Nitroglycerin is a members-only quest item. It is used in the Digsite Quest to make a Chemical compound along with ammonium nitrate, ground charcoal and arcenia root to blow up bricks blocking the path below digsite. It is obtained by using a vial on the barrel with a skull mark on it near the panning point, and is brought to archeology expert to learn that it's nitroglycerin. If the barrel is not already opened a trowel can be used on the barrel to open it. After finishing the dialogue following filling the vial, the barrel will become resealed, so it is recommended that you skip the dialogue by using more vials on it, assuming you're filling more than one vial. When you're done with the barrel, step or teleport away without going through the dialogue so you won't have to worry about reopening the barrel on your next visit.

Before the archaeology expert identifies it, nitroglycerin is known as unidentified liquid. Identification of the liquid increases the damage to 350.

Beware! Players who drop the vial will take 250 damage if the vial is unidentified, or 350 damage if the vial is identified! You can get rid of the item safely by alching it, asking the Wise Old Man in Draynor Village to rid your bank of useless quests items, or by dropping them in a free-to-play world. Players may now simply click on the "Empty" option to safely dispose of the Nitroglycerin. Players can no longer place it on a table. Many players using the Dharok set use this effect to lower their hitpoints, in order to activate the effect and hit higher. When a player drops this, a message will say Ow! The Nitroglycerin exploded! and the player will receive 350 damage; However this item can no longer kill you after the update from 21 April 2009.

Mass production

Players may produce nitroglycerin for self-injury. To do this as fast as possible, players should do the following steps:

1. Withdraw 28 vials at a bank. Equip a Digsite Pendant and a Ring of Duelling.
2. Teleport with the Digsite Pendant to the Digsite.
3. Run south to the barrel(s) containing nitroglycerin. If the barrel is shut, speak to an Examiner for a trowel.
4. Use the vials on the opened barrel. Do NOT click the "click here to continue" in the chatbox or press the spacebar or the barrel will be closed.
5. Run south to the Exam Centre and find the Archaeological expert. Use unidentified liquid on him (You can identify all at once).
6. Teleport to Castle Wars using Ring of duelling to bank.
7. Deposit the nitroglycerin into bank and repeat from step one.

Note: Step five may be omitted to save time. However, the damage dealt is reduced to 250, instead of 350.

Trivia

• Nitroglycerin has been abused to cause a bug in the Kennith's Concerns quest to "Ninja Walk" or "Rogue Walk".
• "Nitroglycerin" uses the U.S. spelling of the word, despite Jagex being a British company. "Nitroglycerine" is the British spelling.
• Ammonium nitrate and nitroglycerin are used in reality to make several explosives, referred to as ammonia dynamites.
• Prior to 25 May 2011, each nitroglycerine taken to the Archaeological expert had to be identified separately.
• While wearing Penance (aura) and trying to explode Niroglecrine you won't get damage. The reason seems to be that Jagex didn't want players to recover prayer points from the damage caused from exploding Nitroglycerine.