Question

Difference between propellant and explosive

Answer 1

Often times the word “explosive” is used interchangeably for propellants and true explosives. However, the distinction between these two terms is critical when discussing the pressures formed during a reaction which takes place inside an oxygen bomb. Chemical explosives can be classified as low or high explosives. Low (or deflagrating) explosives are used primarily for propelling; they are mixtures of readily combustible substances that when ignited undergo rapid combustion. Propellants are often materials such as gun powders, smokeless powders or liquid fuels. Generally, propellants burn in a predicable manner at a controlled rate. High (or detonating) explosives (e.g., TNT) are used mainly for shattering; they are unstable molecules that can undergo explosive decomposition without any external source of oxygen and in which the chemical reaction produces rapid shock waves. In an explosion, the reaction products fill a much greater volume than that occupied by the original material and exert an enormous amount of pressure