Impact sensitivities of energetic materials: Exploring the limitations of a model based only on structural formulas.

Using a comprehensive set of drop weight impact test data (h50) newly compiled from literature for 308 materials, a recent approach to predict impact sensitivities of nitro compounds is generalized to most explosive substances of interest. Compared to previous ones, this procedure is more thoroughly validated and exhibits a good predictive value. Furthermore, it yields new insight into the physical mechanisms involved, explaining for instance the unexpected desensitization of some oxygen-deficient triazoles upon nitration.