[Mikey_1962]

Concentrated Nitric acid is nasty stuff; but wouldn’t cause near as mmuch damage as schrapnel.

[I still care]

I remember years ago in Chem class asking the teacher which was the most dangerous acid for people. He thought a few seconds and said, “Nitric”.

It’s probably not as bad as shrapnel but it has a terror all it’s own. And I wonder about breathing it in if you are nearby.

[AndyTheBear]

Concentrated Nitric acid is nasty stuff; but wouldn’t cause near as mmuch damage as schrapnel.

Thank God they aren't using something really toxic...like CO2. </sarcasm>

[verum ago]

Concentrated Nitric acid is nasty stuff; but wouldn’t cause near as mmuch damage as schrapnel.

the problem is that nitric acid isn't terribly stable- the bomb would decompose the nitric acid into water, nitrogen dioxide, and dinitrogen tetroxide. nitrogen dioxide and dinitrogen tetroxide are both gases, are both extremely corrosive, are both very good oxidizers, and are both highly toxic by inhalation at lower concentrations than chlorine; they also both anesthetize the nose at sublethal conentrations and can inflict lethal damage hours before symptoms show up, rendering potential victims unaware of their presence until it's far too late. The nitric acid itself may not be worse than shrapnel, but it will decompose in an explosion into byproducts that rival and even exceed chlorine for value as chemical weapons.

[stuned_beeber]

Combine the two. I don’t want that happening to our guys. Either one.