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Show High Explosives Put Through Severe Test The new high explosives, which found their first large scale use during dur-ing the great war, are "Insensitive" i. e., reluctant to go off. So markedly so, indeed, that they are as safe to handle as cornmeal or baking powder. This quality is extremely important, inasmuch as it makes them easy to deal with. To make them explode, a fuse is used. They are mostly coal-tar products. Prom coal tar are obtained benzine and toluene, which are converted into high explosives by treating them with nitric acid. T N T is an example. High explosives purchased by the United Stales government are tested to determine their degree of sensitiveness. sensi-tiveness. Samples of them are set up and fired at with a rifle. If the impact im-pact of the bullet sots them off, they are considered unsafe and are rejected. |