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                 % How to Make and Use Nitroglycerin. %
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CH2ONO2
!                    3/2 N2 + 3 CO2
CHONO2  ---------->     +
!        Ignition    5/2 H2O + 1/4 O2
CH2ONO2
 
(How Nitro explodes--note that the byproducts are nothing but nitrogen,
carbon dioxide, water and oxygen)
 
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     Nitroglycerin [heretofore Nitro] is a very powerful high-
explosive.  I am not sure who invented it but he probably didn't--
the first person to make it probably blew himself up and his
freind got the info off his notes.  Well anyway, the next best thing to
Nitro is TNT which is ten times harder to make but also ten times
safer to make.  If you can't use common sense then dont even TRY
to make this stuff--a few drops can blow off your hand in the right
circumstances.
 
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     To make Nitro:
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     Mix 100 parts fuming nitric acid (for best results it should have a
specific gravity of 50 degrees Baume') with 200 parts sulphuric acid.  This
is going to be HOT at first--it won't splatter if you pour the nitric INTO
the sulphuric but don't try it the other way around.  The acid solutions
together can disolve flesh in a matter of seconds so take the proper measures
for God's sake!!!  When cool, add 38 parts glycerine as slowly as possible.
Let it trickle down the sides of the container into the acids or it won't
mix thourily and the reaction could go to fast--which causes enough heat
to ignite the stuff.  Stir with a **GLASS** rod for 15 seconds or so
then CARFULLY pour it into 20 times it's *VOLUME* of water.  It will
visibly precipitate immediatly. there will be twice as much Nitro as you
used glycerin and it is easy to separate.  Mix it with baking soda
as soon as you have separated it-- this helps it not to go off
spontainously.
 
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NOTES:  Parts are by weight and the Baume' scale of spicific gravity can
be found in most chem. books.  You can get fuming nitric and sulfuric
acids wherever good chemicals or fertilizers are sold.  It is
positivly *STUPID* to make more than 200 grams of Nitro at a time.
When mixing the stuff wear goggles, gloves, etc.  When I first made
the stuff I had the honor of having it go off by itself (I added too
much glycerine at a time.)  I was across the room at the time, but
I felt the impact--so did the table it was on as well as the window it
was next to--they were both smashed by only 25 grams in an open bowl.
Oh, yes, glycerine you can get at any pharmacy and you need an adult
signature for the acids.  Any bump can make Nitro go off if you don't
add the bicarbonate of (baking) soda--but even with that, if it
gets old I wouldn't play catch with it.
 
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     Once you have made the Nitro and saturated it with Bicarb. you can make
a really powerful explosive that won't go off by itself by simply mixing it
with as much cotton as you can and then saturating that with molten
(but as cool as possible, of course) parifine--just enough to make it
sealed and hard.  Typically, use the same amounts (by weight) of each
Nitro, cotton and parifine.  This, when wrapped in newspaper, was once
known as "Norbin & Ohlsson's Patent Dynamite," but that was back in 1896.
 
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