🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <265@uvicctr.UUCP> collinge@uvicctr.UUCP (Doug Collinge) writes:
>In article <2631@weitek.UUCP> wallis@weitek.UUCP (Bob Wallis) writes:
>
>>My favorite homebrew was lead azide which is trivial to make...
>
>I just looked up lead azide:  bubble N2O through a solution of Na metal
>in liquid NH3 to get sodium azide, react this with a lead salt to get
>lead azide.  This is trivial?
>-- 
>		Doug Collinge

It is only trivial if you can get sodium azide, which is fairly common.  You
mix solutions of sodium azide and lead nitrate, and the lead azide percipitates
out as a white chalky powder. If you try this, don't make too much, I've read
that if you succeed in making the wrong type of crystals, it can be very
unstable. The stuff is quite spectacular, unlike most explosives, this stuff
NEVER burns quietly, it only detonates (it has to be very dry).

Regarding the nitrogen/ammonium (tri) iodide issue, I thought that it's formula
was NI3 2(NH3), and not just NI3. At any rate it is definitely considered a
halide of NITROGEN (nitrogen cloride and bromide are also explosive), and not
of AMMONIA (which should be quite stable).  I agree that ammonimum iodide is
the wrong name for it.

Bob Wallis

UUCP {turtlevax,pyramid,cae780,apple,wyse}!weitek!wallis