How To Make Acetone Peroxide

CHEMICALS	APPARATUS
acetone	500-mL beaker
ethyl ether	eye dropper
hydrogen peroxide	graduated cylinder
sulfuric acid	separatory funnel
distilled water	stirring rod/stirrer
	thermometer

     To a 500-mL beaker add 50 mL of acetone, then stir in 30 mL of 30% hydrogen peroxide. Place the beaker in a salt-ice bath and cool it to 5° C. After cooling, slowly add 3 mL of 75%sulfuric acid drop by drop with an eye dropper. Stir the mixture continuously while adding the acid, keep the temperature between 5° C to 10° C, stop adding acid if the temperature gets to high. It is very important that you moderate the reaction, high temperatures will lower your yield and cause the formation of the less useful dicyclo isomer. After adding all the acid, continue stirring for 5 minutes. Keep the mixture in the bath for 1 to 3 hours, or even up to 24 hours. After sitting, a white precipitate should have formed. Filter the mixture to collect the crystals, then wash them with 300-500 mL of water. Allow the crystals to dry before using, keep them damp if storing. For increased purity, add the precipitate to ethyl ether and let it dissolve. Place the ethyl ether solution in aseparatory funnel and wash by shaking with three portions of cold water. Add the ethyl ether solution to a beaker and heat it on a steam bath to evaporate the ethyl ether. It should take about 3 hours to dry. You will need a graduated cylinder for measuring liquids, a stirring rod ormagnetic stirrer for mixing, and a thermometerto monitor the temperature.

     I would suggest making this explosive shortly before it is desired to use it as it is never wise to keep unstable primary explosives around too long. It can be stored rather safely under water for some time. If allowed to stand in the open it will vaporize after some weeks. If stored in a sealed container it may crystallize into the crevaces of the cap which could detonate from the friction of opening. Mixing with RDX, PETN, or picric acid will improve the stability of this explosive.