Oxygen Balance & Explosive Thermochemistry

This simulator visualizes the core thermochemistry concept behind energetic-material design: oxygen balance. A generic molecule is built from a fixed carbon/hydrogen/nitrogen scaffold plus a tunable number of oxygen atoms. The oxygen-balance formula OB% = -1600·(2C + H/2 - O)/MW tells you whether the molecule carries too little oxygen (negative OB, incomplete combustion, soot-forming) or more than it needs (positive OB, wasted oxidizer mass). Reaction power — the combination of reaction speed, gas-product volume, and heat released — is modeled to peak near OB≈0, where combustion is most complete. Press Detonate to watch the modeled gas cloud (N₂, CO₂, H₂O) expand outward with a speed and brightness tied to that computed power.