Acetone peroxide facts for kids
Acetone peroxide (also known as APEX) is a very powerful and dangerous chemical compound. It is known for being highly explosive. This chemical often appears in forms called a dimer or a trimer. This means that the tiny parts, or molecules, of acetone peroxide can link together. They connect either two times (dimer) or three times (trimer).
Why is Acetone Peroxide Used?
Acetone peroxide is not often used by armies around the world. This is because it does not last very long. It usually only remains stable for about 10 days. However, it is sometimes used by groups who create explosives illegally. This is because it is quite cheap to make. It is also very energetic, meaning it releases a lot of power when it explodes.
Acetone peroxide is also special because it does not contain nitrogen. Most common explosives have nitrogen in them. Because APEX lacks nitrogen, it can be harder for special detection equipment to find it.
Images for kids
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Tetrameric acetone peroxide
See also
In Spanish: Peróxido de acetona para niños
