Practice Test Geeks(CES) Certified Explosives Specialist Practice Test
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Explosive Materials & Chemical Composition Flashcards

7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. Nitroglycerin (NG) is chemically unstable in pure form. What chemical process causes pure NG to degrade over time?

    Answer: Hydrolysis and acid decomposition, which lowers pH and accelerates self-decomposition

    Pure nitroglycerin slowly hydrolyzes, producing nitric and nitrous acids that catalyze further decomposition—this is why dynamite uses NG absorbed in diatom earth or other stabilizers.

  2. Which component of dynamite was Nobel's key innovation over pure nitroglycerin?

    Answer: Kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) as an absorbent to stabilize liquid nitroglycerin

    Nobel discovered that absorbing liquid nitroglycerin into kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) produced a stable, handleable explosive that still detonated reliably with a blasting cap.

  3. In the context of explosive chemistry, what is 'brisance'?

    Answer: The shattering effect of an explosive, related to its detonation velocity and pressure

    Brisance describes the shattering or crushing effect of an explosive detonation, which is proportional to detonation pressure and velocity of detonation (VOD).

  4. Ammonium nitrate (AN) undergoes thermal decomposition at elevated temperatures. At approximately what temperature does AN begin to decompose dangerously?

    Answer: Above 230°C (446°F)

    Ammonium nitrate decomposes more rapidly above 230°C and can undergo explosive decomposition, especially in confined conditions or in the presence of contaminants.

  5. What is the chemical formula for PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate)?

    Answer: C₅H₈N₄O₁₂

    PETN (C₅H₈N₄O₁₂) is a nitrate ester high explosive with one of the highest detonation velocities among common commercial explosives.

  6. When blasting agents are mixed on-site (bulk delivery), the critical parameter that determines whether the mixture is classified as an explosive is:

    Answer: Whether the final mixture can be detonated by a No. 8 test blasting cap

    Under ATF regulations, a blasting agent is a material that cannot be detonated by a No. 8 test blasting cap and is classified separately from high explosives.

  7. What is the primary chemical reaction during the detonation of ANFO, and what are the ideal gaseous products?

    Answer: 3NH₄NO₃ + CH₂ → 3N₂ + CO₂ + 7H₂O, producing nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor

    The ideal ANFO detonation reaction (3NH₄NO₃ + CH₂ → 3N₂ + CO₂ + 7H₂O) yields nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water when properly oxygen-balanced at the 94/6 AN/FO ratio.