More powerful explosives synthesis

Trinitrobenzene (TNB) (2) is a more powerful explosive than TNT. However, the direct synthesis of TNB from benzene is not practical and the need for an indirect route for its synthesis makes its manufacture too expensive for use as a practical high explosive. 

Poor to modest yields of trinitromethyl compounds are reported for the reaction of silver nitroform with substituted benzyl iodide and bromide substrates. Compounds like (36), (37), and (38) have been synthesized via this route these compounds have much more favourable oxygen balances than TNT and are probably powerful explosives." The authors noted that considerable amounts of unstable red oils accompanied these products. The latter are attributed to O-alkylation, a side-reaction favoured by an SnI transition state and typical of reactions involving benzylic substrates and silver salts. Further research showed that while silver nitroform favours 0-alkylation, the sodium, potassium and lithium salts favour C-alkylation." The synthesis and chemistry of 1,1,1-trinitromethyl compounds has been extensively reviewed. The alkylation of nitronate salts has been the subject of an excellent review by Nielsen." ... 

Previous papers on this subject (2,3), reported on the concept of more powerful cage explosives and on target compounds of the carbocyclic cage variety whose syntheses constitute milestones toward optimally nitrated compounds. They included discussions of detonation performace calculations and approaches, both direct and indirect, to the synthesis of polynitrocage compounds. In this paper, we will trace the development of the program since then and cite specific accomplishments. 

The nitrolysis of hexamine at low temperature has led to the synthesis of a number of cyclic nitramines. The reaction of hexamine dinitrate (241) with 88 % nitric acid at -40 °C, followed by quenching the reaction mixture onto crushed ice, leads to the precipitation of 3,5-dinitro-3,5-diazapiperidinium nitrate (242) (PCX) in good yield PCX is an explosive equal in power to RDX but is slightly more sensitive to impact. The reaction of PCX (242) with sodium acetate in acetic anhydride yields l-acetyl-3,5-dinitro-l,3,5-triazacyclohexane (82) (TAX), which on further treatment with dilute alkali in ethanol yields the bicycle (243). ... 

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