Chemistry
Air monitoring provides the following contaminant concentrations at the approximate center of a fire scene in which acres of automobile tires are burning: Carbon monoxide @ 1700 ppm; Carbon dioxide @ 7000 ppm; and Sulfur dioxide @ 600 ppm. Ignoring synergistic effects between these gases, the following are individual concentrations that are considered life-threatening to the EH&S or FS professional responding to the scene: carbon monoxide: 50 ppm, carbon dioxide: 350 ppm, and sulfur dioxide: 120 ppm.
Certain combustion products are produced when materials made from polyacrylonitrile smolder and burn. The major products of thermal decomposition include hydrogen chloride, benzene and unsaturated hydrocarbons. In the presence of oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water are included among the common combustion products. The main toxic products from PVC fires are hydrogen chloride (a sensory and pulmonary irritant) and carbon monoxide (an asphyxiant).
There exists a combination of properties that is responsible for the selection of trinitrotoluene as a military explosive. TNT is classified as a secondary explosive because it is less susceptible to initiation and requires a primary or initiating explosive to ignite it. TNT can be used as a booster or as a bursting charge for high-explosive shells and bombs. Also, TNT may be mixed with other explosives such as Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX) and High Melting Explosive (HMX) and it is a constituent of many explosives, such as amatol, pentolite, tetrytol, torpex, tritonal, picratol, and ednatol.
The following are properties of TNT that classify it as a military explosive: it is insensitive to shock and friction, so accidental detonation is prevented, it does not get dissolved in water, so it can be used in wet environment, it is more stable than other explosives, it melts at a temperature below which it spontaneously detonates, because of which it can be poured and safely combined with other explosives, and the activation energy for detonation of TNT is very high, so thereby making it more safer during military transportation and handling.
References
Misovec, A.P., Explosion Phenomena. 1976, David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center.
Swisdak, M. "Explosion Effects and Properties: Part II -- Explosion Effects and Causes." NSWC/WOR TR 76-116, 1978.
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