TNT, or trinitrotoluene, is an odorless pale yellow solid with a molecular formula of C7H5N3O6. It was first prepared in 1863 as a yellow dye but later became widely used as an explosive. The document outlines the industrial and laboratory processes for making TNT through nitration reactions. TNT paved the way for modern explosive devices and was used in artillery shells, naval mines, bombs and other weapons in World War I and II due to its insensitivity and ability to be molded into different shapes.