Re: Responses on Asteroid Problem

[Ludwik Kowalski <kowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

Michael Bowen wrote:

> [Ludwik, I suspect that you meant to guess 50 MJ/kg for gasoline.]  :-)

My old "Handbook of Chemistry and Physics", which I did
not consult last nigh, gives heats of combustion in kcal/mole.

The numbers are 212.79 for methane, 780.96 for benzene
and 1302.7 for n-octane .

methane (CH4)
(1 mole=18 grams=0.018 kg)
213/0.018=11833 kcal/kg=49532 kJ/kg=49.5 MJ/kg

n-octane (C8H18)
(1 mole=114 grams=0.114 kg)
1303/0.114=11430 kcal/kg=47845kJ/kg=47.8 MJ/kg

TNT (C6H5)*4C
(1 mole=320 grams=0.32 kg)
3102/0.32=992.6 kcal/kg=4155kJ/kg=4.1 MJ/kg

This confirms Michael's comment about TNT versus gasoline.
Ludwik Kowalski