There are four types of explosives: blasting agents, primary, low and high explosives.
Blasting agents are relatively inexpensive and stable. They are mostly used for clearing construction sites or mining activities, but also as a terrorist weapon. ANFO, for instance, is a mixture of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil very popular with terrorists because it is relatively easy to acquire the base materials.
Primary explosives are used as detonators to set off the main charge of a blasting agent or a low or high explosive. They are usually based on mercury fulminate or lead azide and they are very sensitive to heat or electrical charges, which makes them ideal for use as detonators.
The most common example of low explosives is gunpowder. Low explosives do not produce strong pressure waves like high explosives, but they do burn very quickly. If they are ignited in a sealed environment like a cartridge or an artillery shell, the burning gases will increase the pressure inside the container so fast that they produce sufficient energy to propel a projectile at very high speed. The main application of low explosives is indeed the firing of bullets and shells.
High explosives – the fourth type – burn even quicker than low explosives. They are usually very stable and also require a primary explosive to trigger them. They are mainly used for military purposes. A large number of types exists, of which RDX (cyclotrimethyleentrinitroamine) and PETN (pentaerythritol) are the most common.
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