nitrostarch

chemical compound

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July 1, 2026

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Nitrostarch is a high explosive, similar to cellulose nitrate, obtained as a white powder by nitrating starch. It is also known as starch nitrate.12

Nitrostarch explosives are comparable to dynamites but use nitrostarch instead of nitroglycerin. While nitrostarch explosives have drawbacks such as lower strength and poor water resistance, they do not cause the headaches associated with nitroglycerin-based explosives, which is why they are still used in blasting and demolition.31

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explosive
Nitrostarch explosives
Nitrostarch, which is closely related to nitrocellulose, attracted early attention, but it was not until about 1905 that it proved possible to produce it in a stable form. In general nitrostarch explosives are similar to the straight and ammonia dynamites except that nitrostarch…
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Nitrostarch, which is closely related to nitrocellulose, attracted early attention, but it was not until about 1905 that it proved possible to produce it in a stable form. In general nitrostarch explosives are similar to the straight and ammonia dynamites except that nitrostarch…
Read More