Nitro-solvent-naphtha

The explosive power of trinitroethylbenzene is rather low, so the compound itself is of no value. However, it is one of the chief components of liquid nitro-solvent-naphtha, and is sometimes used as an ingredient in the preparation of explosive mixtures. 

For some time nitro-solvent-naphtha was a widely used component of explosive compositions. Liquid fractions of the nitrated substance have also been used in the manufacture of mining explosives and even of smokeless powder, as an explosive solvent for nitrocellulose. In the latter case liquid nitro-solvent-naphtha acted as a substitute for part of the nitroglycerine. This type of smokeless powder was also manufactured in Poland in the period between the two World Wars (Karda-szewicz, Markiewicz and Smisniewicz [34]). 

Distler, Blecher Lopex Explosives were patented safety expls consisting of nitro-xylenes as chief constituents. The nitro compds had varying amts of cumol, mesitylene xylene nitro constituents mixed with AN, other nitrates or KClOg or metal oxides. For example, if 12 parts nitrated solvent naphtha are intimately mixed with 88 parts of AN, a very insensitive expl is produced, which is unaffected by either shock or percussion which does not explode at 200° or in an open flame, but which has an extremely powerful shattering effect when suitably detonated Ref Colver (1918), p259... 

Hsolvent naphtha), mp 163—65°(dec ,J explodes on heating rapidly darkens on exposure to light v si sol In most org solvs except xylene. It was first prepd by reaction of 5 chloro-2,4-dinitro-l-methylbenzene with Na2S2 in ale (Refs 5 6). It was prepd later by Kiprianov Zhumrova (Ref 7) using somewhat the same procedure Refs 1) Beil 6, 372 [342] (ortho)... 

The synthesis of 2C-T-17 R required starting with the S isomer of secondary butanol. The S 2-butanol in petroleum ether gave the lithium salt with butyllithium which was treated with tosyl chloride (freshly crystallized from naphtha, hexane washed, used in toluene solution) and the solvent was removed. The addition of 2,5-dimethoxythiophenol, anhydrous potassium carbonate, and DMF produced S 2,5-dimethoxyphenyl s-butyl sulfide. The conversion to R 2,5-dimethoxy-4-(s-butyl-thio)benzaldehyde (which melted at 78-79 °C compared to 86-87 °C for the racemic counterpart) and its conversion in turn to the nitro-styrene, S -2,5-dimethoxy-4-(s)-butylthio-B-nitrostyrene which melted at 70-71 °C compared to 68-69 °C for the racemic counterpart, followed the specific recipes above. The preparation of the intermediates to 2C-T-17 S follows the above precisely, but starting with R 2-butanol instead. And it is at these nitrostyrene stages that this project stands at the moment. 

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