Explosive properties of 1-hydroxybenzotriazoles

1-Hydroxybenzotriazole and its derivatives are widely used as peptide coupling reagents. However, people are often not aware that such compounds show explosive properties when heated under defined confinement or when subjected to mechanical stimulus. 1-Hydroxybenzotriazole (HOBt) is able to propagate a detonation when a stronger booster is used. Sometimes explosive substances are desensitized to suppress their hazardous properties, yet depending on the amount and nature of desensitizer, the result is often not quite satisfactory. During the last years, some 1-hydroxybenzotriazoles were tested at BAM. The results are presented in this paper.