Book and Media Review pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Review of Chemistry of High-Energy Materials, 2nd Edition J. Keith Butler* American Ordnance, Milan Army Ammunition Plant, Milan, Tennessee 38358, United States presented. The concepts of fire, combustion, deflagration, and detonation are explored. Chapter 3 expands these fundamentals to include detonation, detonation velocity, and detonation pressure. Chapter 2 digs deeper into the classification of energetic materials and their various applications. Adjusting the performance properties of the materials to meet specific challenges by formulating various mixtures and blends is discussed. One example is the formulation of decoy flares used as a defense mechanism by aircraft against heat-seeking missiles. Klapötke explains the technology used by these weapons to “lock-on” to the target and the challenging chemistry needed to defeat it. He also introduces battlefield strategies using pyrotechnics that generate light of various brightness, duration, and wavelength or color. The concept of smokeless propellants as well as strategic applications in which significant smoke generation is desired is covered. Klapötke even expounds on real-world limitations to the successful use of these types of materials, such as the reduced effectiveness encountered when weather conditions are very dry or very windy. Thermodynamics and computational quantum mechanical methods are discussed at some depth in Chapter 4. Specific examples are given of these characterizations and how well theoretical calculations correlate with actual measurements. The author ably demonstrates the utility of such calculations with examples for solid rocket propellants and various formulations of gun propellants. These materials require special safety considerations, especially for new materials that are not fully characterized for sensitivity and stability. For that reason, syntheses should be limited to milligram quantities until it is determined that larger quantities can be manipulated safely. Theoretical calculations allow researchers to allocate resources, including personal safety and health, to projects that have higher probabilities of success while avoiding those with a greater risk of failure, which may include undesirable accidental detonations. Chapter 5 is a very short chapter, yet one that answers one of the first questions that must be asked, “What makes it explode?” The initiation process is explained. The detonation of explosives or the deflagration by propellants or pyrotechnics initiates and propagates by different mechanisms. Klapötke’s explanation is clear and complete. Methods and devices used for experimental characterization of explosives are discussed in Chapter 6. In addition to measurement techniques, the desired attributes and justifications for those properties are also explained. Here Klapötke introduces the student to one of the major goals of modern energetic materials research: insensitive munitions. The two most important properties of a practical explosive are (i) that it
Chemistry of High-Energy Materials, 2nd ed., by Thomas M. Klapötke. Walter de Gruyter & Co.: Berlin, 2012. pp. ISBN 978-311027358-8 (paperback). $49.95.
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s a student of high-energy materials, I found this text very engaging. Filled with historical, practical, and technical information, Chemistry of High-Energy Materials, 2nd ed., satisfied my academic curiosity and did so in light of very practical economic, environmental, and social considerations. While some percentage of this English translation can be enjoyed by those with a casual interest in the subject, this book is a graduate-level chemistry text.
Cover image provided by Walter de Gruyter GmbH and reproduced with permission.
Instructors using Klapötke’s book will have the flexibility to adjust the difficulty of the course to meet students’ learning objectives. However, to fully benefit from the information presented, students will need prior knowledge of advanced inorganic chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, kinetics, quantum mechanics, and especially thermodynamics. While analytical chemistry is as important to the study of high-energy materials as it is with any other materials science, many of the analytical tools used in this field are rarely found in a modern undergraduate laboratory. Klapötke includes schematics, photographs, and explanations for a number of these unique analytical devices. The emphasis of much of the book is on military applications, in part because most new developments in highenergy materials come from defense department laboratories. Fair consideration is given to construction, demolition, and sporting arms as well as to aerospace applications. The first chapter introduces the various classes of high-energy materials and the characteristics used to classify them. These include high explosives, primary explosives, oxidizers for solid rocket motors, propellants, and pyrotechnics. A historical overview and numerous definitions specific to high-energy materials are © XXXX American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed4008155 | J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
Journal of Chemical Education
Book and Media Review
releases a large amount of energy very rapidly, and (ii) that it will not release that energy unless the user initiates the detonation. In other words, the material is insensitive to accidental or unintended detonation. Specific information about sensitivity to electrostatic potential and sensitivity to impact is presented in Chapter 8. One key attribute of explosives discussed in Chapter 7 is detonation velocity, which is important to the shaped charge effect. The theory and control of the shaped charge effect as well as how it impacts its target is explained in detail. Chapters 9, 10, and 12 discuss recent developments and future directions in energetic research. Synthetic techniques and recently developed modifications of classic reaction pathways used by today’s researchers are presented in detail. Klapötke’s description of the potential benefit of the successful development of the compounds described or of compounds yet to be designed may inspire ambitious, hard-working young students to choose this field of research for a career. Students are shown the value of materials with high energy density, low sensitivity, and extended stability in various extreme environments that can be synthesized in strategic quantities in a safe, economical, and in an environmentally responsible manner. No text on materials that are intrinsically hazardousthat is, hazardous in and of themselves regardless of how they are manipulatedis complete without a thorough discussion about safety. Chapter 11 provides information about both personal protective equipment and laboratory design. The final chapter delivers information on the related topics of thermobaric weapons, agent defeat weapons, nanothermites, and commonly used thermite compositions. The advantages and applications of different thermite formulations are explained. Rather than following each chapter, study questions taken from the various chapters follow the final chapter as a single section. Readers desiring greater depth will appreciate the detailed literature list. Appendix Table 2 “Abbreviations” is useful for all readers as they progress from chapter to chapter. Various appendices will make Chemistry of High-Energy Materials a useful reference for those who choose to study this field.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
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dx.doi.org/10.1021/ed4008155 | J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX
