High-performance explosive

Uses Substitute for HMX, or RDX in plastic explosives, high performance gun propellants, and rocket propellants. It can be used as a primary component instead of RDX or HMX in explosives compositions, high performance gun propellants, or rocket propellants. ... 

Numerical Work. The results of experiments described above can be better understood when compared to the results of numerical and analytical studies. Numerical studies, in particular, provide real insight into the shock formation process. Chushkin and Shurshalov (1982) and Adamczyk (1976) provide comprehensive reviews of the many studies in this field. The majority of these studies were performed for military purposes and dealt with blast from nuclear explosions, high explosives, or... 

A major force behind this evolntion will be the explosion of new products and materials that will enter the market dnring the next two decades. Whether from the biotechnology industry, the electronics industry, or the high-performance materials indnstry, these products will be critically dependent on structure and design at the molecular level for their usefulness. They will require manufacturing processes that can precisely control their chemical composition and stracture. These demands will create new opportunities for chemical engineers, both in product design and in process irmovation. 

Military explosives are required to meet stringent criteria because apart from a requirement for high performance, the military needs to be able to safely store them for decades, transport them anywhere from the poles to the equator, handle them under battlefield conditions, and still have them fuUy functional. In addition, availability of raw materials, ease of manufacture, and cost are important factors. Most candidate explosive compounds do not meet all these requirements. 

X. Xu, A.M. van der Craats and P.C.A.M. de Bmyn, Highly sensitive screening method for nitroaromatic, nitramines and nitrate ester explosives by high performance liquid chromatography — atmospheric pressure ionization — mass spectrometry (HPLC-APl-MS) in forensic applications , J. Forensic Sci., 49 No. 6 (2004) 1171-1180. 

A number of nitramine-nitrate explosives have been prepared by Millar and co-workers from the action of dinitrogen pentoxide on aziridines and azetidines (Section 5.8). Millar and co-workers used their aziridine ring-opening nitration methodology (Section 5.8.1) to synthesize the high performance melt-castable nitramine-nitrate explosive known as Tris-X... 

Acetic anhydride-nitric acid mixtures are extensively used for chloride-catalyzed nitrations. Other nitrating agents have been used and involve similar sources of electropositive chlorine for intermediate chloramine formation. 4,10-Dinitro-4,10-diaza-2,6,8,12-tetraoxaisowurtzitane (TEX) (40), an insensitive high performance explosive (VOD 8665 m/s, d = 1.99 g/cm ), is synthesized by treating the dihydrochloride salt of the corresponding amine (39) with strong mixed acid. ... 

Although a large number of secondary nitramides have been prepared they have not found wide use as explosives because of their facile hydrolysis to acidic primary nitramines in the presence of water. Research has focused on the synthesis of cyclic and bicyclic A-nitroureas and A, A -dinitroureas because of their high performance. 

The nitrolysis of A,A-disubstituted amides is one of the key tools for the synthesis of nitramine containing energetic materials. The present synthesis of the high performance explosive HMX is via the nitrolysis of hexamine (Section 5.15). This is an inefficient reaction requiring large amounts of expensive acetic anhydride. An alternative route to HMX (4) is via the nitrolysis of either l,3,5,7-tetraacetyl-l,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane (79) (79%) or 1,5-dinitro-3,7-diacetyl-l,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane (80) (98 %) with dinitrogen pentoxide in absolute nitric acid. These reactions are discussed in more detail in Section 5.15. 

The high performance nitramine explosive known as CL-20 (5) has been synthesized via a two-stage nitrolysis starting from the key intermediate (83). The first stage uses dinitrogen tetroxide or nitrosonium tetrafluoroborate for nitrosolysis. The second step, involving nitrolysis of the acetamide and nitrosamine bonds, is achieved with nitronium tetrafluoroborate (>90 %) or mixed acid at 75 °C to 80 °C (93 %). The synthesis of CL-20 is discussed in more detail in Chapter 6. 

Nitrolysis of a fert-butyl group is also a key step in the synthesis of the high performance explosive known as TNAZ (6). The nitrolysis of the A-fert-butylazetidine (103) has been achieved with acetic anhydride-nitric acid " and acetic anhydride-ammonium nitrate." ... 

Gilbert and co-workers showed that the nitrolysis of 1,3,5-triacyl-1,3,5-triazacyclohexanes offered little benefit over the conventional synthesis of RDX via the nitrolysis of hexamine. This is not the case for HMX where its synthesis via the Bachmann process is far from perfect. This process and its modifications are expensive, requiring large amounts of acetic anhydride. The rate of production is slow and the maximum attainable yield is 75 %. In fact, HMX is five times as expensive as RDX to produce by this process and this prevents the widespread use of this high performance explosive. Many efforts have focused on finding more economical routes to HMX. 

Tetranitrohexahydropyrimidine (DNNC) (94) has been synthesized from the nitrolysis of the A(iV -di-fert-butylpyrimidine (93). Levins and co-workers reported the synthesis of DNNC (94) from the nitrolysis of the analogous A. V -di-wo-propylpyrimidine (92). DNNC is a high performance explosive with a detonation velocity of 8730 m/s, impact sensitivity lower than RDX and a very favourable oxygen balance. DNNC has been suggested " for use as an oxidizer in propellant compositions. This is also considered as an excellent oxidant for pyrotechnic compositions. ... 

Diamino-4,6-dinitrobenzofuroxan (DADNBF) (82), an impact insensitive high performance explosive (VOD 8050 m/s, d = 1.91 g/cm ), has been prepared in four steps from l,3,5-trichloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (78), ° and also by treating the Meisenheimer complex (83) with excess hydroxylamine hydrochloride in aqueous base. DADNBF has also been synthesized in five steps starting from 2-nitroaniline. ... 

Treatment of the ammonium salt of 3,5-dinitro-1,2,4-triazole (113) with hydrazine hydrate leads to selective reduction of one of the nitro groups to yield 3-amino-5-nitro-1,2,4-triazole (ANTA) (114), a high performance explosive (calculated VOD 8460 m/s) possessing thermal stability (m.p. 238 °C) and an extremely low sensitivity to impact. ANTA (114) is also synthesized from the nitration of 3-acetyl-l,2,4-triazole with anhydrous nitric acid in acetic anhydride at subambient temperature followed by hydrolysis of the acetyl functionality. The ammonium salt of 3,5-dinitro-l,2,4-triazole (113) is itself a useful explosive which forms a eutectic with ammonium nitrate. ... 

Laval and Vignane reported the synthesis of the nitrotriazole (124) from the reaction of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole with 3,5-diamino-l-chloro-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene. The nitrotriazole (124) is a useful secondary high explosive, exhibiting high performance and a low sensitivity to impact. 

M. P. Kramer, W. P. Norris andD. J. Vanderah, CL-14, a High Performance Insensitive Explosive , NWC TP 6555 (1989), Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, CA. 

High-performance explosives i.e. high density and high velocity of detonation (VOD) explosives... 

Lloyd JBF. 1983. High-performance liquid chromatography of organic explosives components with electrochemical detection at a pendant mercury drop electrode. J Chromatogr 257 227-236. 

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