Nitrostarch

Nitrostarch is a secondary explosive similar to nitrocellulose made by the nitration of starch by a mixture of sulfuric acid and nitric acid.

History

Nitrostarch was invented by H. Barconnot in 1833.

In World War I, it was used as a filler in hand grenades.

Synthesis

To synthesize nitrostarch, a mixture of 65mL Sulphuric Acid(98%) and 35mL Nitric Acid(68%) are mixed in a glass beaker and cooled to 10c. After cooling, 18cc of starch are slowly added to the acid mixture. After the starch has dissolved, the mixture is heated to 40c for one and a half hours and is stirred occasionally. The mixture will precipitate a white powder. The white powder is nitrostarch.

References

• Some pictures and content courtesy of Sam Barros’PowerLabs, http://www.powerlabs.org