Amatol

Following the Shell Crisis of 1915 in which the UK did not have enough ordnance due to a lack of explosives, a team at the Royal Arsenal laboratories produced a mixture of ammonium nitrate and TNT, known as Amatol for short.

Depending on the ratio of ingredients used, amatol leaves a residue of white or grey smoke after detonation.

TNT is gently heated with steam or hot water until it melts, acquiring the physical characteristics of a syrup.

Whilst this mixture is still in a molten state, it is poured into empty bomb casings and allowed to cool and solidify.

[2] Amatol ranges from off-white to slightly yellow or pinkish brown depending on the mixture used, and remains soft for long periods of storage.

[5] To prevent moisture problems, amatol charges were coated with a thin layer of pure molten TNT or alternatively bitumen.

Amatol should not be stored in containers made from copper or brass, as it can form unstable compounds sensitive to vibration.

A derivative of amatol is amatex, consisting of 51% ammonium nitrate, 40% TNT, and 9% RDX (which also has a negative oxygen balance).

Amatol was the name given to a munitions factory and planned community built by the United States government in Mullica Township, New Jersey during World War I.