Nitrostarch is the common name of a secondary
explosive similar to
nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose (also known as cellulose nitrate, flash paper, flash cotton, guncotton, pyroxylin and flash string, depending on form) is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to a mixture of nitric acid and ...
. Much like
starch, it is made up of two components, nitrated
amylose
Amylose is a polysaccharide made of α-D-glucose units, bonded to each other through α(1→4) glycosidic bonds. It is one of the two components of starch, making up approximately 20–30%. Because of its tightly packed helical structure, amylose ...
and nitrated
amylopectin Amylopectin is a water-insoluble polysaccharide and highly branched polymer of α-glucose units found in plants. It is one of the two components of starch, the other being amylose.
Plants store starch within specialized organelles called amyloplas ...
. Nitrated amylopectin generally has a greater solubility than amylose; however, it is less stable than nitrated amylose.
The solubility, detonation velocity, and impact sensitivity depends heavily on the level of nitration.
Synthesis
Nitrostarch is made by dissolving starch in
red fuming nitric acid. It is then precipitated by adding the solution to concentrated
sulfuric acid.
Nitrostarch can be stabilized by
refluxing
Reflux is a technique involving the condensation of vapors and the return of this condensate to the system from which it originated. It is used in industrial and laboratory distillations. It is also used in chemistry to supply energy to reactions ...
it in ethanol to drive off the left over nitric acid.
History
Nitrostarch was first discovered by
French chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...
and
pharmacist Henri Braconnot
Henri Braconnot (29 May 1780 – 13 January 1855) was a French chemist and pharmacist.
He was born in Commercy, his father being a counsel at the local parliament. At the death of his father, in 1787, Henri began his instruction in an elementar ...
.
In
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, it was used as a filler in
hand grenades
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade ge ...
.
References
{{explosive-stub
Explosive chemicals