| % = % = % = % = % = % = % = % | |
| = = | |
| % P h r a c k X V I I % | |
| = = | |
| % = % = % = % = % = % = % = % | |
| Phrack Seventeen | |
| 07 April 1988 | |
| File 4 of 12 : Nitrogen-Trioxide Explosives | |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | |
| Working notes on Nitrogen Tri-Iodide (NI-3) | |
| By: Signal Sustain | |
| INTRODUCTION | |
| This particular explosive is a real loser. It is incredibly unstable, | |
| dangerous to make, dangerous to work with, and you can't do much with it, | |
| either. A string of Black Cats is worth far more. At least you can blow up | |
| anthills with those. | |
| NI-3 is basically a compound you can make easily by mixing up iodine crystals | |
| and ammonia. The resulting precipitate is very powerful and very unstable. | |
| It is semi stable when wet (nothing you want to trust) and absolutely unstable | |
| when dry. When dry, anything will set it off, such as vibration, wind, sun, a | |
| fly landing on it. It has to be one of the most unstable explosives you can | |
| deal with. | |
| But it's easy to make. Anyone can walk into a chem supply house, and get a | |
| bottle of iodine, and and a supermarket, and get clear ammonia. Mix them and | |
| you're there. (See below for more on this) | |
| So, some of you are going to try it, so I might as well pass on some tips from | |
| hard experience. (I learned it was a loser by trying it). | |
| Use Small Batches | |
| First, make one very small batch first. Once you learn how powerful this | |
| stuff is, you'll see why. If you're mixing iodine crystals (that's right, | |
| crystals, iodine is a metal, a halogen, and its solid form is crystals; the | |
| junk they sell as "iodine" in the grocery store is about 3% iodine in a bunch | |
| of solvents, and doesn't work for this application), you want maybe 1/4 | |
| teaspoonful MAX, even less maybe. 1/4 TSP of this stuff is one hellacious | |
| bang; it rattled the windows for a block around when it went off in my back | |
| yard. | |
| So go with 1/4 TSP, if I can talk you into it. The reason is the instability | |
| of this compound. If you mix up two teaspoonfuls and it goes off in your | |
| hand, kiss your hand goodbye right down to the wrist. A bucketful would | |
| probably level any house you'll find. But 1/4 teaspoon, you might keep your | |
| fingers. Since I know you're not going to mix this stuff up with remote | |
| tools, keep the quantities small. This stuff is so unstable it's best to | |
| hedge your bets. | |
| Note: When holding NI3, try to hold with remote tools -- forceps? But if you | |
| have to pick it up, fold your thumb next to your first finger, and grip around | |
| with your fingers only. Do not grip the flask the conventional way, fingers | |
| on one side, thumb of the other. This way, if it goes, you may still have an | |
| opposing thumb, which is enough to get by with. | |
| The compound is far more stable when wet, but not certain-stable. That's why | |
| companies that make explosives won't use it; even a small chance of it blowing | |
| up is too dangerous. (They still lose dynamite plants every now and then, | |
| too, which is why they're fully automated). But when this stuff gets dry, | |
| look out. Heinlein says "A harsh look will set it off", and he isn't kidding. | |
| Wind, vibration, a breath across it, anything will trigger it off. (By the | |
| way, Heinlein's process, from SF book "Farnham's Freehold", doesn't work, | |
| either -- you can't use iodine liquid for this. You must use iodine | |
| crystals.) | |
| Don't Store It | |
| What's so wickedly dangerous is if you try to store the stuff. Say you put it | |
| in a cup. After a day, a crust forms around the rim of the liquid, and it | |
| dries out. You pick up the cup, kabang!, the crust goes off, and the liquid | |
| goes up from the shock. Your fingers sail into your neighbor's lawn. If you | |
| make this, take extreme pains to keep it all wet. At least stopper the | |
| testtube, so it can't evaporate. | |
| Making It | |
| Still want to make it? Okay. Get some iodine crystals at a chem supply | |
| store. If they ask, say you need to purify water for a camping trip, and | |
| they'll lecture you on better alternatives (halazone) but you can still get | |
| it. Or, tell them you've been elected to play Mr. Wizard, and be honest -- | |
| you'll probably get it too. Possession is not illegal. | |
| Get as little as possible. You need little and it's useless once you've tried | |
| it once. Aim for 1/4 teaspoonful. | |
| Second, get some CLEAR, NON SUDSY ammonia at the store, like for cleaning | |
| purposes (BUT NO SUDS! They screw things up, it doesn't make the NI-3). | |
| Third, pour ammonia in a bowl. Peeew! Nice smell. | |
| Fourth, add 1/4 TSP or less of iodine crystals. Note these crystals, which | |
| looks like instant coffee, will attack other metals, so look out for your | |
| tableware. Use plastic everything (Bowl, spoon) if you can. These crystals | |
| will also leave long-standing iodine stains on hands, and that's damned | |
| incriminating if there was just an NI-3 explosion and they're looking for who | |
| did it. Rubber gloves, please, dispose after use. | |
| Now the crystals will sort of spread out. Stir a little if need be. Be | |
| damned careful not to leave solution on the spoon that might dry. It'll go | |
| off if you do, believe me. (Experience). | |
| Let them spread out and fizzz. They will. Then after an hour or so there | |
| will be left some reddish-brown glop in the bottom of the clear ammonia. It's | |
| sticky like mud, hard to handle.. That's the NI-3. | |
| It is safe right now, as it is wet. (DO NOT LET A RIM FORM ON THE AMMONIA | |
| LIQUID!) | |
| Using It | |
| Now let's use up this junk right away and DON'T try to store it. | |
| Go put it outside someplace safe. In my high school, someone once sprinkled | |
| tiny, tiny bits (like individual crystals) in a hallway. Works good, it's | |
| like setting off a cap under someone's shoe after the stuff dries. You need | |
| far less than 1/4 TSP for this, too. | |
| Spread it out in the sun, let it dry. DO NOT DISTURB. If you hear a sudden | |
| CRACK!, why, it means the wind just blew enough to set it off, or maybe it | |
| just went off by itself. It does that too. | |
| It must be thoroughly dry to reach max instability where a harsh look sets it | |
| off. Of course the top crystals dry first, so heads up. Any sharp impact | |
| will set it off, wet or dry. | |
| While you're waiting for it to dry, go BURN the plastic cup and spoon you made | |
| it with. You'll hear small snapping noises as you do; this is the solution | |
| drying and going off in the flames. | |
| After two hours or so, toss rocks at the NI3 from a long ways away, and you'll | |
| see it go off. Purplish fumes follow each explosion. It's a sharp CRACK, you | |
| can't miss it. | |
| Anyway. Like I say, most people make this because the ingredients are so | |
| easily available. They make it, say what the hell do I do now?, and sprinkle | |
| tiny crystals in the hallway. Bang bang bang. And they never make it again, | |
| because you only get one set of fingers per hand, and most people want to keep | |
| them. | |
| Or they put it in door locks (while still in the "sludge" form), and wait for | |
| it to try. Next person who sticks a key in there has a big surprise. | |
| (This is also why most high school chem teachers lock up the iodine crystals.) | |
| Getting Rid Of It | |
| If you wash the NI-3 crystals down your kitchen sink, then you have to only | |
| wait for them to dry out and go off. They'll stick to the pipe (halogen | |
| property, there). I heard a set of pipes pop and crackle for days after this | |
| was done. I'd recommend going and throwing the mess into a vacant lots or | |
| something, and trying to set it off so no one else does accidentally. | |
| If you do this, good luck, and you've been warned. | |
| -- Signal Sustain | |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | |