The explosive used in 95% of all commercial blasting is ANFO, a mixture of
94.5% fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) and 5.5% Diesel oil,
if you want to make a lot you can make it in a cement mixer. When NH4NO3
explodes it produces N2O and 2H2O, N2O (laughing gas) is a powerful oxidant,
so when it combines with Diesel oil it considerably increases it's yield.
ANFO is rather slow as explosives go and the pressure wave is only about 35%
as high as Dynamite, but it does have three advantages, it's very stable,
it's easy to make, and it's very cheap, about 9 cents a pound.
I don't think there is any doubt that ANFO can bring down a building if you
have enough of it, even straight NH4NO3 can be dangerous. In 1947 a ship in
Texas City Texas was being loaded with paper pages filled with ammonium
nitrate fertilizer. Somehow a fire started in the hold of the ship, the crew
then sealed the hold, apparently thinking that would smother the fire,
instead it caused so much heat and pressure that the fertilizer exploded.
People 10 miles away in Galveston were knocked to the ground, at least 600
people died and many thousands were injured.
John K Clark johnkc@well.com
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