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How to Demonstrate the Instability of High Explosives

video How to Demonstrate the Instability of High Explosives

This is a demonstration of why you should not mess around with high explosives. Just breathing on it sets it off. So when someone says, "don't try this at home", follow the instructions.

How to do this
get a high explosive.
Blow on it
Step Back
Count Fingers and Toes

60 comments

1-40 of 60

Dec 17, 2011. 9:50 AM

Aron313 says:

I think if its not dangerous its not fun!

Dec 28, 2009. 9:34 AMM4industries says:

Probably APAN or TATP. Both are extremely unstable. TATP is the trimer mix (NG unstable) APAN is the dimer mix (less volatile)

Jul 31, 2010. 1:17 AMsneezy32 says:

APAN is Acetone peroxide/ Ammonium nitrate mix. Fairly stable. Not volatile at all. Volatile means it has a high vapor pressure at room temp.

Jul 31, 2010. 1:25 AMsneezy32 says:

Also i think that was either ammonium triiodide or N triiodide. You have to be stupid to make that and try to make anything with it.

Mar 20, 2010. 8:23 PMYoungPyro19 says:

No, you have it all wrong.

TATP is less volatile than dicyclo AP.

If you make AP, you want the trimer not dimer.

APAN is Acetone Peroxide Ammonium Nitrate (C9H18O6/NH4NO3)

Mar 25, 2010. 3:56 PMM4industries says:

Sorry, I was relying on the accuracy of forums and unverified site. My mistake

Jan 1, 2010. 11:33 AM

Jaycub says:

I don't think TATP is that sensitive, but yeaah it could be some organic peroxide.

Jul 31, 2010. 1:16 AMsneezy32 says:

Well you must not know what you are doing. TATP is relatively stable at room temperature and will not go off when you blow on in. It is not one of the more stable explosives and should not be stored for more that a couple of days. Also, you must check the term HIGH EXPLOSIVE and what it means. High explosives range from TATP to C4 to AN, and Nitroglycerine. C4 will not go off even when exposed to flame and heat, neither will ammonium nitrate. Next time to try to make TATP, do it in the freezer like you're supposed to. Explosives are things that demand respect and preparation. Do your research, and for God's sake, don't put anything inside of a metal conatiner to blow up. I can't stop you from making the stuff and and not telling you not to, but please, know what you are doing first.

Mar 15, 2008. 4:59 PMFunkNattidelic says:

Hey, you said " get high explosive..." but most flash powder, c-4 and Semtex are all high explosives and they aren't reactive like that at all.

Dec 27, 2009. 3:32 PM

dla888 says:

That probably wasn't high explosives at all. It was probably a low explosive of some obsolete and seldom seen high explosive (I just contradicted myself) that was very sensitive. Today high explosives that are sensitive like that are almost never used or made. They have all been dumped in favor of more stable explosives that require a blasting cap(like C-4 and Semtex).

Dec 27, 2009. 6:57 PMFunkNattidelic says:

Ahhh, makes sense.

Aug 21, 2008. 8:19 AMalwinovich says:

correction flash powder is low explosive

Aug 21, 2008. 9:05 AMFunkNattidelic says:

im not sure, i was reading something, i think it was on wikipedia, that said that the speed that flash powder burns at isnt considered deflagregaton, (which is how a low explosive eg gunpowder, is defined). it burns at a much faster rate than low explosives, and there fore is considered HE.

the reason i said *most* flash powder up there is because you can make impact/friction sensitive stuff that will go off really easy.

Jul 31, 2010. 1:20 AMsneezy32 says:

Even when you set a small ammt. of flamable high explosive off, such as TATP, it deflagrates. It detonates, though, in high quantities unconfined, and in basically any qty. confined.

Aug 21, 2008. 9:23 AMAlias-Zero says:

something is considered HE only because it detonates, not explodes.

Jul 4, 2011. 6:58 PM

GentleMiant says:

Sounds as tho you're getting primary and secondary explosives confused. Common HEs like C4 are secondary xps...it's primary xps that detonate the secondary ones.

Mar 15, 2008. 5:00 PMFunkNattidelic says:

Oh, i do like the video though.

Aug 18, 2009. 10:02 PMPyromaniacDaniel says:

that looked more like a deflagrant then a detonation to me. AKA not a high explosive.

Sep 17, 2009. 1:47 PMfunky monk says:

high explosives don't always detonate, it's just that they have the ability to detonate. if you light acetone peroxide with a flame then it just makes a flash, it doesn't go bang, if you hit it with a hammer then you'll need new eardrums

Sep 20, 2009. 9:31 PMPyromaniacDaniel says:

true. you can burn c4 and it just burns like it was a fuel log. it takes a shockwave to set it off. What I was saying was that the reaction looked more like a deflagration then a detonation and it was not set off by flame but rather a (extremely light) shockwave which would trigger a detonation in a high explosive not a flame. I could be wrong but that is my guess. My quess is they used some highly unstable low explosive.

