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Mannitol hexanitrate

Mannitol hexanitrate is a powerful explosive. Physically, it is a powdery solid at normal temperature ranges, with density of 1.73 g/cm 3 . The chemical name is hexanitromannitol and it is also known as nitromannite, MHN, and nitromannitol, and by the trademarks Nitranitol and Mannitrin. It is more stable than nitroglycerin, and it is used in detonators. Mannitol hexanitrate is a secondary explosive formed by the nitration of mannitol, a sugar alcohol. The product is used in medicine as a vasodilator and as an explosive in blasting caps. Its sensitivity is high, particularly at high temperatures (> 75 °C) where it is slightly more sensitive than nitroglycerine. Nitromannite is a class B explosive. The production of pure MHN is not a trivial task, since most preparations will yield a mixture of MHN and lower esters (pentanitrate and lower).

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Article summary

Mannitol hexanitrate is a powerful explosive. Physically, it is a powdery solid at normal temperature ranges, with density of 1.73 g/cm 3 . The chemical name is hexanitromannitol and it is also known as nitromannite, MHN, and nitromannitol, and by the trademarks Nitranitol and Mannitrin. It is more stable than nitroglycerin, and it is used in detonators. Mannitol hexanitrate is a secondary explosive formed by the nitration of mannitol, a sugar alcohol. The product is used in medicine as a vasodilator and as an explosive in blasting caps. Its sensitivity is high, particularly at high temperatures (> 75 °C) where it is slightly more sensitive than nitroglycerine. Nitromannite is a class B explosive. The production of pure MHN is not a trivial task, since most preparations will yield a mixture of MHN and lower esters (pentanitrate and lower).

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  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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