system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why so many organic substances containing NO2 groups are explosive?
gpt
The N-N triple bond is immensely strong - it's the second strongest diatomic bond.

Forming these triple bonds releases a lot of energy. If you have a compound that contains a lot of nitrogen, you can cause it to release a lot of energy by decomposing into N2 and other products. NO2 groups serve two functions - stabilising the nitrogen atoms until you want the molecule to decompose, and releasing energy themselves as the oxygen radicals rebond to the other atoms.

This is why many explosives are made of nitrogen compounds. It's all about causing the formation of triple bonds to release a huge amount of energy rapidly when the compound decomposes.