Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene (TNT, or Trotyl) is a pale yellow crystalline aromatic hydrocarbon compound that melts at 354 K (178 °F, 81 °C). Trinitrotoluene is an explosive chemical and a part of many explosive mixtures, such as when mixed with ammonium nitrate to form amatol. It is prepared by the nitration of toluene (C6H5CH3), it has a chemical formula of C6H2(NO2)3CH3, and IUPAC name 2,4,6-trinitromethylbenzene.

History

TNT was first made in 1863 by a German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, but its potential was not seen for several years, mainly because it was so hard to detonate and because it was less powerful than other explosives. Amongst its advantages, however, are that it can be safely melted using steam or hot water and so poured molten into shell cases. It is also so insensitive that, for example, in 1910 it was exempted from the British 1875 Explosives Act from actually being considered as an explosive for the purposes of manufacture and storage.

Related Topics:
1863 - German - Chemist - Joseph Wilbrand - Steam - Water - 1910 - 1875

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The German armed forces adopted it as an artillery shell filling in 1902, and the British gradually started using it as replacement for lyddite in 1907. A particular advantage that it gave the German Navy in the First World War was that their TNT-filled armour piercing shells would detonate after they had penetrated the armour of British capital ships, whereas the British lyddite filled shells tended to explode as soon as they struck the German armour and thus expend their energy outside of the ship.

Related Topics:
German - Artillery - Shell - 1902 - Lyddite - 1907 - German Navy - First World War - Capital ships

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Because of the insatiable demand for it during the war, it was frequently mixed with 40-80% ammonium nitrate, producing an explosive called amatol. This was nearly as powerful as TNT, but suffered from the slight disadvantage that ammonium nitrate is hygroscopic.

Related Topics:
Ammonium nitrate - Amatol - Hygroscopic

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