Bibliography

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"Ascani Sobrero." Nobelprize.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/life-work/sobrero.html>.

Cotton, Simon. "Nitroglycerine - MOTM 2007 - JMol version."School of Chemistry - Bristol University - UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/nitroglycerine/nitrov.htm>.

"Nitroglycerin Summary | BookRags.com."BookRags.com | Study Guides, Lesson Plans, Book Summaries and more. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2011. <http://www.bookrags.com/research/nitroglycerin-chmc/>.

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Favourite Molecule

              Nitroglycerin is awesome because the history is fascinating. Something that was so easily made was quickly turned into something deadly. It was, and still is, considered one of the most powerful explosives with a name that sounds awesome. Not to mention its previous name, pyroglycerin, and how (though not “cool”) many people it killed. It makes people using this explosive product be careful with what they are handling which makes this product literally living on the edge.

          Nitroglycerin is an awesome favourite molecule! It explodes so easily, perfect for warding off any night time predators. Dynamite is an excellent explosive. Made without the unstable properties of nitroglycerin by itself, dynamite can be shipped more easily and safely than pure nitroglycerin. It's interesting how an explosive such as this can clear blocked oil wells without causing the oil to erupt in flames. 

Interesting Facts about Nitroglycerin

Facts:
The explosion of nitroglycerine forms up to 275000 atm in the matter of microseconds.

C₃H₅O₉ (l)    à   1.5 N₂ (g)    +    2.5 H₂O (g)    +    3 CO₂ (g)    +    0.25 O₂ (g)

1 mole of nitroglycerin forms 7.25 moles of gas.

      It is very explosive and unstable, so it explodes when heated up or put under pressure. However, it's not so unstable when mixed with a clay called kieselguhr, forming dynamite

In Medication:

      Nitroglycerin pills help prevent chest pain caused by low blood flow. The nitroglycerin is converted into nitric oxide, which decrease chest pain, increase heart rate and dilate blood vessels to allow more flow and lower the blood pressure. Some side effects of using nitroglycerin medication include: low blood pressure causing dizziness, massive headache, weakening of limbs, painful urination and increased bowel movements.

In Industry

       Nitroglycerin was most commonly used for mining. Transportation of the substance soon became outlawed due to unexpected explosions, so much of the nitroglycerine needed to be used for blasting was instead made on-site. In the past, nitroglycerin was used to clear blocked oil wells. Nitroglycerin was also used to demolish buildings. In the past, there was not very good technology for special effects in movies, so many directors of old films utilized dynamite in many movies!

Origin and History of Nitroglycerin

Chemist Ascanio Sobrero (1812-1888)

              Nitroglycerin was first made by Ascanio Sobrero and he made it by nitrating glycerol. Glycerol is a common product found in many different things such as sweeteners and for food preservation. In 1847 Ascanio Sobrero was working in the University of Turin. He found that it was a great explosive but it was dangerous because it was extremely sensitive. He advised against using it as a explosive but people ended up using it anyways because it was the first compound that was more explosive than black powder.

               Back then, nitroglycerin was called pyroglycerin, pyro meaning fire. When it became commercially used, there were many casualties because of the instability of nitroglycerin. An example was when America wanted to use nitroglycerin to blast through rock for the Central Pacific Railroad so they bought three crates but during the transportation of this compound, one crate exploded killing fifteen people. Transporting liquid nitroglycerin was then banned in California and eventually other states and countries caught on and stopped transporting this explosive and made nitroglycerin on the mining site instead.

                Eventually dynamite was developed because everyone stopped buying and transporting liquid nitroglycerin. Dynamite was more stable and it was made by mixing nitroglycerin with diatomite. Eventually dynamite almost completely replaced nitroglycerin for blasting purposes. 

The Molecule

The Nitroglycerin Molecule.
Original Picture

             Nitroglycerin is a very amusing molecule. Its IUPAC name is 1,2,3-trinitroxy-propane. There are three nitroxy groups which consist of one positively charged nitrogen atom bonded with an oxygen that is connected to the carbon chain, an oxygen that is double bonded and another negatively charged single bonded oxygen. The carbon chain is an alkane that has three carbons so it is called propane. The three nitroxy groups are connected to each one of the carbons on the carbon chain so for each carbon, there are only two hydrogens attached. 

Nitroglycerin: An Introduction

The chemical formula of nitroglycerin is C₃N₃H₅O₉ or CH₂NO₂CHNOCH₂NO₂.
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Scientifically known as 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane and commonly known as nitroglycerin, this compound is also known as trinitroglycerin, and glyceryl trinitrate.
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Nitroglycerin is in liquid state at room temperature.

Its melting point is 13.5°C.

Its boiling point is 218°C, which is where it explodes at.

Nitroglycerin’s molar mass is 227.09 g/mol.