A chemically compound which is yellow crystalline solid and also which is considered to be most acidic phenols is known as picric acid. Picric acid is very much explosive like other nitrate compounds and thus reflect bitter taste of this picric acid particularly. Picric acid is very widely used in munitions and explosives and also has found some use in the organic chemistry for the preparation of crystalline salts of organic bases thus for the purpose of the identification and characterization. Wet picric acid has been used largely for skin dye or temporary branding agent and also reacts with the skin which gives a dark brown color which last as long for a month. Picric acid is known for itching whine during combustion in air which leads to its widespread use in the fireworks.Dry picric acid is very much sensitive to shock and friction with which it is used in laboratories which are used for storing this picric acid in bottles under a layer of water which renders it to be safe. Picric acid has to be stored in plastic bottles or glass bottles as it can easily form metal pictrate salts that are even more sensitive and hazardous than this acid itself. Industrial picric acid is very much hazardous as it is volatile and slowly sublimes even at room temperatures. The use of this picric acid is utilized since from ages as it is an explosive which is very much similar to tnt and is also highly unstable in its dry form as it very much poisonous especially when used on deep burns.
Thus while handling of this picric acid proper care must be taken as it is considered to be very dangerous as it does not leave its effects so soon or immediately as it is poisonous substance which is prepared from carbolic acid, nitric acid and sulfuric acid. It is an extremely important acid which is used in making explosives and also is used in dyeing as it produces a yellow pigment when it is blended with the indigo or prussian blue.
