Explosives cellulose trinitrate

A number of derivatives of cellulose are used commercially. Most of these are compounds in which two or three of the free hydroxyl groups of each glucose unit have been converted to an ester or an ether. This conversion substantially alters the physical properties of the material, making it more soluble in organic solvents and allowing it to be made into fibers and films. Treating cellulose with acetic anhydride produces the triacetate known as Arnel or acetate, used widely in the textile industry. Cellulose trinitrate, also called gun cotton or nitrocellulose, is used in explosives. 

Every glucose ring of cellulose has three —OH functional groups that can further react. For example, cellulose trinitrate, an explosive, is obtained by nitration of all OH groups by nitric acid. Industrial cellulose nitrate is a mixture of cellulose mononitrate and dinitrate and is sold as celluloid sheets after it is plasticized with camphor. Although cellulose does not dissolve in common solvents, celluloid dissolves in chloroform, acetone, amyl acetate, and so forth. As a result, it is used in the lacquer industry. However, the polymer is inflammable and its chemical resistance is poor, and its usage is therefore restricted. 

A variety of solvents, monomers, medicines, perfumes, and explosives are made from esters of nitric acid. Ethyl acetate, //-butyl acetate, iso-butyl acetate, glycerol trinitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), glycol dinitrate, and cellulose nitrate are examples of such reactions. 

Pentaerythritol trinitrate is used in explosives and propellants, partly or wholly replacing nitroglycerine. Americans believe that there is 2.0 % pentaeiythritol trinitrate in modified double-base propellants with cellulose nitrate and an adhesive... 

Nitration plays an important part in the preparation of explosives. The most common military and commercial explosives, like 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene or trotyl (TNT), cyclotrimethylene trinitramine or hexogen (RDX), glycerol trinitrate or nitroglycerine (NG), pen-taerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), cellulose nitrate or nitrocellulosa (NC) and many others are produced by nitration. Nitrating reactions are also employed to produce many commercially important non-explosive organic chemicals and intermediates. 

Carbohydrate nitrates have considerable importance as explosives 127). Cellulose nitrate, of a high degree of nitration (approximately 2.5 groups per anhydro-D-glucose unit), plasticized with glycerol trinitrate, is cur-... 

G. Sprengstoffe E explosifs There are primary explosives (detonator, initiator) of high brisance and secondary explosives. Only two of the latter are based on RR ->Glyceryl trinitrate and - cellulose nitrate. 

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