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in a laboratory experiment, and the detonation of the 10% and 20% phosphorus mixtures even in small unconfined samples of 1 gram was described by the authors as "impressive" and "scary". Pyrotechnician John Donner wrote in 1996 that it "is the most hazardous mixture commonly used in small fireworks."
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Toy charges, such as the several-milligram dots used for cap guns, are individually harmless but potentially dangerous in large numbers. On May 14, 1878, such an accident occurred in Paris. A store containing some six to eight million paper caps, totaling about 64 kilograms of explosive mass, caught
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with an alkaline buffer, such as calcium carbonate, in order to neutralize any acid that may have been generated by oxidized phosphorus on contact with the water, which would cause it to deteriorate while slowly drying. The wet slurry or paste is loaded into the fireworks, then allowed to dry.
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Armstrong's mixture is both very sensitive and very explosive, a dangerous combination that limits its practical use to toy caps. Such toy caps and fireworks typically contain no more than 10 milligrams each, but gram quantities can cause maiming hand injuries.
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Davis Tenney called it "a combination which is the most sensitive, dangerous, and unpredictable of the many with which the pyrotechnist has to deal. Their preparation ought under no conditions to be attempted by an amateur."
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The mixture is likely to explode if mixed dry and is even dangerous wet. It is recommended that
Armstrong's mixture be prepared as a slurry in water and adjusted to a slightly basic
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or similar binder and deposited in drops, each containing a few milligrams of explosive, to dry between layers of paper backing. The dots explode with some smoke when struck.
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115:, made simply by loading it into hollow balls. It also was seen in various patents for matches, novelty fireworks, and signalling devices.
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101:, 19% red phosphorus, 3% sulfur, 3% chalk, and 5% boron carbide by weight), Armstrong's mixture has been considered for use in
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202:"Flash! Bang! Whiz!: An introduction to propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics and fireworks"
108:. This use as primer for artillery propellants may have been Armstrong's original purpose.
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85:. The firecrackers may include gravel with the explosive mixture to ensure detonation.
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Bombs, IEDs, and
Explosives: Identification, Investigation, and Disposal Techniques
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139:; a 20% phosphorus mixture had 27% of the equivalent power of a like mass of
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Simple mixtures of red phosphorus and potassium chlorate can detonate at a
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287:, Charles R Olsen, "Tube primer", issued 1976-08-10
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Armstrong's mixture has been used in thrown impact-detonated
373:"The powerful, unstable explosive found in children's toys"
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77:, which explode on impact when the ball (made of clay or
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Armstrong's mixture can be used as ammunition for toy
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fire and exploded, killing 14 and injuring 16 more.
46:, who invented it sometime prior to 1872 for use in
62:. The mixture is suspended in water with some
26:. Formulations vary, but one consists of 67%
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97:(in a modified formulation given as 70% KClO
69:Armstrong's mixture can be used in impact
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22:is a highly shock and friction sensitive
338:"Explosive Limit of Armstrong's Mixture"
336:Kosanke, B. J.; Kosanke, K. L. (1996).
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273:. J. & A. Churchill. p. 546.
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93:With the addition of a grit such as
407:Chemistry of Powder and Explosives
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270:A Handbook of Chemical Technology
168:Laska, Paul R. (10 August 2015).
267:Wagner, Johannes Rudolf (1872).
383:from the original on 2021-06-20
354:from the original on 2019-07-10
1:
308:Haarmann, Donald J. (1985).
113:improvised explosive devices
81:) is thrown or launched by
449:
137:wide range of proportions
16:Pyrotechnical composition
433:Pyrotechnic compositions
345:American Fireworks News
314:American Fireworks News
285:US patent 3973502
237:"Impact Firecrackers"
44:Sir William Armstrong
316:(51). Archived from
410:. pp. 105–106.
208:on 15 November 2006
20:Armstrong's mixture
42:. It is named for
28:potassium chlorate
404:Davis, Tenney L.
40:calcium carbonate
24:primary explosive
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48:explosive shells
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379:. 2013-04-09.
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32:red phosphorus
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310:"Ask The Wiz"
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385:. Retrieved
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356:. Retrieved
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318:the original
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251:. Retrieved
244:the original
210:. Retrieved
206:the original
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89:Military use
79:papier-mâché
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71:firecrackers
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428:Explosives
422:Categories
387:2022-12-04
358:2022-12-04
253:2006-11-11
212:2006-11-11
152:References
64:gum arabic
83:slingshot
73:known as
38:, and 3%
381:Archived
349:Archived
60:cap guns
377:Gizmodo
347:(177).
106:primers
103:firearm
291:
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119:Safety
36:sulfur
30:, 27%
352:(PDF)
341:(PDF)
247:(PDF)
240:(PDF)
34:, 3%
176:ISBN
54:Toys
141:TNT
424::
396:^
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129:pH
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99:3
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