Nitro compounds are explosive because although the diatomic form of nitrogen is very stable - that is, the triple bond that holds N2 together is very strong, and therefore has a great deal of bond energy - the nitro compounds themselves are unstable, as the bonds between nitrogen atoms and other atoms in nitro compounds are weak by comparison. Therefore, little energy is required to overcome these weak bonds, but a great deal of energy is released when the strong triple bonds in N2 are formed. The rapidity of the reaction, due to the weakness of the bonds in nitro compounds, and the high quantity of overall energy released, due to the much higher strength of the triple bonds, produce the explosive qualities of these compounds.