Related content

• 4-Dimethylaminophenylpentazole
• Acetone peroxide
• Aerosol can
• Alfred Nobel
• Aluminium
• Ammonal
• Ammonium nitrate
• Ammonium permanganate
• ANFO
• Antimatter
• Armstrong's mixture
• Avogadro's law
• Azide
• Azo-clathrates
• Binary explosive
• Black powder
• Blasting cap
• Brisance
• Burn
• C-4 (explosive)
• C4 explosive
• Chapman-Jouguet condition
• Charcoal
• Charles' Law
• Cheddite
• Chemical bonds
• Chemical constitution
• Chemical decomposition
• Chemical element
• Chemical energy
• Chemical explosive
• Chemical kinetics
• Chemical stability
• Chlorate
• Chlorine azide
• Combustible
• Composite propellant
• Construction
• Copper acetylide
• Copper(I) 5-nitrotetrazolate
• Crystal
• Cyanogen azide
• Cyclotol
• Cylinder (geometry)
• Deflagrate
• Deflagration
• Degree Celsius
• Density
• Detection dog
• Detonate
• Detonating explosive
• Detonation
• Detonator
• Diatomaceous earth
• Diazodinitrophenol
• Diazomethane
• Dichlorine heptoxide
• Dinitrogen tetroxide
• Disulfur dinitride
• Double-based propellant
• Dynamite
• Early thermal weapons
• Electric arc
• Electric shock
• Electric spark
• Electrical discharge
• Electromagnetic radiation
• Electrostatic
• Electrostatic discharge
• Entropy
• Exploding-bridgewire detonator
• Explosion
• Explosive
• Explosive booster
• Explosive material
• Explosive train
• Explosive velocity
• Explosive weapons
• Explosives engineering
• Explosives safety
• Explosives used during World War II
• Firework
• Fireworks
• Fissile
• Flame speed
• Flare (pyrotechnic)
• Flash powder
• Fragmentation (weaponry)
• Friction
• Fuel
• Fuel oil
• Gas compressor
• Gas cylinder
• Gas pressure blasting
• Gas state
• Gelignite
• GlobalSecurity.org
• Grain dust
• Greek fire
• Green explosives
• Grenade
• Ground (electricity)
• Gun powder
• Gurney equations
• HAZMAT Class 1 Explosives
• Heat
• Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine
• High explosive
• History of explosives
• History of gunpowder
• HMX
• Hygroscopicity
• Hypergolic
• Hypofluorous acid
• Impact (mechanics)
• Improvised explosive device
• Improvised explosive devices
• Infinity
• Initiation
• International Standard Book Number

Explosive material

An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An explosive charge is a measured quantity of explosive material.

This potential energy stored in an explosive material may be

Explosive materials may be categorized by the speed at which they expand. Materials that detonate (explode faster than the speed of sound) are said to be "high explosives" and materials that deflagrate are said to be "low explosives". Explosives may also be categorized by their sensitivity. Sensitive materials that can be initiated by a relatively small amount of heat or pressure are primary explosives and materials that are relatively insensitive are secondary explosives.

Though early thermal weapons, such as Greek fire, have existed since ancient times, the first widely used explosive in warfare and mining was black powder, invented in 9th century China (see the history of gunpowder). This material was sensitive to water, and evolved lots of dark smoke. The first useful explosive stronger than black powder was nitroglycerin1, developed in 1847. As nitroglycerin was unstable, it was replaced by nitrocellulose, smokeless powder, dynamite and gelignite (the two latter invented by Alfred Nobel). World War II saw an extensive use of new explosives (see explosives used during World War II). In turn, these have largely been replaced by modern explosives such as trinitrotoluene and C-4.