Cindor]

To avoid the "thick sludge" you should use Ammonium Nitrate instead of Potassium Nitrate, since the Ammonium salts are more soluble than Potassium salts.

[Red Beret]

Thanks for the advice on the Ammonium salt.

I think I really fucked this up! When I filtered this thick sludge it got very hot and ate through the filter, then when I had finally diluted the mess enough by adding an excess of water I filtered it through some cloth. The filtrate dosent look like PETN it feels like sodium bicarbonate, and didn't go off from a hammer blow while damp. But it must be PETN as it couldn't have gone anywhere else. There was nothing in the liquid that passed through the filter and the material that was lost when the acid dissolved the filter was minimal. I could see the PETN in the bucket whilst pouring it through the filter.

I always thought PETN should look crystaline? I'll hit it with an AP cap and see what happens.

[nbk2000]

Most explosives have various forms, some crytstalline, others pulverant powders/granules.

If you've PETN, and it's not crystalline, it is because you haven't crystallized it yet. ;)

[Red Beret]

Thanks Nbk, I won't do anything else with it though, as I can't afford to lose any product.

It's sorta wierd like cornstarch with water, emulsified. As I said, I'll hit it with a cap, and see how I go.

[akinrog]

Thanks for the advice on the Ammonium salt.

I think I really fucked this up! When I filtered this thick sludge it got very hot and ate through the filter, ....

The symptoms seem that the sludge still has concentrated Sulfuric acid in it. Concentrated sulfuric acid is famous in eating cellulose-based things easily. If you let a few drops of battery acid on linen cloths it simply leaves holes on the contact surface.

Are you sure you have calculated the amounts/ratios correctly? Regards.

[Red Beret]

Here's what I am using:
500ml of 98% H2SO4
200g KNO3
50g Pentaerythritol

It's an older method, by wantsomefet. To me, it seems like too much KNO3? As I said, it dosen't all dissolve, and in a hour or so, you end up with a thick slurry. It's very difficult to filter, and burns through most filters. The only way I could filter it was to dilute the slurry in a couple of litres of water and bicarb, let it cool, and the pour through the filter. Pretty messy and I think you lose some product.

What could I do to "fine tune" this? I think 150g KNO3 or NH4NO3 would be sufficient. All help/advice would be greatly appreciated. Perhaps a different approach to the whole procedure?

[Red Beret]

I've dried the PETN. Seems a little "insensitive". Hammer blows on a concrete surface won't set it off. I'll wait till I try an AP cap before I start worrying though. It may not be totally dry, especially if it is still slightly acidic.