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This time we are going to take a look at the history of explosives.
Do you know the history of chlorate explosives?
The history of chlorate explosives begins in 1788, when Bethollet proposed replacing nitrate in gunpowder with potassium chlorate, devising a new gunpowder that was of no practical importance, as its sensitivity to friction and its easy flammability made it too dangerous to be used in common weapons at the time.
In spite of the energy and the great breaking power of chlorate explosives, they did not achieve industrial success until the First World War, when the shortage of combined nitrogen forced the use of other explosives.
From: Chemical Technology. K.Winnacker and E.Weingaertner.1959.
Q: What about today?
A: Today, nitrates and chlorates are readily available on the specialised market. It is true that, in the pyrotechnic field, the use of potassium nitrate is more widespread in black powder* than potassium chlorate.
* Potassium chlorate is the earliest gunpowder known to exist and is still in use today.
Potassium chlorate is being replaced by potassium perchlorate, which is much more chemically stable and therefore safer to handle.
Q: Why choose Aldebaran Sistemas potassium perchlorate?
A: For the following reasons:
– We have potassium perchlorate in different granulometries, in order to adapt to the needs of each client.
– In our laboratory, all batches are analysed exhaustively, paying special attention to the chlorate content to guarantee our clients safety in their handling.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHLORATE AND PERCHLORATE
Despite having a higher oxidation state, which would suggest greater instability, its tetrahedral structure and the high symmetry of the central ion give perchlorate, together with a greater number of resonant forms, sufficient characteristics to give it greater stability than chlorate.Chlorate is a salt of chloric acid, less stable than the perchloric acid from which perchlorate is obtained.
PRODUCT | PROVIDED FROM | OXIDATION STATE | ION SIMETRY | NUMBER OF RESONANT STRUCTURES | CONCLUSION |
CHLORATE | Chlorine acid | 5 | Low | 3 | UNESTABLE |
PERCHLORATE | Perchloric acid | 7 | High | 4 | STABLE |
Chlorate is a salt of chloric acid, less stable than the perchloric acid from which perchlorate is obtained.
Despite having a higher oxidation state, which would suggest greater instability, its tetrahedral structure and the high symmetry of the central ion give perchlorate, together with a greater number of resonant forms, sufficient characteristics to give it greater stability than chlorate.
