On several ocassions I've heard of soaking TNT in gas to leach out the nitro-gliserin as a way of getting more power.
Is this possible or is it just a story that keeps getting passed around?
Has anyone done this or heard of it being done?
The people that have told me of this so far are of questionable honesty
It would be neat if it worked though

I do not know much about TNT, but this sounds like an accident waiting to happen. I know that the top fuel cars run a mixture of nitro methane, but I would think that nitro gylcerne is way to explosive a mixture or someone would have used it a long time ago. But I am no chemist. Where do want the flowers sent (I am a smart *****).

Gotta be BS, because there's no nitroglycerin in TNT.

Like I said I am not a chemist (just a dumb beancounter) it just sounded way to dangerous to try.

jimfulco is correct, TNT contains no nitroglycerin. (Tri-nitro-toluene or something close) Dynamite is a mixture of nitroglycerin and clay, with various additives. Dynamite which stored for way past it's normal shelf life under improper conditions "sweats" which is the nitroglycerin leaching out of the clay. It is EXTREMELY dangerous, DO NOT SCREW AROUND WITH IT!
That being said, it makes no sense to try and use it as a fuel additive, aren't most additives meant to slow the burn rate but at a higher temperature to squeeze all of the chemical reaction out of the available fuel? technically even NO2 would be doing the same thing. is it not an inert gas bonded with O2 in concentrations higher than regular air, giving a more complete combustion of the fuel, but at a controlled rate, due to the nitrogen?

Then again, what the he11 do I know? There are far more knowledgeable people on the board than I!

I've never heard that one before but I do know that gunpowder and various blends of TNT have been tried in suspension with gasoline and other fuels as early as WWI, from what I remember reading in the articles written at the time the very same properties that make high explosives great for demolition also make them poor fuel additives due to their uncontrolled burn characteristics. I think it has to do with excessive pressure rise in the combustion chamber.

can you say, NAPALM.

1 full tank of gasoline.
1/2 pound bag of sugar.
1/2 inch tubing ( 1 foot long)
1 funnel.


Unscrew Gas cap.
Insert hose.
Place funnel in end of said hose.
open bag.
pour.
remove hose.
close gas cap.

run car for 10 minutes.

much more fun than dying.

READ this:
Trinitrotoluene - TNT

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An Explosive Material
2,4,6-trinitrotoluene is better known by its initials, TNT. It is an important explosive, since it can very quickly change from a solid into hot expanding gases. Two moles of solid TNT almost instantly changes to 15 moles of hot gases plus some powdered carbon, which gives a dark sooty appearance to the explosion. This is where another explosive,

TNT is explosive for two reasons. First, it contains the elements carbon, oxygen and nitrogen, which means that when the material burns it produces highly stable substances (CO, CO2 and N2) with strong bonds, so releasing a great deal of energy. This is a common feature of most explosives; they invariably consist of many nitrogen or oxygen containing groups (usually in the form of 2, 3 or more nitro-groups), attached to a small, constricted organic backbone.



However, explosives like TNT, actually have less potential energy than gasoline, but it is the high velocity at which this energy is released that produces the blast pressure. This very high speed reaction is called a detonation. TNT has a detonation velocity of 6,940 m/s compared to 1,680 m/s for the detonation of pentane in air, and the 0.34 m/s stoichiometric flame speed of gasoline combustion in air.

The second fact that makes TNT explosive is that it is chemically unstable - the nitro groups are so closely packed that they experience a great deal of strain and hindrance to movement from their neighbouring groups. Thus it doesn't take much of an initiating force to break some of the strained bonds, and the molecule then flies apart. Typically 1 gram of TNT produces about 1 litre of gas, which is a 1000 fold increase in volume. This expanding hot gas can be used to propel a projectile, such as a bullet from a gun, or for demolition purposes.

TNT as a Weapon
There are a number of advantages that TNT has for ammunition manufacturers. First, it melts at a reasonably low temperature (81°C), which means it can be readily melted and poured into shells and bombs. Secondly, it is not too unstable - allowing it to be handled reasonably safely during manufacture and operation. TNT will not spontaneously explode, and in fact can be treated quite roughly. In order to initiate the explosion, TNT must first be detonated using a pressure wave from another, more easily induced explosion from another explosive called a detonator. One such detonator is lead azide, Pb(N3)2, which explodes when struck or if an electric discharge is passed through it.

Semtex
Plastic explosives have been around for a couple of decades. They typically consist of an explosive mixed with an oil or wax plastic resin. One example is C4 (plasticized RDX), which has been used by the military (and safecrackers!) for years. RDX is RDX PETN

References:
Introduction to Organic Chemistry, Streitweiser and Heath**** (MacMillan, New York, 1981).
Molecules, P.W. Atkins (W.H. Freeman and Co, New York, 1987).

as a LIQUID... it is highly reactive to vibration and josteling. around. Sloshing in a gas tank is more than dangerous, its downright suiscidal.

Just like adding sugar to an engine.

I would not recommend doing that. I am new to the hot rodding world but TNT contains no Nitroglycerin. Instead of doing that I recommend buying Nitromethane fuel and using it as a fuel additive.

whew and just when i thought i heard of some crazy ideas

Is this one true?

You fill something small and sealed with draino, you drop it down into someones gas tank, after a few hours the draino will eat through the plastic and when that happens BOOM, big explosion.

I've heard of draino being used for DIY bombs, but I haven't heard that one.

The drano has to have some small peices of aluminum foil inside the mentioned small container then sealed tight. Drano starts a chem. reaction that causes pressure to biuld up in container then goes boom. I dont think it would ignite the fuel its just a pressure thing, like dry ice and water in a plastic coke bottle. Carbide pellets and water in a glass jar, LOL why do I know all of this .

Oh the drano/foil bombs, I've done those, I use empty 2 liter bottles though, much more fun.

Boy this sparked a memory.Back almost 20yrs ago(evan for me).One of my freinds fathers worked for a construction company and for whatever reason had dynamite in the house.Well my freinds about 6 at the time found it in the closet and thought it was fireworks and tried to light it in the house one night in the iddle of the night.
Well he lived,only after blowing 6 of his fingers off and half his hand.In addition to blowing a hole through the floor into the basement and blowing the windows out of the house.
I wouldn't play with it,go buy some AV gas.