[kimalinao]

1) Can any grades of nitrocellulose (with varying nitrogen content/
degree of nitration) be used as a secondary explosive/detonator? If
not, what is the threshold limit/concentration of the nitrocellulose
grades considered as secondary explosives?
2) For nitrocellulose damped with solvent (water or alcohol),
literatures specified that the damping agent/solvent phelgmatizes or
deactivates the hazardous properties of nitrocellulose. In what does
the solvent deactivates such hazardous properties? What is the
underlying mechanism for this?
3) In what way does the degree of nitration affect the industrial

P.S. I think it would be better to email me the details/answers if you are wary of sharing it online. My email: removed, please read the forum rules.

[Enthalpy]

Hi Kimalinoa, welcome here!

3) I haven't seen big applications of nitrocelulose for decades. It's replaced by present-day polymers as much as possible. I burned some when it was available, and the result explains easily why manufacturers avoid it.

2) One standard mechanism is that the liquid absorbs heat to evaporate. Enough liquid can prevent the dangerous substance reaching its ignition temperature, pretty much like water extinguishes fire. There may be other mechanisms, specific to each substance, which I ignore in this particular case.

1) I have no desire to spread such information on the Internet. There are already enough explosives around. Just use a safe polymer instead, as presently nitrocellulose offers very few attractive properties. If you tell what properties you seek, we may help you choose a better polymer.

0) Some people would use the answers you seek to find products that can be misused as an improvised explosive.

[kimalinao]

The reason I am asking these questions is because my company is using two chemicals that contain small quantities of nitrocellulose. In the chemical engineer's point of view, extraction of nitrocellulose in these two mixtures is not practical as it is very expensive and tedious.

My main concern is determining if the nitrocellulose present in these two chemicals are considered secondary explosives. The chemicals are actually used for leather finishing.

I already have read literatures specifying different applications of nitrocellulose. So far, different types of nitrocellulose have different industrial applications. In fact there are special provisions in the usage of nitrocellulose in the UN Regulations.

[kimalinao]

Is there a threshold limit/component concentration for substances considered secondary detonators?

[kimalinao]

Hi, I would like to know the specific underlying mechanisms of how damping agents (like solvents) can dephlegmatize or deactivate the hazardous properties of nitrocellulose. I already look for organic chemistry books to explain this phenomena but found none so far. I need specific hints/details please.

[curiouscat]

How small is very small?

What are these chemicals & what processing will you do with them?

[kimalinao]

How small is very small? Less than 7% nitrocellulose in the suspension/ chemical mixture

What are these chemicals & what processing will you do with them?
Nitrocellulose is contained in BASF leather finishing products that my company is using. As mentioned, the intention of using these chemicals is for the finishing/ surface coating operations for leather skins and hides.

[Arkcon]

kimalinao:, I hope you don't mind my merging your multiple posts on similar topics into your original thread, but you'll get better answers if we have all the questions before us.

I'm sorry we seem to be going in circles with your question, we'd like to help, and we don't want to frustrate your efforts, but this forum has rules on discussion of explosives.  There's nothing wrong with this thread's content.  In fact its just the sort of topic we allow -- a scholarly discussion about practical concerns regarding active materials.  Our member Enthalpy: is one of our best experts in this regard.  Please re-read his first posting, there's very good information there.  Ask more questions on what he said, that you still don't understand

The funny thing is, the world also has rules, and we must follow those rules as well.  There are surely industrial standards for the levels of nitrocellulose, and the requirements of dephlegmatizers.  You should look those up.  These sorts of topics aren't taught and studied by organic chemists at the unversity, we never want anything to explode in our glassware on our benchtops.  Why are you re-asking the same question?  Are you trying to go "rules lawyer" with the outside world?  That is to say, if hypothetically a customer or municipal regulation require no more than 2%, and you're at 2.7% are you going to tell them Arkcon: said it was OK?  Because that won't work.

[Enthalpy]

Intuitively, a 7% emulsion won't go bang.

You should check the Material Safety Data Sheet at BASF. They have to tell such hazards if any.

[kimalinao]

Thanks for the inputs. I already have checked the MSDS even before I posted my queries in the forum and the chemicals are just flammable liquids. I actually am looking for literatures that can help me and pinpoint a specific threshold line for nitrocellulose grades considered secondary explosives and for those grades that are not but I think that this specific topic is sensitive so I will just continue looking for good reading materials discreetly without making a big buzz in chemistry forums.

I understand that the information shared here might be used by other people for devising explosives, which is something that I don't want to happen. Anyways, thanks for giving hints and insights regarding this topic.

[curiouscat]

Look up the US-ATF website. If Nitrocellulose is a legally controlled substance you might get more info on what conc. is considered controlled.