[lazide]

Small rocket engines can be made with some pyrodex, dowels, and cardboard tubes.

Most high explosives involve nitric acid of decent concentration.

It’s hard to make them in quantities small enough to be actually not dangerous, especially since many of the compounds will react with all sorts of normal everyday substances (like aluminum, copper, etc) to form even more unstable compounds.

Some of them can even explode on exposure to light.

The two are not in the same ballpark. I wouldn’t recommend high explosive synthesis without a solid grounding in organic and inorganic chemistry.

Even a pea sized portion of these compounds can remove a finger or part of a hand, or blind you.

If you still want to know more ‘The Chemistry of Powders and Explosives’ is a good read.

[lazide]

Since I can't edit anymore - ISBN-13 is 978-0913022009, ISBN-10 is 0913022004

Published in '43, so won't have some of the newer exotics, but comprehensive regardless. Sometimes hard to find, but Amazon has new hardcovers for $20. Don't blow your hands off.