Chemical Reaction

Dr Walter White (Walt), a high school chemistry teacher and brilliant chemist, is diagnosed with lung cancer and urgently needs money for treatment. With the help of his former student, Jesse Pinkman, he starts producing highly pure crystal meth and gradually establishes his drug business. In the course of a drug deal gone bad, a rival gang leader, Tuco Salamanca, beats up Jesse and confiscates Walt’s meth. Walt decides to take revenge by blowing up Tuco’s headquarters and show him who the real boss is. He prepares a mixture of mercury (II) fulminate and silver fulminate in the mass ratio of 95.0 wt%:5.0 wt%. Crystals of this solid mixture have a similar appearance as crystal meth but detonate violently under the slightest shock.

The reaction proceeds as below. Assuming that it takes 1 MJ (megajoule) of energy to blow up Tuco’s room, how much weight of explosive does Walt need to prepare? (10 marks) 2Hg(CNO)2 ~2CO2 + N2 + Hg + Hg(CN)2 4AgCNO ~2CO2 + N2 + 2Ag + 2AgCN Heat of reaction: -270 kJ/mol Heat of reaction: -500 kJ/mol