Properties and Preparation of Nitromethane

Nitromethane (NM) is a colorless and transparent liquid explosive with aromatic odor, a relative density of 1.1376, boiling point of 101.2 °C, freezing point of —28.55 °C, flash point of 43 °C (open cup) and refractive index of 1.3818 °. It is soluble in water, ethanol and basic solution, and its aqueous solution is acidic. Nitromethane is miscible with many organic matters to form azeotrope liquid. Itself is a good solvent and can be thickened after a small amount of nitrocellulose is added. Additionally, concentrated acid can decompose into nitromethane into ammonia, hydroxylamine and carbon oxides. 

Further treatment with a base can generate a nitro acetic acid. At 50 °C, nitromethane was added dropwise into 50 % sodium hydroxide solution, followed by boiling and cooling, nitro sodium acetate can be obtained, which can be turned into nitro acetic acid with hydrogen chloride gas going through the suspended ether system. 

Nitromethane are particularly sensitive to base, and the reaction with base is different from that of other nitroalkanes, hydrazone acid can be formed through condensation reaction at low temperature (40-50 °C). 

Explosion heat 4539.6 J/g Explosion volume 1,092 mL/g Specific volume 936 cvcilg Explosion enthalpy -5150 J/g Explosion point 420 °C TNT equivalent 470 mL 

Hit (impact) sensilivily 0-8 % (drop weight of 10 kg, characteristic drop height of 50 cm) 

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