From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Sun Jul 29 2001 - 10:10:21 MDT
Spudboy100@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 7/28/2001 2:03:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> mlorrey@datamann.com writes:
>
> << This article details current research in creating complex nitrogen
> molecules for ever higher energy explosives, including a theoretically
> feasible N60 fullerene molecules that should be incredibly useful as an
> explosive, possibly delving significantly into the gap between
> conventional and nuclear explosives in energy density. >>
>
> Cool Article, and a fascinating view of what might be the next Terror weapon,
> a Bomb that knocks down buildings, but leaves everything un-irradiated. No
> mutants to play with, other then the regular ones you meet daily. I wonder if
> this could also be an Orion or Deadaleus (grateful) type of interplanetary
> propulsion? No radioactivity might mean launch it from Earth, or would
> 1,000's of launches ruin the Ozone layer?
Well, it's not THAT powerful. It has around 50% more energy than the
current top chemical explosive, according to simulations. Now, this
molecule, as a solid, would dissociate into a gas of 30 N2 molecules ( a
rather significant degree of expansion, mind you), but where previous
chemical explosives were on an equivilancy level of 100k - 200k lbs per
lb of nuclear weapon in energy density, this would be about 40k-50k lbs
per lb of nuclear weapon. Its a significant reduction, but nowhere near
parity.
Worse, it would require manufacturing methods somewhat like those used
to manufacture artificial diamonds, which can now be made in 1-10 karat
sizes at a time. While this is nice for diamonds, this would make this
explosive hideously expensive to make.
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