Tetryl properties

Tetiyl. 2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylm tramine (tetryl) was used ia pressed form, mostly as a booster explosive and as a base charge ia detonators and blasting caps because of its sensitivity to initiation by primary explosives and its relatively high energy content. Properties are presented ia Table 11 (173). Batch and continuous processes for the production of tetryl have been developed. Tetryl is no longer used ia the United States and has been replaced by RDX (174-178). 

Methylnitropropanediol dinitrate is nearly as powerful an expl as TNT, but more brisant, comparable to Tetryl. It was prepd during WWII on a lab scale in Ger, and examined from the point of view of its gelatinizing properties on NC. Such properties were found to be rather poor, although its volatility, stability, etc were satisfactory (Ref 4)... 

MNO has been evaluated as being between Tetryl and TNT in performance, but of considerably lower stability because of a hydrolytic action with w (Ref 5). It is reported to form a eutectic with PETN, having the compn MNO 30, PETN 70%, which is liq at 100° and which, cast, passes a rifle-bullet test (Ref 3). A detailed study of the expl properties of MNO is given by MacDougall (Ref 5). MNO and analagous di-... 

Fuel Oil Appendix II, pp 379-407 gives details of calculations of products of detonation and tables of detonation-state properties Using a(v) equation of state Cook (Ref 1, p 284, Table 12.1) gives explosion state and other properties for some primary. and near primary explosives, which include MF, LA, HNMnt, NG, EGDN, PETN, RDX and Tetryl. 

A sample calculation was given in Ref 29b for shock waves in air employing the general equation of state (See eq 23) for the expln products and the ideal gas adiabatic eq of state for air. Employing the method of calculation based on the hydrodynamic theory, good agreement was obtd for expls investigated (PETN Tetryl) between calculated and experimentally detd explosive properties... 

In other words, the initiator, also called primary explosive, is initiated by a small energy input and its explosive output initiates the booster, which in turn, initiates the main charge that is, HE filling. The booster is sufficiently insensitive yet capable of initiation by the initiator. Booster explosives are limited in number (Tetryl and PETN) and their explosive properties are in between initiators and main charges. 

The substance possesses quite uncommon and valuable explosive properties. It is more powerful than tetryl, and considerably less sensitive to impact (as sensitive as picric acid). However, its acidic properties limit its use to a great extent. In this respect it resembles picric acid. Even so ethylenedinitramine, under the name of Haleite, has been accepted in the United States as a military explosive. During World War II, production in that country was carried out by the method outlined above according to eqn. (17)... 

Lenze [44] was the first to examine the explosive properties of tetryl. It is a more powerful explosive than TNT (its strength, depending on the method of investigation applied, ranges between 110 and 130% of that of TNT). Its sensititiveness to impact and friction, particularly to rifle fire, is higher than that of TNT. 

A very important property of tetryl is its sensitiveness to initiation by a primer— hence its rapid rise in importance as an explosive for use in detonating caps, gains (boosters) etc. Martin [54] gives the following figures comparing the sensitiveness to initiation of tetryl and trinitrotoluene, under the influence of various primary explosives (Table 11). 

Its chemical properties are very similar to those of tetryl. 

Romburgh [3] was the first to prepare this substance both by nitrating ethyl-aniline and by nitrating diethylaniline. It is comparable to tetryl in its physical and chemical properties. As an explosive it is weaker than tetryl. Its sensitiveness to impact and its explosive power, measured in the lead block, are somewhat greater than those of picric acid. 

Tetryl and butyltetryl are alike in their physical and chemical properties. The latter is notable for its low sensitiveness to impact, very similar to that of trinitrotoluene. Since it is slightly more powerful than trinitrotoluene and at the same time highly sensitive to detonation by mercury fulminate, it was suggested (Davis [72]) for use in detonators, gains (boosters) and other initiating or priming charges. 

The explosive properties of hexanitrodiphenyl-/ -hydroxynitraminoethyl nitrate are similar to those of pentryl. It is slightly more stable on heating its ignition temperature lies between 390 and 400°C. It is somewhat less sensitive to impact than pentryl and rather more powerful (by 3%) in the lead block test. It requires a stronger initiator than pentryl, tetryl or picric acid, but a weaker one than trinitrotoluene. 

The explosive properties of mixtures with ammonium nitrate depend on the quantitative relationship between the oxidizing agent and the explosive or combustible substance. According to Parisot and Laffitte s [9, 47] investigations the explosive properties of mixtures of aromatic nitro compounds with ammonium nitrate vary with the change in composition of the system in an almost rectilinear manner. The graph in Fig. 69 shows how the rate of detonation depends on the composition of mixtures of tetryl or picric acid with ammonium nitrate. T. Urbanski et al. [48] also obtained a rectilinear relationship for nitrostarch mixtures with ammonium or sodium nitrate (Fig. 71, p. 265). 

DINA is a very powerful expl, similar to NG in this respect. It is ca 150% as powerful as TNT, but much.more sensitive to impact, resembling Tetryl in this property. Explosive other props of recrystd DINA were detd and/or tabulated by Livingston Rinkenbach (Ref 2) ... 

HNS [hexanitrostilbene (C14H6N6012)] (2.17) is known as a heat-resistant explosive and is also resistant to radiation. It is practically insensitive to an electric spark and is less sensitive to impact than tetryl. Some of the properties of HNS are shown in Table 2.18. 

Among the numerous products listed in Tables 1—4 of Ref 2, the following have expl properties comparable to those of a HE, such as tetryl ... 

Explosive Properties Explosion Temperature 300° (Ref 4) Impact Sensitivity 20 to 35 cm vs 25 cm for tetryl 110 cm for TNT, using 2 kg wt (Ref 4) Power, by Lead Block Expansion, 380-400 cc vs 290 cc for TNT or 131 8% TNT (Ref 4) Reactivity - the nitro group in the 3 position is readily replaced Stability claimed to be as stable as TNT (Ref 4) but not found so by others. See also Ref 8 Uses. TeNAns was used in Germany in initiating and other expl mixts (Refs 3 7) but later was found to be too reactive and too sensitive for military or com) application. No information at our disposal about its uses in other countries... 

The ethyl analogue of tetryl was first prepared by van Rom-burgh,101 who procured it both by nitrating monoethylaniline and by nitrating diethylaniline, and reported that it melts at 96°. The present writer has found that the pure material, recrystallized twice from nitric acid (d. 1.42) and once from alcohol, melts at 94°. It is comparable to tetryl in its chemical reactions and in its explosive properties. 

The same reaction occurs at lower temperatures 0.665% of a given portion of the material decomposes in 3 years at 20°, 2.43% in 1 year at 35°, 0.65% in 10 days at 50°, and 100% during 14 hours heating at 100°. The decomposition is not self-catalyzed. The product, hexanitrosobenzene, m.p. 159°, is stable, not hygroscopic, not a primary explosive, and is comparable to tetryl in its explosive properties. 

Included in this section are the steady state detonation properties of Tetryl. Initiation behavior will be treated in Section VII Detonation Velocity and L VD According to Cook (Ref 17) the ideal detonation velocity of Tetryl is given by ... 

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