Nitroglycerin is an oily, colourless liquid, but also a high explosive that is so unstable that the slightest jolt, impact or friction can cause it to spontaneously detonate. … It is the speed of the decomposition reaction which makes nitroglycerin such a violent explosive.

How was the nitroglycerin made more stable?

Dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel in 1866. Nitroglycerin, a very unstable explosive, was already known. Nobel mixed the nitroglycerin with silica to stabilize it and form a solid material.

Why is nitroglycerin explosive chemistry?

Nitroglycerin, with the molecular formula C3H5(ONO2)3, has a high nitrogen content (18.5 percent) and contains sufficient oxygen atoms to oxidize the carbon and hydrogen atoms while nitrogen is being liberated, so that it is one of the most powerful explosives known.