Energy density of high explosives
Even a small piece of any decent high explosive will release an unbelievably huge amount of energy, ...
That's a common misconception. In fact energy density of all practical high explosives is quite low, for the simple reason that they need to combine the oxidizer and fuel within the same molecule or a fine mixture of molecules. For example, energy density of TNT is "only" 4.6 MJ/kg. If you can separate the oxidizer and the fuel, the practical energy density increases dramatically - e.g. hydrogen-oxygen pair is up to 13 MJ/kg. Finally, if one of the components is "free" (ie coming from the atmosphere), you can get much higher again - the humble propane contains 55 MJ/kg.
The bottom line is that a fag lighter contains about the same amount of energy as a hand-grenade; the important bit is not the amount of energy per se, but the manner and speed in which it is released.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
