• Question: What does TNT stand for?

    Asked by meg123 to Amy, Karen, Sarah, Vijay, Will on 19 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Will Reynolds

      Will Reynolds answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      TriNitroToluene – its an explosive! 🙂 I cant draw chemical structures on here but here is a link to a picture of it.

      http://sentinelchem.wikispaces.com/James+and+John+—%3ETNT+-+Its+Dynamite!

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene

      Toluene is a common organic solvent I use too much of! To make TNT toluene has to be nitrated (a chemical reaction used to add NO2 to things) in a mixture of nitric acid and sulphuric acid (just one of the many uses for sulfuric acid you asked about in another question) to make mononitrotoluene (MNT) This is then seperated (using chromoatography, which I will explain in your other question soon!) and nitrated again to give dinitrotoluene (DNT), which is seperated and finally, if you cant guess, it is nitrated AGAIN, this time with nitric acid and fuming (very strong and hot) sulfuric acid to make trinitrotoluene (TNT). This is then immediately stabilised by washing it with sodium sulfite in water to stop it exploding until it is needed!

    • Photo: Karen Reed

      Karen Reed answered on 19 Jun 2012:

      I suspect you’re after the chemical explosive trinitrotoluene, but there’s also a delivery company called TNT and there its track and trace (sorry just to try and add something different for you 🙂 )

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