Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Shock Sensitive Chemicals
The following materials are shock-sensitive, and may decompose violently if struck or heated. Solids are also prone to explosive decomposition if ground, for example with pestle and mortar. A few of the materials listed are not, of themselves, explosive, but mixtures of them with combustible material such as organic reagents, may be dangerous.
| acetaldehyde | aluminum ophorite explosive | amatol |
| ammonal | ammonium nitrate | ammonium perchlorate |
| ammonium picrate | benzoyl peroxide | 2-Butanol |
butyl tetryl | calcium nitrate | copper acetylide |
| cumene | cyanuric triazide | cyanogen Bromide |
| cyclohexane | cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine | dicyclopentadiene |
| diethyl Ether | dinitroresorcinol | dinitroethyleneurea |
| dinitroglycerine | dinitrophenol | dinitrophenolates |
| dinitrophenyl hydrazine | dinitrotoluene | dioxane |
| dipicrylamine | dipicryl sulfone | erythritol tetranitrate |
| ethylene glycol dimethyl | ether | ethyl ether |
| ethyl vinyl ether | fulminating mercury | fulminating gold |
| fulminating platinum | fulminating silver | gelatinized nitrocellulose |
| guanyl nitrosamino | guanyltetrazene | guanyl nitrosamino |
| guanylidene | hydrazine | hydrazoic acid |
| heavy metal azide | hexanite | hexanitrodiphenylamine |
| hexanitrostilbene | hexogen | hyrazinium nitrate |
| isopropyl ether | lead azide | lead mannite |
| lead mononitroresorcinate | lead picrate | lead salts |
| lead styphnate | magnesium ophorite | magnesium perchlorate |
| mannitol hexanitrate | mercury oxalate | mercury fulminate |
| mercury oxalate | mercury tartrate | mononitrotoluene |
| nitrated carbohydrate | nitrated glucoside | nitrated polyhydric alcohol |
| nitrogen triiodide | nitrogen trichloride | nitroglycerin |
| nitroglycide | nitroglycol | nitroguanidine |
| nitromethane | nitronium perchlorate | nitroparaffins |
| nitrotoluene | nitrourea | organic amine nitrates |
| organic peroxides | organic nitramines | perchloric acid |
| picramic acid | picramide | picratol |
| picric acid | picryl chloride | picryl fluoride |
| polynitro aliphatic compounds | potassium metal | potassium nitroaminotetrazole |
| potassium perchlorate | robenzoic acid | silver acetylide |
| silver azide | silver fulminate | silver styphnate |
| silver tetrazene | sodatol | sodium amatol |
| sodium azide | sodium dinitro-ortho-cresolate | sodium nitrate/potassium nitrate (Mixture) |
| sodium perchlorate | sodium picramate | styrene |
| syphnic acid | tert-butyl hydroperoxide | tetrahydrofuran (THF) |
| tetranitrocarbazole | tetraze | tetrytol |
| triethylene glycol divinyl ether | trimethylolethane | trimonite |
| trinit | trinitroresorcinol | trinitroanisole |
| trinitrobenzene | trinitrobenzoic acid | trinitrocresol |
| trinitro-meta-cresol | trinitronaphthalene | trinitrophenetol |
| trinitrophloroglucinol | trinitrotoluene (TNT) | urea ammonium nitrate |
| urea nitrate | vinyl chloride | vinylidene chloride acetylides |
The above table provides examples of peroxide-forming and/or shock sensitive chemicals only and is not an inclusive list. Consult Material Safety Data Sheets for information on the peroxide-forming potential and shock sensitivity of specific chemicals.
Shock sensitive materials should be kept to a minimum by maintaining proper inventory consistent with the rate of use. Inventory is also important in order to dispose of chemicals which tend to form unstable materials with age, such as ethers, or materials which become dangerous when they become dehydrated, such as picric acids. Shock-sensitive materials should be stored in a cool, dry area, and protected from heat and shock. During storage, the materials should be segregated from incompatible materials including flammables and corrosives. Materials which are used specifically because of their explosive properties should be treated as an explosive of the appropriate class and kept in a explosive proof locker or the equivalent storage area.
