Chemical Explosives: Picric Acid and Picrates
Two common varieties of reaction are acid-base and oxidation-reduction (Redox). A typical acid-base reaction involves the conversion of the reactants (naturally, an acid and a base) into a salt plus water. We all are familiar with table salt, which is only one of many salts. Table salt can be made by reacting hydrochloric acid with the strong base sodium hydroxide: HCl + NaOH → NaCl + H2O The valence states of the reactants remain the same when they are transformed into the products. Hydrogen, chlorine, sodium, and hydrogen all stay at +1, while oxygen remains at -2. Oxidation-Reduction Oxidation-reduction reactions feature valence changes. For instance, consider the oxidation of carbon by oxygen... C + O2 → CO2 Each carbon atom (left of the reaction arrow) loses 4 electrons, while each…