All Questions
Tagged with explosives physical-chemistry
9
questions
7
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2
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854
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Why is prismane explosive but cubane is not?
So I was reading about polyhedral hydrocarbons, because I dig the topic, and I read (admittedly on wikipedia entries... But they cited papers, I swear!) that prismane is explosive due to the massive ...
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12
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1
answer
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Constraints on pyrotechnic explosives that won't detonate spontaneously at 500 °C when landing on Venus?
The Space Exploration SE question Premature detonation of explosive bolts when landing on hot Venus? explains the need for and widespread use of pyrotechnic fasteners and cable cutters for Mars ...
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40
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How does ammonium nitrate explode on its own?
I thought ammonium nitrate was an oxidizer that needed to be mixed with fuel to form a high explosive (e.g., ANFO). But apparently there have been accidental explosions involving just the "...
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4
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1
answer
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Aluminum powder reaction with air
I've made aluminum powder in a ball mill a few times, but my last batch began to smoke and caught on fire soon after I poured it from the tumbler. Nothing unusual was afoot. It was poured into a paper ...
15
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Why exactly does molten NaCl explode, when it is poured into water?
Why does molten $\ce{NaCl}$ explode, when it is poured into water?
$\ce{NaCl}$ has a high melting point, $1074\ \mathrm{K}$ ($801~\mathrm{^\circ C}$). $\ce{NaCl}$ has a molar mass of $58.44\ \mathrm{g/...
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2
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What happens when an explosion can't lead to volume increase of the thermodynamic system?
What if an explosion is not able to exit the container?
Take a pipe bomb for example; assuming that the pipe bomb was hypothetically made out of such a strong material that the explosion is not able ...
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13
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answers
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What makes substances explosive
Can someone explain clearly to me why some things are explosive?
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Why shouldn't Uranium come in contact with water?
In the documentary about Chernobyl, it was mentioned that Uranium should not come in contact with water, otherwise an explosion occurs. What is the reason for that? What kind of reaction makes it ...
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What exactly is happening when sodium, potassium, or other alkali metal explodes in water?
There are lots of videos on YouTube showing sodium, potassium, etc. exploding when dropped into water (this, for example).
I understand that when an alkali metal is exposed to water, a violent ...
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