trinitrotoluene or TNT (trī'nī'trōtŏl`y
ēn), CH3C6H2(NO2)3, crystalline, aromatic compound that melts at 81°C;. It is prepared by the nitration of toluene. Trinitrotoluene is a high explosive explosive, substance that undergoes decomposition or combustion with great rapidity, evolving much heat and producing a large volume of gas. The reaction products fill a much greater volume than that occupied by the original material and exert an enormous pressure,
..... Click the link for more information. , but, unlike nitroglycerin, it is unaffected by ordinary shocks and jarring, and must be set off by a detonator detonator (dĕ`tənā'tər)
..... Click the link for more information. . Because it does not react with metals, it can be used in filling metal shells. It is often mixed with other explosives, e.g., with ammonium nitrate to form amatol.
ēn), CH3C6H2(NO2)3, crystalline, aromatic compound that melts at 81°C;. It is prepared by the nitration of toluene. Trinitrotoluene is a high explosive explosive, substance that undergoes decomposition or combustion with great rapidity, evolving much heat and producing a large volume of gas. The reaction products fill a much greater volume than that occupied by the original material and exert an enormous pressure,..... Click the link for more information. , but, unlike nitroglycerin, it is unaffected by ordinary shocks and jarring, and must be set off by a detonator detonator (dĕ`tənā'tər)
..... Click the link for more information. . Because it does not react with metals, it can be used in filling metal shells. It is often mixed with other explosives, e.g., with ammonium nitrate to form amatol.
TNT
in full trinitrotoluenePale yellow, solid organic compound made by adding nitrate (−NO2) groups to toluene. Because TNT melts below the boiling point of water but explodes only above 464 °F (240 °C), it can safely be melted and poured into casings. It is relatively insensitive to shock and, for practical purposes, cannot be exploded without a detonator, making it the preferred chemical explosive, used in munitions and for demolition.
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