what makes the TNT and nitroglycerin so dangerous explosive that even a shock can result in explosion?

Answer 1

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. This yellow-coloured solid is a reagent (reactant) in chemistry but is best known as a useful explosive material with convenient handling properties. The explosive yield of TNT is considered the standard measure of strength of bombs and other explosives. In chemistry, TNT is used to generate charge transfer salts.
Upon detonation, TNT decomposes as follows:

2 C7H5N3O6 → 3 N2 + 5 H2O + 7 CO + 7 C
The reaction is exothermic but has a high activation energy. Because of the production of carbon

Nitro Glycerin :
Nitroglycerin and any or all of the dilutents used can certainly deflagrate or burn. However, the explosive power of nitroglycerin is derived from detonation: energy from the initial decomposition causes a pressure gradient that detonates the surrounding fuel. This can generate a self-sustained shock-wave that propagates through the fuel-rich medium at or above the speed of sound as a cascade of near-instantaneous pressure-induced decomposition of the fuel into gas. This is quite unlike deflagration, which depends solely upon available fuel, regardless of pressure or shock.

Answer 2

Liquid nitroglycerin is unstable and can easily be detonated by a shock or jolt,. That is simple a characteristic of the chemical compound. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is much more stable and not really susceptible to detonation by jolting. Nitroglycerin in solid form is used by heart patients to dilate blood vessels. It is more stable in solid form and obviously does not explode if you drop a bottle of the tablets

Answer 3

When these compounds decompose, the reaction that occurs is exothermic & on top of that a large number of moles of gases (N2 , H2O, ...). Thus during this decomposition reaction there is a sudden rise in pressure & the rise in temp also causes the gases evolved to expand. All these effects together leads to explosion.

Answer 4

Lots of stored chemical energy in the bonds of the molecules.