PLX
Encyclopedia
PLX, or Picatinny Liquid Explosive, is a liquid binary explosive, a mixture of 95% nitromethane
(NM) and 5% ethylene diamine
(EDA). Other amine
groups can be used in replacement of ethylene diamine, such as triethylene tetramine
or ethanolamine
. While the previously mentioned amines, as well as many others, sensitize NM quite well, ethylene diamine has been found to be most effective.
of anywhere between 6,000 - 7,000 m/s, depending on diameter. Although greatly sensitized by the addition of EDA, PLX still requires a powerful blasting cap
if not a small booster charge to successfully detonate.
by the Picatinny Arsenal
in New Jersey. It was originally designed to clear minefields by being spread via plane over the targeted area or poured from a safe distance and detonated by troops on the ground.
This explosive can also be gel
led through the addition of nitrocellulose
, ETN
, or any number of soluble nitro esters
or gelling agents. This allows for the use of an addition powdered metal fuel such as aluminum or magnesium
to be suspended in the mixture. The addition of metal powders increases heat/energy output but lowers brisance and VoD, creating a more sustained blast wave and a push and heave effect, desirable for thermobaric purposes. PLX is a fairly powerful High Explosive, marginally exceeding the destructive yield of TNT.
groups (nitrogen atom bonded to carbon and or hydrogen exhibiting a valence pair of electrons) are responsible for the sensitization of nitromethane, chemical formula CH3NO2. It is thought that the amine weakens the C-N bond
in the nitromethane, resulting in less energy being needed to break the bond, thus detonation.
It was the supposed explosive used in the film Die Hard with a Vengeance. However, the film grossly exaggerated the sensitivity of this explosive mixture.
PLX was one of the explosives used to down Korean Air Flight 858
along with C-4
.
Nitromethane
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent...
(NM) and 5% ethylene diamine
Ethylene diamine
Ethylenediamine is the organic compound with the formula C2H42. This colorless liquid with an ammonia-like odor is a strongly basic amine. The liquid fumes upon contact with humid air...
(EDA). Other amine
Amine
Amines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are derivatives of ammonia, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such as an alkyl or aryl group. Important amines include amino acids, biogenic amines,...
groups can be used in replacement of ethylene diamine, such as triethylene tetramine
Triethylene tetramine
Triethylenetetramine, abbreviated TETA and trien, is an organic compound with the formula [CH2NHCH2CH2NH2]2. This oily liquid is colourless but, like many amines, assumes a yellowish color due to impurities resulting from air-oxidation. It is soluble in polar solvents and exhibits the reactivity...
or ethanolamine
Ethanolamine
Ethanolamine, also called 2-aminoethanol or monoethanolamine , is an organic chemical compound that is both a primary amine and a primary alcohol . Like other amines, monoethanolamine acts as a weak base...
. While the previously mentioned amines, as well as many others, sensitize NM quite well, ethylene diamine has been found to be most effective.
Properties
PLX, when mixed, is a transparent liquid with a yellowish tint. Both ethylene diamine and nitromethane are very volatile, requiring the contents to be sealed if any storage is intended. Generally, for safety purposes, the contents should be transported separately and mixed on site. PLX is known to have a VoDExplosive velocity
Explosive velocity, also known as detonation velocity or velocity of detonation , is the velocity at which the shock wave front travels through a detonated explosive. The data listed for a specific substance is usually a rough prediction based upon gas behavior theory , as in practice it is...
of anywhere between 6,000 - 7,000 m/s, depending on diameter. Although greatly sensitized by the addition of EDA, PLX still requires a powerful blasting cap
Blasting cap
A blasting cap is a small sensitive primary explosive device generally used to detonate a larger, more powerful and less sensitive secondary explosive such as TNT, dynamite, or plastic explosive....
if not a small booster charge to successfully detonate.
Uses and Discovery
PLX was invented during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the Picatinny Arsenal
Picatinny Arsenal
The Picatinny Arsenal is an American military research and manufacturing facility located on a lot in northern New Jersey near Lake Denmark. The Arsenal is the headquarters of the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center...
in New Jersey. It was originally designed to clear minefields by being spread via plane over the targeted area or poured from a safe distance and detonated by troops on the ground.
This explosive can also be gel
Gel
A gel is a solid, jelly-like material that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state...
led through the addition of nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose
Nitrocellulose is a highly flammable compound formed by nitrating cellulose through exposure to nitric acid or another powerful nitrating agent. When used as a propellant or low-order explosive, it is also known as guncotton...
, ETN
Erythritol tetranitrate
Erythritol tetranitrate is an explosive compound chemically similar to PETN. It is however thought to be 1/3 more sensitive to friction and impact. ETN is not well known, but in recent years has been used by amateur experimenters to replace PETN in improvised detonation cord or in boosters to...
, or any number of soluble nitro esters
Nitrate
The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
or gelling agents. This allows for the use of an addition powdered metal fuel such as aluminum or magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
to be suspended in the mixture. The addition of metal powders increases heat/energy output but lowers brisance and VoD, creating a more sustained blast wave and a push and heave effect, desirable for thermobaric purposes. PLX is a fairly powerful High Explosive, marginally exceeding the destructive yield of TNT.
Sensitizing of Nitromethane
It is known that the amineAmine
Amines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are derivatives of ammonia, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such as an alkyl or aryl group. Important amines include amino acids, biogenic amines,...
groups (nitrogen atom bonded to carbon and or hydrogen exhibiting a valence pair of electrons) are responsible for the sensitization of nitromethane, chemical formula CH3NO2. It is thought that the amine weakens the C-N bond
Covalent bond
A covalent bond is a form of chemical bonding that is characterized by the sharing of pairs of electrons between atoms. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atoms when they share electrons is known as covalent bonding....
in the nitromethane, resulting in less energy being needed to break the bond, thus detonation.
It was the supposed explosive used in the film Die Hard with a Vengeance. However, the film grossly exaggerated the sensitivity of this explosive mixture.
PLX was one of the explosives used to down Korean Air Flight 858
Korean Air Flight 858
Korean Air Flight 858 was a scheduled international passenger flight between Baghdad, Iraq, and Seoul, South Korea that exploded in mid-air on 29 November 1987 after two North Korean agents planted a bomb in the passenger cabin...
along with C-4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
.