 | |
| Names | |
|---|---|
| IUPAC name Ammonium 2,4,6-trinitrophenolate | |
| Other names Ammonium picrate; Picratol; 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol ammonium salt; Ammonium picronitrate; Explosive D | |
| Identifiers | |
| |
3D model (JSmol) | |
| ChemSpider |
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.004.582 |
| EC Number |
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| UNII | |
| |
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| Properties | |
| C6H6N4O7 | |
| Molar mass | 246.135 g·mol−1 |
| Density | 1.719 g/cm3[1] |
| Melting point | 265 °C (509 °F; 538 K)[1] |
| 10 g/L (20 °C) | |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling: | |
  | |
| Danger | |
| H201,H315,H317,H319 | |
| P210,P230,P240,P250,P261,P264,P272,P280,P302+P352,P305+P351+P338,P321,P332+P313,P333+P313,P337+P313,P362,P363,P370+P380,P372,P373,P401,P501 | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in theirstandard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
Dunnite, also known asExplosive D or systematically asammonium picrate, is anexplosive developed in 1906 by US Army Major Beverly W. Dunn, who later served as chief inspector of the Bureau of Transportation Explosives.[2][3] Ammonium picrate is asalt formed by reactingpicric acid andammonia. It is chemically related to the more stable explosivetrinitrotoluene (TNT).
Ammonium picrate was proposed for use as a component in gunpowder by Brugère and Abel as early as 1869: the former proposed to mix 54% of it with 46% of saltpetre while the latter, 60% with 40%.[4] Their compositions gave less smoke and were more energetic than black powder but neither was adopted by any military, even though in the 1890s "semi-smokeless" powder compositions featuring ammonium picrates were sold commercially in the US.[5] It also was a minor component of the Peyton powder made by theCalifornia Powder Works which was procured by the US military in the same period.[5]
It was the first explosive used in an aerial bombing operation in military history, performed by Italian pilots inLibya in 1911.[6]It was used extensively by theUnited States Navy duringWorld War I.[7]
Though Dunnite was generally considered an insensitive substance, by 1911 theUnited States Army had abandoned its use in favor of other alternatives.[8] TheNavy, however, used it inarmor-piercing artillery shells and projectiles, and in coastal defense.
By the end of WWI a pound of ammonium picrate cost US government 64 cents, while TNT cost 26.5 c/lb, ammonium nitrate used inamatol only 17.5 c/lb and black powder about 25 c/lb.[9]
Dunnite typically did not detonate on striking heavy armor. Rather, the encasing shell would penetrate the armor, after which the charge would be triggered by a basefuze.
DuringWWII, it was gradually replaced byRDX-based Composition A-3.[10]
In 2008 caches of discarded Dunnite in remote locations were mistaken for rusty rocks atCape Porcupine,Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.[11][12]
Dunnite can be used as a precursor to the highly stable explosiveTATB (1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene), by first dehydrating it to formpicramide (attaching the ammonia as an amine group instead of an ion) and then further aminating it, using1,1,1-trimethylhydrazinium iodide (TMHI) made fromunsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine rocket fuel andmethyl iodide. Thus, surplus materials that would have to be destroyed when no longer needed are converted into a high value explosive.[13][14]
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