Glycerol Trinitrate or Nitroglycerin

The prime Ordn use for sulfuric acid is in the mixed nitiic-sulfiiric acid used in the mixed add nitration of raw materials to form expls and proplnts. The techniques and procedures are presented in Vol 2, ClOl-R to C103-L under Preparation of NC s in Vol 3, C501-L to C510-L under Continuous Methods for Manufacturing Explosives in Vol 6, G98-R to G103-R. under Glycerol Trinitrate or Nitroglycerin (NG) and in Vol 8, N40-R to N88-R under Nitration ... 

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. 

Nitrate Compds PETN (Pentaerythritol Tetianitrat NG (Nitroglycerin or Glycerol Trinitrate)... 

PROBLEM 15.10 Alfred Nobel s fortune was based on his 1866 discovery that nitroglycerin, which is far too shock-sensitive to be transported or used safely, can be stabilized by adsorption onto a substance called kieselguhr to give what is familiar to us as dynamite. Nitroglycerin is the trinitrate of glycerol (1,2,3-propanetriol). Write a structural formula or construct a molecular model of nitroglycerin. 

Dichlorhydrin was obtained by Reboul, who also prepared ethyl propenyl ether or glycerol monethylin, C3H5(0H)20C2H5. Propenyl oxide, (C3Hg)203, was obtained, but not examined, by Berthelot and de Luca. Glyceryl trinitrate (nitroglycerine) was discovered by Sobrero. Williamson showed that it is hydrolysed by potash into glycerol and potassium nitrate, and from an... 

The structures of the mineral acids suggest that replacing one or more OH units will lead to acid derivatives. Esters are possible for all three mineral acids. Nitric acid gives a nitrate ester, 197. Nitrate esters are often unstable, and the trinitrate ester of glycerol (198) is the well-known explosive nitroglycerin. However, highly specialized nitrate esters are known to relax vascular smooth muscle, which leads to vasodilation (relaxation of the muscle wall of blood vessels that leads to widening of those vessels), and they are important compounds used in the treatment of heart disease. Nonetheless, nitrate esters will not be discussed further or used in this book. Amide derivatives O3N-NR2 are known as nitramides, but they will not be discussed. 

Nitroglycerin is rapidly hydrolysed by alkali and Solution of Glyceryl Trinitrate has been determined colorimetrically either as nitrate or nitrite, both being formed in the hydrolysis. Richmond has shown, however, that the hydrolysis is a very complex reaction, oxidation products of glycerol also being obtained with other nitro-bodies, hence such methods must give erroneous results. 

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