Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!gatech!mit-eddie!ll-xn!ames!oliveb!pyramid!weitek!wallis From: wallis@weitek.UUCP (Bob Wallis) Newsgroups: sci.misc Subject: Re: Low yeild explosives and "snappers" Message-ID: <2865@weitek.UUCP> Date: Mon, 6-Jul-87 13:58:43 EDT Article-I.D.: weitek.2865 Posted: Mon Jul 6 13:58:43 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 7-Jul-87 06:46:22 EDT References: <209@picuxa.UUCP> <2631@weitek.UUCP> <265@uvicctr.UUCP> Reply-To: wallis@weitek.UUCP (Bob Wallis) Organization: Weitek Corp. Sunnyvale, Ca Lines: 27 In article <265@uvicctr.UUCP> collinge@uvicctr.UUCP (Doug Collinge) writes: >In article <2631@weitek.UUCP> wallis@weitek.UUCP (Bob Wallis) writes: > >>My favorite homebrew was lead azide which is trivial to make... > >I just looked up lead azide: bubble N2O through a solution of Na metal >in liquid NH3 to get sodium azide, react this with a lead salt to get >lead azide. This is trivial? >-- > Doug Collinge It is only trivial if you can get sodium azide, which is fairly common. You mix solutions of sodium azide and lead nitrate, and the lead azide percipitates out as a white chalky powder. If you try this, don't make too much, I've read that if you succeed in making the wrong type of crystals, it can be very unstable. The stuff is quite spectacular, unlike most explosives, this stuff NEVER burns quietly, it only detonates (it has to be very dry). Regarding the nitrogen/ammonium (tri) iodide issue, I thought that it's formula was NI3 2(NH3), and not just NI3. At any rate it is definitely considered a halide of NITROGEN (nitrogen cloride and bromide are also explosive), and not of AMMONIA (which should be quite stable). I agree that ammonimum iodide is the wrong name for it. Bob Wallis UUCP {turtlevax,pyramid,cae780,apple,wyse}!weitek!wallis