Explosives used during WW II
Encyclopedia
Almost all the common explosives listed here were mixtures of TNT, RDX
or PETN
. Please note that this is only a partial list; there were many others.
RDX
RDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4...
or PETN
PETN
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate , also known as PENT, PENTA, TEN, corpent, penthrite , is the nitrate ester of pentaerythritol. Penta refers to the five carbon atoms of the neopentane skeleton.PETN is most well known as an explosive...
. Please note that this is only a partial list; there were many others.
| Name | Composition |
| Amatol Amatol Amatol is a highly explosive material made from a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate. Its name originates from the words ammonium and toluene... | Ammonium nitrate and TNT |
| Baronal | Barium nitrate Barium nitrate Barium nitrate with chemical formula Ba2 is a salt of barium and the nitrate ion.Barium nitrate exists as a white solid at room temperature. It is soluble in water, and like other soluble barium compounds, is toxic and should be handled with care... , TNT and powdered aluminium Aluminium Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances.... |
| Baratol | Barium nitrate Barium nitrate Barium nitrate with chemical formula Ba2 is a salt of barium and the nitrate ion.Barium nitrate exists as a white solid at room temperature. It is soluble in water, and like other soluble barium compounds, is toxic and should be handled with care... and TNT |
| Composition A | 88.3% RDX RDX RDX, an initialism for Research Department Explosive, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications. It was developed as an explosive which was more powerful than TNT, and it saw wide use in WWII. RDX is also known as cyclonite, hexogen , and T4... and 11.7% plasticizer Plasticizer Plasticizers or dispersants are additives that increase the plasticity or fluidity of the material to which they are added; these include plastics, cement, concrete, wallboard, and clay. Although the same compounds are often used for both plastics and concretes the desired effects and results are... |
| Composition B Composition B Composition B, colloquially "comp B", is an explosive consisting of castable mixtures of RDX and TNT. It is used as the main explosive filling in artillery projectiles, rockets, land mines, hand grenades, sticky bombs and various other munitions... | RDX, TNT and wax Wax thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents... |
| H-6 Composition H6 Composition H6 is a castable military explosive compound composed of the following percentages by weight:* 45% RDX* 30% TNT* 20% powdered aluminium* 5% paraffin wax as a phlegmatizing agent.... | 45% RDX, 30% TNT, 20% powdered aluminium and 5% wax |
| Minol | 40% TNT, 40% ammonium nitrate and 20% powdered aluminium (Minol-2) |
| Octol Octol Octol is a melt-castable, high explosive mixture consisting of HMX and TNT in different weight proportions.-Composition:Two formulations are commonly used:* 70% HMX & 30% TNT* 75% HMX & 25% TNT... | 75% HMX HMX HMX, also called octogen, is a powerful and relatively insensitive nitroamine high explosive, chemically related to RDX. Like RDX, the name has been variously listed as High Melting eXplosive, Her Majesty's eXplosive, High-velocity Military eXplosive, or High-Molecular-weight rdX.The molecular... (cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine) and 25% TNT |
| Pentolite Pentolite Pentolite is a high explosive used for military and civilian purposes e.g. warheads and booster charges.Military pentolite comprises a mixture of 50% PETN and 50% TNT. A 50:50 mixture has a density of 1.65 g/cm3 and a detonation velocity of 7400 m/s. Civilian pentolite sometimes contains a lower... s | 50% PETN PETN Pentaerythritol tetranitrate , also known as PENT, PENTA, TEN, corpent, penthrite , is the nitrate ester of pentaerythritol. Penta refers to the five carbon atoms of the neopentane skeleton.PETN is most well known as an explosive... and 50% TNT |
| Picratol Picratol Picratol is a high explosive mixture, comprising 52% 'Explosive D' and 48% TNT. It has a detonation velocity of approximately 6,972 metres per second. Picratol has no civilian applications. It was exclusively intended for military use and was especially popular during the Second World War. The main... | 52% Picric acid Picric acid Picric acid is the chemical compound formally called 2,4,6-trinitrophenol . This yellow crystalline solid is one of the most acidic phenols. Like other highly nitrated compounds such as TNT, picric acid is an explosive... and 48% TNT |
| PIPE | 81% PETN and 19% Oil Petroleum Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling... |
| PTX-1 | 30% RDX, 50% tetryl Tetryl 2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine commonly referred to as tetryl is a sensitive explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges.... and 20% TNT |
| PTX-2 | 41-44% RDX, 26-28% PETN and 28-33% TNT |
| PVA-4 | 90% RDX, 8% PVA Polyvinyl alcohol Polyvinyl alcohol is a water-soluble synthetic polymer .-Properties:... and 2% dibutyl phthalate Dibutyl phthalate Dibutyl phthalate is a commonly used plasticizer. It is also used as an additive to adhesives or printing inks. It is soluble in various organic solvents, e.g. in alcohol, ether and benzene... |
| RIPE | 85% RDX and 15% Oil |
| Tetrytol Tetrytol Tetrytol is a high explosive, comprising a mixture of Tetryl and TNT. Typically, the proportion of ingredients is approximately 70% tetryl and 30% TNT... s | 70% Tetryl Tetryl 2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine commonly referred to as tetryl is a sensitive explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges.... and 30% TNT |
| Torpex Torpex Torpex is a secondary explosive 50% more powerful than TNT by mass. Torpex is composed of 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. It was used in the Second World War from late 1942. The name is short for Torpedo Explosive', having been originally developed for use in torpedoes... | 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium |
| Trialen 105 | 15% RDX, 70% TNT and 15% powdered aluminium (Luftwaffe) |
| Explosive "D" (US Army/Navy) | Ammonium Picrate |
| Type 91 Explosive (Japanese Army/Navy) | Trinitroanisol (TNA) |
See also
- List of Japanese World War II explosives
- Explosive materialExplosive materialAn explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
- Little BoyLittle Boy"Little Boy" was the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets of the 393rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, of the United States Army Air Forces. It was the first atomic bomb to be used as a weapon...
- Fat ManFat Man"Fat Man" is the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan, by the United States on August 9, 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons to be used in warfare to date , and its detonation caused the third man-made nuclear explosion. The name also refers more...