Could usable TNT be manufactured in the American Civil War?

Around the American Civil War period, TNT and nitroglycerin were discovered. This made me wonder... what if a more effective recipe for TNT was developed, and efforts were made to manufacture it?

This question has two parts to it.

1. What are the likelihoods of discovering the recipe for usably pure TNT with this tech level? TNT was discovered at this point, but from what I was taught the purity was so low that it could not be made into an effective explosive compound.

2. How dangerous would it be to manufacture and handle TNT, in this period? Would they commonly risk a disaster equivalent to Tianjin harbor in 2015 with their factories (yes, it's ammonium nitrate, not TNT, but the manufacture would involve nitric acid and toulene)? Or would it be possible to manufacture the chemical with relative safety?

posted almost 7 years ago

Johnny‭

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