will become a low order explosive.  Metals, however, such as potassium or
sodium, become excellent bases for flash-type powders.  Some materials that can
be perchlorated are cotton, paper, and sawdust.  To produce potassium or sodium
perchlorate, simply acquire the hydroxide of that metal, e.g. sodium or
potassium hydroxide.  It is a good idea to test the material to be perchlorated
with a very small amount of acid, since some of the materials tend to react
explosively when contacted by the acid.  Solutions of sodium or potassium
hydroxide are ideal.


3.3     HIGH-ORDER EXPLOSIVES

     High order explosives can be made in the home without too much
difficulty.  The main problem is acquiring the nitric acid to produce the high
explosive.  Most high explosives detonate because their molecular structure is
made up of some fuel and usually three or more NO2 ( nitrogen dioxide )
molecules.  T.N.T., or Tri-Nitro-Toluene is an excellent example of such a
material.  When a shock wave passes through an molecule of T.N.T., the
nitrogen dioxide bond is broken, and the oxygen combines with the fuel, all in
a matter of microseconds.  This accounts for the great power of nitrogen-based
explosives.  Remembering that these procedures are NEVER TO BE CARRIED OUT,
several methods of manufacturing high-order explosives in the home are listed.



3.31     R.D.X.

     R.D.X., also called cyclonite, or composition C-1 (when mixed with
plasticisers) is one of the most valuable of all military explosives.  This is
because it has more than 150% of the power of T.N.T., and is much easier to
detonate.  It should not be used alone, since it can be set off by a not-too
severe shock.  It is less sensitive than mercury fulminate, or nitroglycerine,
but it is still too sensitive to be used alone.  R.D.X. can be made by the
surprisingly simple method outlined hereafter.  It is much easier to make in the
home than all other high explosives, with the possible exception of ammonium
nitrate.


     MATERIALS                    EQUIPMENT
     _________                    _________

     hexamine                     500 ml beaker
       or
     methenamine                  glass stirring rod
     fuel tablets (50 g)
                                  funnel and filter paper
     concentrated
     nitric acid (550 ml)         ice bath container
                                  (plastic bucket)
     distilled water
                                  centigrade thermometer
     table salt
                                  blue litmus paper
     ice

     ammonium nitrate

1) Place the beaker in the ice bath, (see section 3.13, steps 3-4) and carefully
   pour 550 ml of concentrated nitric acid into the beaker.

2) When the acid has cooled to below 20 degrees centigrade, add small amounts of
   the crushed fuel tablets to the beaker.  The temperature will rise, and it
   must be kept below 30 degrees centigrade, or dire consequences could result.
   Stir the mixture.

3) Drop the temperature below zero degrees centigrade, either by adding more ice
   and salt to the old ice bath, or by creating a new ice bath.  Or, ammonium
   nitrate could be added to the old ice bath, since it becomes cold when it is
   put in water. Continue stirring the mixture, keeping the temperature below
   zero degrees centigrade for at least twenty minutes

4) Pour the mixture into a litre of crushed ice.  Shake and stir the mixture,
   and allow it to melt.  Once it has melted, filter out the crystals, and
   dispose of the corrosive liquid.

5) Place the crystals into one half a litre of boiling distilled water.  Filter
   the crystals, and test them with the blue litmus paper.  Repeat steps 4 and 5
   until the litmus paper remains blue.  This will make the crystals more stable
   and safe.

6) Store the crystals wet until ready for use.  Allow them to dry completely
   using them.  R.D.X. is not stable enough to use alone as an explosive.

7) Composition C-1 can be made by mixing 88.3% R.D.X. (by weight) with 11.1%
   mineral oil, and 0.6% lecithin.  Kneed these material together in a plastic
   bag.  This is a good way to desensitize the explosive.

8) H.M.X. is a mixture of T.N.T. and R.D.X.; the ratio is 50/50, by weight.
   it is not as sensitive, and is almost as powerful as straight R.D.X.

9) By adding ammonium nitrate to the crystals of R.D.X. after step 5, it should
   be possible to desensitize the R.D.X., and increase its power, since ammonium
   nitrate is very insensitive and powerful.  Soduim or potassium nitrate could
   also be added; a small quantity is sufficient to stabilize the R.D.X.

10) R.D.X. detonates at a rate of 8550 meters/second when it is compressed to a
    density of 1.55 g/cubic cm.


3.32      AMMONIUM NITRATE

     Ammonium nitrate could be made by a terrorist according to the hap-
hazard method in section 2.33, or it could be stolen from a construction site,
since it is usually used in blasting, because it is very stable and insensitive
to shock and heat.  A terrorist could also buy several Instant Cold-Paks from a
drug store or medical supply store.  The major disadvantage with ammonium
nitrate, from a terrorist's point of view, would be detonating it.  A rather
powerful priming charge must be used, and usually with a booster charge.  The
diagram below will explain.

              _______________________________________
             |       |                               |
      _______|       |                               |
     |       | T.N.T.|     ammonium nitrate          |
     |primer |booster|                               |
     |_______|       |                               |
          |          |                               |
          |__________|_______________________________|



     The primer explodes, detonating the T.N.T., which detonates, sending
a tremendous shockwave through the ammonium nitrate, detonating it.


