Abstract
The chemistry behind explosives is marked with the omnipresence of the element nitrogen. The discovery of the explosive properties of nitrogen-based compounds comprises many interesting and serendipitous observations made by inquisitive scientists. In this article, we unravel the fascinating history behind the development of explosives from the 9th century to the present. Every country with an army keeps on upgrading the sharpness and power of their arsenal, and in this regard, the role played by the chemists in developing new explosives, and the chemistry behind these explosives are explained in this article. The basic chemical properties of explosives, their classification, comparison and methods of evaluation are explained. The current status of research in making new explosives and the challenges involved in making explosive polynitrogen compounds such as pentazolates and pentazenium are also illustrated.
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Dheeraj Kumar is an assistant professor at the Department of chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee. He is also recipient of “INSPIRE Faculty award” by Department of Science and Technology (DST).
Anil J. Elias is professor (HAG) at the Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi. He is also the recipient of the ‘INSA Teacher Award’ by the Indian National Science Academy.
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Kumar, D., Elias, A.J. The Explosive Chemistry of Nitrogen. Reson 24, 1253–1271 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-019-0893-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-019-0893-2