Thunder in a Test Tube

The power of fire has awed, inspired, and terrified man since time immemorial. The secrets of the flame have traditionally been carefully guarded by the valiant warriors and bold experimenters of history. The science of chemistry garners no greater fascination than with demonstrations of fire and explosions. All great scientists begin by experimenting with the power of the flame, harnessing its ferocity, and nurturing the spark of curiosity to learn more about science. To see the flash, to smell the smoke, to feel the heat is to become transformed. Ignorance is consumed, immolated by the sensations of the flame, to be replaced by a burning to learn more about how to wield and control this flame.

Modern science has allowed the secrets of the flame to be denied to no one. The knowledge of what the flame is and how the flame works has been open to all in books, journals, patents, and other media for centuries. Until now. The ignorant and frightened see the greatest teaching tool of chemistry as evil and dangerous. Under the flimsy guise of terrorism the fedgov seeks to suppress the knowledge of explosives, take back the science and erase it from the minds and hearts of a generation of mankind.

In suppressing the knowledge of explosives the pathetic imbeciles have certainly destroyed our future. Before there can be progress in science, and in society, there must be scientists, and before there are scientists there must be the spark of curiosity. Dry tedious equations, mind numbing mathematics, useless ivory tower theory, and watered down chemical experiments inspire no one. An entire generation of future chemists will never exist because they have been denied the simple joy of witnessing the power of the flame. Their chemistry sets, what few who ever get one in this age, are useless and bland shadows of a former glorious era.

I will not allow this to happen. There must be danger, there must be excitement, and there must be passion to ignite the spark of scientific curiosity in the next generation. We face a dark world where all that could be dangerous is destroyed, and all who seek to learn are persecuted for what they might do. What may, what might, what could, the ignorant fear only dreams and vague possibilities, veiled threats, and hypothetical scenarios. Explosives harm very few people, and are the most important industrial tools in the world. Without explosives there would be no modern world.

The phantom specter of the mad bomber is the boogey man of the 21st century. Hollywood has shown us a man can build a bomb out of anything; this is a lie. The politicians perpetuate the lie to give their Gestapo thugs something to do, a witch to uncover and crucify. The truth is the science of explosives is a very intricate and complex aspect of chemistry, it is awe inspiring, but it is not something easily prepared from common household items. The threat from explosives only exists as Hollywood tricks, the lies of politicians, and soccer mom fantasies.

The path to becoming a scientist is best begun by understanding explosives. The spark can be nurtured and fanned into a raging inferno of inquisitiveness and fervor that will manifest as a career in the rewarding and productive field of science. But first the spark must be struck. An interest in science cannot be created by simple, safe, boring, commonplace experiments that demonstrate nothing more than a color change. Let there be fire, let there be fury, let the power of the flame burn away your apathy and ignorance and fill your soul with the thirst for knowledge.

The energetic materials section of the Chem Lab offers detailed laboratory methods of synthesis for more than 150 explosive compounds and propellants, with more being added each year. The chosen syntheses are representative of the most useful industrial and military compounds, a handful of propellants, and the occasional unusual specimen thrown in. There are a growing number of cutting edge compounds fresh from the research laboratories being included. I monitor certain chemistry journals to add these new compounds as I become aware of them and can track down valid references.

Specifically excluded are mixtures and compositions of explosives because this opens a very large door to an entirely different world of energetic materials. I try to strictly focus on the synthesis of unique chemical compounds, although I may occasionally include a popular composition. I do not include any information on the use of any energetic material because that too is beyond the scope of this website. I stick to the science of synthesis, not the technology of application.

Some energetic compounds encountered in the literature are novel explosives without established military or commercial usefulness. These compounds are typically of pharmaceutical or synthetic use to research groups, but just happen to be explosive in nature. These explosives do not warrant a full page of their own in the Chem Lab, but rather than discard the information completely, I have set aside a page for the synthesis of minor explosive compounds.