3.33     ANFOS

     ANFO is an acronym for Ammonium Nitrate - Fuel Oil Solution.  An ANFO
solves the only other major problem with ammonium nitrate: its tendency to pick
up water vapor from the air.  This results in the explosive failing to detonate
when such an attempt is made.  This is rectified by mixing 94% (by weight)
ammonium nitrate with 6% fuel oil, or kerosene.  The kerosene keeps the ammonium
nitrate from absorbing moisture from the air.  An ANFO also requires a large
shockwave to set it off.


3.34       T.N.T.

     T.N.T., or Tri-Nitro-Toluene, is perhaps the second oldest known high
explosive.  Dynamite, of course, was the first.  It is certainly the best known
high explosive, since it has been popularized by early morning cartoons.  It is
the standard for comparing other explosives to, since it is the most well known.
In industry, a T.N.T. is made by a three step nitration process that is designed
to conserve the nitric and sulfuric acids which are used to make the product.  A
terrorist, however, would probably opt for the less economical one-step method.
The one step process is performed by treating toluene with very strong (fuming)
sulfuric acid.  Then, the sulfated toluene is treated with very strong (fuming)
nitric acid in an ice bath.  Cold water is added the solution, and it is
filtered.


3.35     POTASSIUM CHLORATE


     Potassium chlorate itself cannot be made in the home, but it can be
obtained from labs.  If potassium chlorate is mixed with a small amount of
vaseline, or other petroleum jelly, and a shockwave is passed through it, the
material will detonate with slightly more power than black powder.  It must,
however, be confined to detonate it in this manner.  The procedure for making
such an explosive is outlined below:


     MATERIALS                   EQUIPMENT
     _________                   _________


     potassium chlorate          zip-lock plastic bag
     (9 parts, by volume)

     petroleum jelly             clay grinding bowl
     (vaseline)                      or
     (1 part, by volume)         wooden bowl and wooden spoon



1)  Grind the potassium chlorate in the grinding bowl carefully and slowly,
    until the potassium chlorate is a very fine powder.  The finer that it is
    powdered, the faster (better)  it will detonate.

2)  Place the powder into the plastic bag.  Put the petroleum jelly into the
    plastic bag, getting as little on the sides of the bag as possible, i.e.
    put the vaseline on the potassium chlorate powder.

3)  Close the bag, and kneed the materials together until none of the potassium
    chlorate is dry powder that does not stick to the main glob.  If necessary,
    add a bit more petroleum jelly to the bag.

4)  The material must me used within 24 hours, or the mixture will react to
    greatly reduce the effectiveness of the explosive.  This reaction, however,
    is harmless, and releases no heat or dangerous products.


3.36     DYNAMITE

     The name dynamite comes from the Greek word "dynamis", meaning power.
Dynamite was invented by Nobel shortly after he made nitroglycerine.  It was
made because nitroglycerine was so dangerously sensitive to shock.  A misguided
individual with some sanity would, after making nitroglycerine (an insane act)
would immediately convert it to dynamite.  This can be done by adding various
materials to the nitroglycerine, such as sawdust.  The sawdust holds a large
weight of nitroglycerine per volume.  Other materials, such as ammonium nitrate
could be added, and they would tend to desensitize the explosive, and increase
the power.  But even these nitroglycerine compounds are not really safe.


3.37     NITROSTARCH EXPLOSIVES

     Nitrostarch explosives are simple to make, and are fairly powerful.  All
that need be done is treat various starches with a mixture of concentrated nitric
and sulfuric acids.  10 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid is added to 10 ml of
concentrated nitric acid.  To this mixture is added 0.5 grams of starch.  Cold
water is added, and the apparently unchanged nitrostarch is filtered out.
Nitrostarch explosives are of slightly lower power than T.N.T., but they are
more readily detonated.


3.38     PICRIC ACID

     Picric acid, also known as Tri-Nitro-Phenol, or T.N.P., is a military
explosive that is most often used as a booster charge to set off another less
sensitive explosive, such as T.N.T.  It another explosive that is fairly simple
to make, assuming that one can acquire the concentrated sulfuric and nitric
acids.  Its procedure for manufacture is given in many college chemistry lab
manuals, and is easy to follow.  The main problem with picric acid is its
tendency to form dangerously sensitive and unstable picrate salts, such as
potassium picrate.  For this reason, it is usually made into a safer form, such
as ammonium picrate, also called explosive D.  A social deviant would probably
use a formula similar to the one presented here to make picric acid.


     MATERIALS                         EQUIPMENT
     _________                         _________

     phenol (9.5 g)                    500 ml flask

     concentrated                      adjustable heat source
     sulfuric acid (12.5 ml)
                                       1000 ml beaker
     concentrated nitric               or other container
     acid (38 ml)                      suitable for boiling in

     distilled water                   filter paper
                                       and funnel

                                       glass stirring rod

1) Place 9.5 grams of phenol into the 500 ml flask, and carefully add 12.5
   ml of concentrated sulfuric acid and stir the mixture.

2) Put 400 ml of tap water into the 1000 ml beaker or boiling container and
   bring the water to a gentle boil.

3) After warming the 500 ml flask under hot tap water, place it in the boiling
   water, and continue to stir the mixture of phenol and acid for about thirty
   minutes.  After thirty minutes, take the flask out, and allow it to cool for
   about five minutes.

4) Pour out the boiling water used above, and after allowing the container to
   cool, use it to create an ice bath, similar to the one used in section 3.13,
   steps 3-4.  Place the 500 ml flask with the mixed acid an phenol in the ice