Page 68 - Encyclopedia of Chemical Compounds 3 Vols

2,4,6 TRINITROTOLUENE

Interesting Facts

• During World War I (1914– • TNT has become the stan-
1918), people who made dard for explosive power
explosives for the military in the world today. When
(usually women and girls) someone talks about a
were sometimes called ‘‘15 kiloton bomb’’ they are
‘‘canary girls.’’ Their name referring to a bomb with
came from the fact that the explosive equivalent of
their skin turned yellow 15 thousand (‘‘kilo’’) tons of
when exposed to solid TNT. Nuclear weapons
TNT. Women with red hair commonly have explosive
also found their hair turn- powers rated in the kiloton
ing an orangish or ginger or megaton (million tons
color because of exposure of TNT) range.
to TNT.

primary process by which TNT is produced today. Wilbrand
made TNT by adding nitric acid (HNO 3 ) and sulfuric acid
(H 2 SO 4 ) to toluene (C 6 H 5 CH 3 ).

COMMON USES AND POTENTIAL HAZARDS
By far the most common use of TNT is in the manufac-
ture of explosives. Until the discovery of nuclear energy in
the 1940s, TNT was the most powerful explosive known to
humans. Today, TNT is often combined with other explosives
to make even more powerful bombs. Some examples include
the following:
• Torpex, a mixture of TNT, wax and aluminum used in
underwater explosives, such as those found in torpe-
does. Torpex is about 50 percent more powerful than
pure TNT;
• Pentolite, a combination of TNT and pentaerythritol
tetranitrate (PETN) used primarily in blasting caps
and detonators;
• Military dynamite, which contains the explosive RDX,
TNT, motor oil, and cornstarch, is less powerful than
pure dynamite, but much safer to handle;

CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS 17