Explosive Sensitivity of Cobalt Ammine Azides

Abstract

THE correlation of the explosive sensitivity of simple metal azides with the metal's ionization potential has been related to the control of the azide's electrons by the metal and a consequent influence on the activation energy of the decomposition reaction¹. Gray has stressed the importance of both kinetic and thermodynamic factors in the problem of sensitivity, and pointed out that, in addition to influencing the activation energy, the ionization potential is a major factor in determining the heat of formation of simple metal azides². Thus a correlation with sensitivity may be predicted on both kinetic and thermodynamic grounds and no simple indication of the importance of electron control is possible.