Ammonium Tri-Iodide

Ammonium Tri-Iodide

This is a good one, very easy to get ahold of the chemicals, and very easy to make. The only problem with it is that if you don't know what you are doing, or don't follow instructions, you could have a real mess on your hands. This stuff is so damn sensitive (if you use pure ingredients) when it dries that it will blow up with the slightest touch. Because of this, it is fun to mess around with. DO NOT store this shit in your house, because it has the annoying characteristic of blowing up for no apparent reason, and this is a high explosive.

I am going to explain the chemical process involved in making this explosive, because I want people to know what they are doing so that they won't end up in the hospital. The iodine required is available at drug stores and pharmacies, although you may need to sign for them. (But what kind of idiot would use thier real name?) You also will need ammonium hydroxide. This is where making this stuff gets a little tricky, because you will probably not want to use pure ammonium hydroxide even if you can get your hands on it. It is the purity of the ammonium hydroxide which will determine the sensitivity and strength of the explosive. You can use household ammonia water, but it has to be very strong, and it MUST BE CLEAR, NOT CLOUDY! Cloudy ammonia water contains soaps and other cleaning agents that will make a poor quality explosive. Clear ammonia water usually contains enough ammonium hydroxide that it will make a good explosive. I use a janitor strength from Ace hardware that does really well. If you use pure, then don't even touch the stuff after it dries. Anyway, now I will give you the formula for the reaction so you know what happens.

4NH OH + 3I -> 2NH NI + 4H O + 3H 4 2 3 3 2 2

So the ammonium hydroxide reacts with the iodine to yield AMMONIA TRI-IODIDE (explosive) plus water and hydrogen gas.

Of course you can't just throw the chemicals together randomly, so I am going to give you the procedure I use to make this stuff.

Take about two tablespoons of iodine crystals, and put it in a large (400-600 ml.) beaker.

Then add about 100 ml of whatever ammonia water you are using. You should use an excess of ammonia, because if you use more than you need it will not affect the explosive, but if you don't use enough, the reaction will be incomplete.

Then you should let it sit for about ten minutes, stirring a lot to make sure all of the iodine is exposed to ammonium hydroxide. It also helps to have very small crystals of iodine, even powder if you can crush it small enough. You don't have to be afraid of this stuff blowing up on you as long as it is wet, so it is safe to stir this.

As the reaction is taking place, you will see tiny bubbles being given off. This is the hydrogen. When these bubbles stop, the reaction is pretty much over.

I suggest letting the mixture sit a few minutes afterwards, just to make sure.

After the reaction is complete, you have to separate the explosive, which precipitates on the bottom of the beaker. This is easily done with filter paper, or you can even use a coffee filter. Just pour the whole mixture through the filter paper and let the liquid drain off.

Now let the explosive dry about an hour, or if you want to keep it around for a while, make sure it is in an air tight container and stays cool.

Don't store it for too long, it will decompose slowly over time. Remember, when it dries it is very sensitive!