Oct 31, 2009. 1:09 PM

dla888 says:

To detonate C4 you need an electric pulse. Maybe they used Nitrogen triiodide?

Oct 31, 2009. 6:58 PMPyromaniacDaniel says:

an electric pulse won't nesisarily due anything to C4. In order for C4 to explode you need high heat and high force. Electricity might get you high heat via a nichrome wire or high voltage arc but no shockwave(force). The electric ignition systems work by igniting a less stable explosive that will detonate on ignition which in turn supplies the high heat and shockwave to the C4 producing detonation.

as for the possiblity of Nitrogen Triiodide - not a chance. The Iodine in the Nitrogen Triiodide colors the smoke purple and I did not see any purple smoke in the video. Nor does Nitrogen Triiodide produce a flame. It merely detonates leaving a cloud of purple smoke.

Nov 1, 2009. 10:57 AM

dla888 says:

I looked up C-4 on Wikipedia (I know the info could be false) and it says: "Either electric or nonelectric circuits may be used to detonate the charge." But I suppose that is referring to the booster charge.

"Detonation can only be initiated by a combination of extreme heat and a shockwave..." I now stand corrected. You were right.

In Vietnam soldiers used C-4 to heat food. This is from C-4's wiki "While many soldiers used C-4 safely in this manner, there are anecdotes about soldiers trying to put out the fire by stamping on it —causing it to detonate."

Dec 18, 2009. 5:52 PMM4industries says:

Epic fail

a soldier blowing his own foot off

Dec 27, 2009. 3:36 PM

dla888 says:

Medic: "Hey Smith is down! I think he stepped on a mine."
Sargent: "What happened Smith?"
Smith: "I was trying to put out my C-4!"

Feb 22, 2008. 6:00 AMJames (pseudo-geek) says:

cool. what kind of explosive was it?

Aug 21, 2008. 8:20 AMalwinovich says:

TATP, acetone peroxide, you can make it with hydrogen peroxide,acetone,sulphuric acid(drain cleaners)and 48 hours of time

Sep 18, 2008. 3:54 PMMalaachi says:

No sulfuric acid is not used.

Sep 30, 2008. 11:38 AMalwinovich says:

yes it is, as a catlalyst (at least I used it when I made it)

Dec 18, 2009. 5:53 PMM4industries says:

HCL is better.

BUT KEEP IT COOL AT ALL COSTS! IF THIS STUFF HEATS UP, IT BECOMES THE TRIMER. AN INCREDIBLY UNSTABLE FORM. TEN TIMES THE SENSIVITY OF NG!

Aug 28, 2008. 5:14 PM

DeusXMachina says:

Ammonium triiodide goes BANG all at once and gives off purple dust, no fire. The fireball is pretty consistent with badly made TATP, or as mentioned diacetonediperoxide. My guess is that the synthesis was performed at too high of a temperature, and the crystals were dried inconsistently over a large area, so as to create moist areas or pockets to prevent DDT (deflagration to detonation transition.) Properly made TATP you can hit lightly with a hammer and it won't go, however striking it with the force used to, say, drive a nail, will set it off.

Nov 1, 2009. 11:01 AM

dla888 says:

Suppose it is a sensitive chemical that sets of something mixed with it. Like setting off flash powder with TATP.

Nov 21, 2008. 10:52 AMBerkin says:

Nitrogen triiodide can also be used. Look up 'Peter Logan's Exploding Paste' on YouTube and you'll find some hilarious examples of what you can do with it.

Sep 14, 2008. 12:14 AMalwinovich says:

I agree

Sep 9, 2008. 4:25 AMSlurpeeTamper says:

This is Acetone Peroxide. However it was not actually initiated with his breath, he just set it up to look that way. He probably inserted a length of nichrome wire into AP off camera and pressed a button right when he blew on it to make it seem like it went off from the blow. A "friend" of mine has made AP with no cooling on a 110F day and it was just as sensitive as AP made at 5C. There really is no noticeable difference.

Apr 11, 2009. 11:28 AMTHESTU says:

cool

Apr 26, 2008. 9:49 PMAlextherobot says:

flash powder isn't a high explosive.

Nov 21, 2008. 10:55 AMBerkin says:

Yeah, it's a low explosive. Still it burns rather fast when unconfined.

Jun 20, 2008. 8:29 AMAlias-Zero says:

disgustingly fake! if that were HE, the guy would have lost his head, literally.

Sep 12, 2008. 5:47 PMeskimojo says:

How so? It was just a really quick flame, catch some hair on fire... Yes! very possible, lose a limb or the head... very doubtful. There was no shrapnel to cut or tear or pierce, there was no real concussion. So please explain to me why this would make him literally lose his head. This is plenty realistic, I don't see anything that looks fake at all... stupid, yes; fake? no.

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