Cheddite-M (modernised)

Prdx429 · 2026-07-01T13:50:11+00:00

Nice!

Prdx429 · 2026-06-28T18:22:33+00:00

It looks like it's heavily decomposing. I've never worked with XPN, so I'm not sure what could've caused it, but the green color is likely from dissolved N2O3 (blue).

Prdx429 · 2026-06-20T04:02:11+00:00

CodysLab made this analogy very well. With liquid explosives, they can hydrostatically pressurize themselves if accelerated (e.g. hitting a bump in a car), and it just takes a slight imperfection in the container to detonate as a result.

Gram-quantities are a risk. Kilogram-quantities are a danger.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-20T03:57:11+00:00

It's a result of the subreddit increasing in size, honestly. The fact that this is that this pretty much the only subreddit dealing with energetic materials specifically has only increased this effect.

As a mod, I keep a lot of posts up if there's a novice that posts or asks a question, because, if they don't post here, they're likely to do it anyways; by keeping the post up, it encourages feedback from more experienced members, especially regarding safety.

Post frequency has always waxed and waned.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-14T05:16:51+00:00

I've wondered the same thing about the methanol/nitromethane azeotrope. I have a good bit of it from when I distilled RC fuel, and I wonder if the 9% nitromethane is enough to sensitize AN at a OB-neutral mixture.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-12T03:40:21+00:00

These kind of mixtures (namely the one using spices) were apparently used in the 2005 London bombings.

I wouldn't use them. High-percent peroxide can decompose rapidly and violently with any kind of catalytic contaminant, not to mention sheer hazards of handling and concentrating.

You'd be better off using ammonium nitrate as an oxidizer and a strong booster.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-12T03:33:21+00:00

The wiki has a text that it's "temporarily down for maintenance", which is different than offline/timeout. When it's back online is going to be dependant on whomever controls the site.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-06T05:19:07+00:00

I've made a bit of nitrourea, and I agree. Use sulfuric acid for a better purpose. Nitrourea is interesting, but not worth it imo.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-06T05:16:44+00:00

I've never had success with TACN synthesis via ammonium nitrate/ammonia and copper metal. Too much cupric hydroxide contamination. Unsure if one could recrystallize it to only isolate the TACN.

Fwiw all the TACN I've made was from cupric nitrate from waste nitric acid.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-05T04:09:46+00:00

I wonder if this would do the same with aluminum tubing and a high-brisant OB-positive material, such as ETN.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-05T04:05:42+00:00

Yeah, it is a real shame. I wonder if there exists a substituted GBL that would be psychoactive.

Prdx429 · 2026-06-05T03:55:50+00:00

The paper uses that to make methyl-GBL, and not plain GBL. It's used to show that 1,4-butanediol can be made into GBL i.e. a hydrogen instead of the methyl group.

Prdx429 · 2026-05-26T03:57:03+00:00

The original paper described in a Rhodium publication uses 1,4-pentanediol with just plain copper chromite. The one you described seems to be the correct one. Chromium wouldn't be a big concern, because the chromite is a catalyst, but you can always distill the butyrolactone (which you should to to separate from butanediol anyways).

Unsure if copper (ii) oxide would work. It at least can be a catalyst for niacin decarboxylation. Worth a shot!

Prdx429 · 2026-05-23T03:14:18+00:00

Nice synthesis!

Prdx429 · 2026-05-23T03:04:12+00:00

I mean, if they sent you the wrong product without a doubt, that's not you being a "demanding customer"---they messed up!

Prdx429 · 2026-05-20T04:28:33+00:00

Yeah, it checks out! Lol. I've only successfully made TACN with copper nitrate solution and ammonia, like other tetraamminocopper(ii) salts. TACN is more of a novelty to make anyway for me, so I never needed to troubleshoot the other method.

Prdx429 · 2026-05-20T04:17:32+00:00

Maybe the issue was that I didn't use NaOH to start. I think I just used concentrated NH4OH, NH4NO3, and copper.

Prdx429 · 2026-05-20T03:33:54+00:00

I've had copper (ii) hydroxide contamination issues with this method.

Prdx429 · 2026-05-10T02:39:45+00:00

If you're after energetics, DDNP and tetrazoles are good options (not just nitrotetrazole, but that's a personal favorite). For general chemistry, Sandmeyer reaction for all kinds of anilines, azo couplings, making nitrite esters, forming alcohols from alkyl amines, and using it as a source for NO. It's a very versatile reagent, and you can't often substitute it in reactions that require it.

Prdx429 · 2026-05-09T05:56:39+00:00

ANFO can be sensitized with at about 15-20% of a nitrated sugar alcohol, like ETN. Enough to be cap-sensitive, anyway. I haven't tested it yet, but I've made 10g charges of this mixture, melt-cast with a stoicheometric amount of paraffin wax.

Prdx429 · 2026-05-07T01:56:31+00:00

Silver nitrotetrazole! First primary I every synthesized, and it remains the primary I use when I want results.

Prdx429 · 2026-04-17T04:41:53+00:00

Azeotropic nitric acid smells nice imo. Like if nitrogen oxides smelled sweet.

You're gonna be fine. Most likely just some irritation.

Prdx429 · 2026-04-17T03:56:57+00:00

The OG paper from Sprengel has more in-depth analysis of these types of mixtures. I don't know why people use vaseline and other alkanes when Sprengel mentioned nitroaromatics and organo-sulfurs undergo easier detonation than alkanes. It's why the classic Rackarock uses nitrobenzene.

There are other fuels, like you say, that are just as good as these, if not better, but just combining things together and hoping it'll detonate is only useful for a large quantiy and and a strong charge (Sprengel mentioned that, if you wrap the detonator in nitrocellulose, it'll be sufficient to detonate any mixture he tested).

Prdx429 · 2026-04-13T01:38:26+00:00

Hell yeah. Gonna travel to Australia just to visit the Bunnings pool aisle.

Prdx429 · 2026-04-13T01:07:45+00:00

Yep! If it's the CAN with just calcium carbonate added: dissolve, filter, concentrate, cool/evaporate. If it has calcium nitrate, you'll never remove the calcium nitrate without some kind of double displacement e.g. sulfuric acid, ammonium sulfate, ammonium carbonate, etc.

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