                               Article Eight

                       The Problems With Nitroglycerin

The follwoing is a part of the file TERROR.DOC describing how to make 
Nitro-Glycerin.  It is extremely important that you DO NOT make this stuff.
I have tried and I must say that it worked... it scared the crap out of me
when it went off while using an eye dropper to pick it up (that eye dropper
no longer exists:), but it works.  So don't do this PLEASE!
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3.13       NITROGLYCERINE

     Nitroglycerine is one of the most sensitive explosives, if it is not the 
most sensitive.  Although it is possible to make it safely, it is difficult. 
Many a young anarchist has been killed or seriously injured while trying to 
make the stuff.  When Nobel's factories make it, many people were killed by 
the all-to-frequent factory explosions.  Usually, as soon as it is made, it 
is converted into a safer substance, such as dynamite.  An idiot who attempts 
to make nitroglycerine would use the following procedure:
             
  MATERIAL                 EQUIPMENT
distilled water        eye-dropper
table salt             100 ml beaker
sodium bicarbonate     200-300 ml beakers (2)
concentrated nitric    ice bath container
acid (13 ml)              ( a plastic bucket serves well )
concentrated sulfuric  centigrade thermometer
acid (39 ml)           blue litmus paper
glycerine

1) Place 150 ml of distilled water into one of the 200-300 mlbeakers.

2) In the other 200-300 ml beaker, place 150 ml of distilled waterand about 
   a spoonful of sodium bicarbonate, and stir them until the sodium 
   bicarbonate dissolves.  Do not put so much sodium bicarbonate in the water 
   so that some remains undissolved.

3) Create an ice bath by half filling the ice bath container with ice, and 
   adding table salt.  This will cause the ice to melt, lowering the overall 
   temperature.

4) Place the 100 ml beaker into the ice bath, and pour the 13 ml of 
   concentrated nitric acid into the 100 ml beaker.  Be sure that the beaker 
   will not spill into the ice bath, and that the ice bath will not overflow 
   into the beaker when more materials are added to it. Be sure to have a 
   large enough ice bath container to add more ice. Bring the temperature of 
   the acid down to about 20 degrees centigrade or less.

5) When the nitric acid is as cold as stated above, slowly and carefully add 
   the 39 ml of concentrated sulfuric acid to the nitric acid.  Mix the two 
   acids together, and cool the mixed acids to 10 degrees centigrade.  It is 
   a good idea to start another ice bath to do this.

6) With the eyedropper, slowly put the glycerine into the mixed acids, one 
   drop at a time.  Hold the thermometer along the top of the mixture where 
   the mixed acids and glycerine meet.  
        DO NOT ALLOW THE TEMPERATURE TO GET ABOVE 30 DEGREES CENTIGRADE! 
        IF THE TEMPERATURE RISES ABOVE THIS TEMPERATURE, RUN LIKE HELL!!   
   The glycerine will start to nitrate immediately, and the temperature will 
   immediately begin to rise.  Add glycerine until there is a thin layer of 
   glycerine on top of the mixed acids.  It is always safest to make any 
   explosive in small quantities.
    
7) Stir the mixed acids and glycerine for the first ten minutes of nitration, 
   adding ice and salt to the ice bath to keep the temperature of the 
   solution in the 100 ml beaker well below 30 degrees centigrade.  Usually, 
   the nitroglycerine will form on the top of the mixed acid solution, and 
   the concentrated sulfuric acid will absorb the water produced by the 
   reaction.

8) When the reaction is over, and when the nitroglycerine is well below 30 
   degrees centigrade, slowly and carefully pour the solution of 
   nitroglycerine and mixed acid into the distilled water in the beaker in 
   step 1.  The nitroglycerine should settle to the bottom of the beaker, and 
   the water-acid solution on top can be poured off and disposed of. Drain as 
   much of the acid-water solution as possible without disturbing the 
   nitroglycerine.



10) When the nitroglycerine is as acid-free as possible, store it in a clean 
    container in a safe place.  The best place to store nitroglycerine is far 
    away from anything living, or from anything of any value. Nitroglycerine 
    can explode for no apparent reason, even if it is stored in a secure cool 
    place.
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This is a fairly good procedure, but it has a couple flaws in it that could
very well kill you or injure you.

1.  Step #9 is missing!  And it's an important step too!  What Step #9 should
    say is that you should neutralize the nitro with the Sodium Bicarbonate
    solution by taking the nitroglycerin out of the one beaker and putting it
    into the beaker with the Sodium Bicarbonate in it.  Allow it to sit there
    for a while and then take it out and test the nitro with blue litmus
    paper.  If the paper turns red, put it back in the Sodium Bicarbonate for
    a while longer.  Keep checking it until the litmus paper doesn't turn red 
    any more.  When it no longer turns red, the Nitro is neutralized.

2.  The author of the above seems to think that storing Nitroglycerin is
    ok if it's in a clean container where it's cool... FUCK NO!  Never
    store this stuff!  It is way too unstable to store anywhere!  Always
    use it right away.

If you are crazy enough to do this (like I was:) do it in small amounts!
And when I say small, I mean SMALL!!!  Like only make maybe 1 drop of 
Nitroglycerin by adding only 1 drop of glycerine to the acid solution!
And even then, dillution of the glycerin is a good idea (it will make it
easier to come out of the eye dropper too since straight glycerin is very
sticky).  And when you've made the stuff, have some sawdust or something 
nearby for the nitro to soak in to.  Then take the sawdust and detonate it.
You are talking about some very dangerous stuff here, no joke!

Personally, I'll never make the stuff ever again... well... unless I had 
better equipment :)

