I've often wondered why so many basic chemistry labs kept picric acid in stock. I really have to wonder if it was some sort of very slow practical joke against hazmat disposal teams.
Picric acid's reputation for sensitivity to detonation has somehow greatly inflated in recent decades. It was safely fired out of artillery pieces millions of times during World War I. It was known to chemists for decades before it was considered/known as an explosive:
It has friction and impact sensitivity comparable to TNT (see tables 13.4.6.5.1 and 13.5.1.5) according to the UN's "Classification Procedures, Test Methods and Criteria Relating to Explosives of Class 1":
Is that the one where the urban legend has it soaking into the lab table over the years and then some poor unsuspecting soul bangs the lab table and...
