unknown chemical x

[abbykarim]

hi guys. i recently got a pan of a white powdered chemical dropped of by a friend who got it from a friend who got it from a guy whom no one can seem to contact to determine what exactly was that chemical. all i was told is that it can be used to make explosives. i assumed it was hexamine. today i conducted a few tests and from y limited knowledge it cant be hexamine. nor perchlorate. so im asking for guides as to continuous tests to determine its nature.

 

i did a flame test and it was highly flamable and like hexamine - it burned clean without smoke a yellowflame andleft behind only a little black carbon like reidue.

 

however unlike hexamine it was only sightly soluble in water.

and as opposed to hexamine it was completely and rapidly soluble in acetone.

it was also insoluble in denatured alcohol

 

it has a sweetish scent, with a formaldehyde overtone.

 

thought the mas of the sample was powdered (a consistency slightly resembling parlon,) there were some clumps in there so i am assuming it a a bit hygroscopic and humidity made it clump.

 

it did not react with sulfuric acid.

 

can anyone help me with this?

[rogeryermaw]

sodium benzoate? if it is lightly soluble in water, what is the pH of the solution?

[Maserface]

How does that describe sodium benzoate?

It sounds to me like it might be powdered nitrocellulose- Get us some pictures.

[rogeryermaw]

just a wild guess. need more information really. how aggressively does it burn? m.p. analysis? if it does not react with sulfuric acid then you can likely rule out most nitrates but to be sure, mix a tiny amount with H2SO4 (outside or in fume hood and test tube scale) and heat lightly to see if any red oxide of nitrogen is driven off.

 

if it is nitrocellulose, it would make a solution in acetone very thick.

[abbykarim]

you know i didnt think of it being nitrocellulose not fully nitrated...... the guy who they got it from works at a local news paper company and mixes ink......i just read on wiki that this material is used for ink making...so it very well might be that.

 

 

if it is...what can i do with it?...is it any good for laquer?

[Maserface]

If it is nitrocellulose, its great for lacquer- it also finds use in binding some compositions; most notably dragon eggs (crackle).

[abbykarim]

so i did this video a few minutes ago. first the flame test and then i mixed with some acetone. however, there was a little water in the test tube when i put in the substance. in, the acetone did not react with that part of the mix. however when i ended the video i dumped the solution and it was a bit viscous and made a "plastic like film" on contact with water......i believe that this is nature of N/C laquer

 

http://youtu.be/wyKRLsTjLIA

[rogeryermaw]

it does appear to behave some level of nitrated cellulose. if you can verify that, you definitely have a useful chemical there. in addition to the above mentioned uses, it is also good for layering a barrier on stars that may be incompatible with what ever subsequent layer you wish to apply. it works quite well for me sealing a.p. stars against nitrate primes and breaks.

[wildcherryxoxo]

Might be sodium benzoate-

[fckiamdead]

It's sound's/look like NC

 

but,

 

Can you make some sort of impact test? (maybe it's some sort of etn/petn ect, poorly nitrated do to the leftovers)

[Mumbles]

Might be sodium benzoate-

 

 

Does your sodium benzoate burn like that, or dissolve in acetone?

[gregh]

Seems like it left quite a bit of residue to be nitrocellulose. I also didn't think sodium benzoate would burn that aggressively in just atmospheric oxygen and it produces a fair amount of smoke, plus it is soluble in water.

[pex]

If you don't know what it is just trow it away

[wildcherryxoxo]

 

 

Does your sodium benzoate burn like that, or dissolve in acetone?

heh sorry, I was poking fun at an earlier comment. Ill keep my sarcasm at home next time

[rogeryermaw]

i DID say it was a wild guess going on no information. all sodium compounds burn yellow and benzoates are slightly flammable. jab all you like but try to include something useful with it...

[wildcherryxoxo]

Going on no information? Slightly soluble in water- doesn't sound like sodium benzoate. Soluble in acetone- doesn't sound like sodium benzoate. Highly flammable- doesn't sound like sodium benzoate.

 

Hey maybe the chemical could be a new car! Wild guess

[rogeryermaw]

you are so useful and helpful. really appreciate all you've brought to the table. all the great information you have shared is remarkable. you should go for an administrative federal position. you'd fit right in.

[gregh]

Hey it might be RDX powder.... It looks like that, smells and tastes slightly sweet, is not soluble in water, somewhat soluble in acetone and burns pretty much like what we saw in the video! ...going on available info and all. ... or a new car...

Ultimately, if you don't know exactly what you are dealing with, you should dispose of it safely. I honestly doubt someone would have given you something like RDX, but it doesn't have to be a high explosive to be dangerous to you and others around you.

[wildcherryxoxo]

you are so useful and helpful. really appreciate all you've brought to the table. all the great information you have shared is remarkable. you should go for an administrative federal position. you'd fit right in.

 

 

thanks, and you are welcome.

[FlaMtnBkr]

I would put it up until you can ask the fellow what it is. While it can be fun to guess and try to figure it out, in the end you don't want to use something you aren't positive of.

 

For all you know he could have been trying to synth ecstasy, an HE, or risin. Sitting on a tray and not in a container sounds odd for a pure chemical. It's best to verify or move on unless it is a large quantity.

[abbykarim]

i want to verify because if it is a good pyro material i can probably try to get me more