Detonating space
Introduction
An explosive is a substance that, due to some external cause (friction, heat, percussion, etc.), is transformed into gases, releasing heat, pressure or radiation in a very short time.
History
Thermal weapons, like Greek fire, have existed since ancient times. At its roots, the history of chemical explosives lies in the history of gunpowder.[1][2] During the Tang Dynasty in the 19th century, Taoist Chinese alchemists were eagerly trying to find the elixir of immortality.[3] In the process, they stumbled upon the explosive invention of black gunpowder made from charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur in 1044. Gunpowder was the first explosive chemical and in 1161 the Chinese were already using explosives for the first time in warfare.[4][5][6] The Chinese would incorporate explosives fired with bamboo or bronze tubes known as "bamboo firecrackers". They also inserted live rats inside the bamboo firecrackers because, when fired at the enemy, the burning rats produced a psychological effect of panic: not only did they scare away the enemy soldiers, but they caused the cavalry animals to go crazy.[7].
The first useful explosive stronger than black powder was nitroglycerin, developed in 1847. Since nitroglycerin is a very unstable liquid, it was replaced by nitrocellulose, trinitrotoluene (TNT) in 1863, smokeless gunpowder, dynamite in 1867, and gelignite (the latter two being sophisticated stabilized preparations of nitroglycerin rather than chemical alternatives, both invented by Alfred Nobel[8]). World War I saw the adoption of TNT for artillery shells. And the Second World War extended its use and created new explosives and grenades (see Annex: Explosives used in the Second World War).
In turn, these have largely been replaced by more powerful explosives such as C-4 and PETN. However, C-4 and PETN react with metal and catch fire easily, even though they have the advantages, unlike TNT, of being waterproof and malleable.[9].
Classification of explosive substances
Contenido
La clasificación de las sustancias explosivas de diferentes tipos puede efectuarse de múltiples maneras, no obstante, hay tres formas principales ampliamente aceptadas: por naturaleza, por sensibilidad y por utilización. Más aún en la clasificación que se da es muy difícil y es frecuente encontrar tipologías con base en un grupo químico funcional y en nombres comerciales cuando se trata de mezclas de sustancias explosivas.