Buzz
Quick Tip: If the substance is a white powder in stick form, it's dynamite. If it's a yellow crystal, that's TNT. Remember dynamite's inventor with this fun phrase: 'Winning a Nobel Prize would be dynamite!' Unlike TNT, the idea of winning a Nobel being compared to TNT just doesn’t quite work.
Clarification: Many people use these terms interchangeably, assuming that TNT is the chemical term while dynamite is just the common name. This is a widespread but mistaken belief.
Let's begin with dynamite. In 1867, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel (yes, the Nobel Prizes guy) patented dynamite after discovering how to stabilize nitroglycerin and prevent it from exploding unexpectedly. By combining nitroglycerin with diatomaceous earth (tiny fossilized algae used today in pool filters) and sodium carbonate (found in baking soda and soaps), Nobel made an explosive that was far safer. Initially marketed as Nobel's Safety Blasting Powder, dynamite was far from safe—Nobel's own brother Emil was killed in an explosion at the factory. The fortune he made from his invention helped fund the Nobel Prizes, one of which recognizes peace. It's rumored that the premature obituary in a French newspaper calling him the 'merchant of death' inspired him to create the prize.
TNT is also a powerful explosive, but it’s not dynamite. TNT, or trinitrotoluene (pronounced try-night-row-TALL-you-een), has the chemical formula CH3C6H2(NO2)3. It was first discovered by Joseph Wilbrand in Germany in 1863. While it's not as potent as dynamite and a bit more challenging to detonate, TNT’s key advantage is its greater stability. For example, Wilbrand never lost a brother to an explosion. Additionally, TNT can be melted and poured into shell casings, but it’s highly toxic.
Though TNT is powerful on its own, it’s frequently combined with other substances. A mix of TNT and ammonium nitrate creates amatol, a military-grade explosive. Add some powdered aluminum to the mix, and you get ammonal, a popular industrial explosive.
AC/DC
The confusion between TNT and dynamite is often fueled by popular culture. They're used interchangeably in films, and in the AC/DC song 'TNT,' lead singer Bon Scott famously sings, 'I’m TNT, I’m dynamite.' So which one is it, Bon?
This post is an excerpt from the Mytour book What's the Difference?
