The United States of America As Represented by the United States

University of California

The United States of America As Represented by the United States Energy

Michael D Coburn

Gregory S Lee

Philip F Pagoria

Alexander R Mitchell

Kien-yin Lee

Robert D Schmidt

Peter C Hsu

Donald G Ott

Michael A Hiskey

Mary M Stinecipher

A method to convert surplus nitroarene explosives (picric acid, ammonium picrate,) into TATB is described. The process comprises three major steps: conversion of picric acid/ammonium picrate into picramide; conversion of picramide to TATB through vicarious nucleophilic substitution (VNS) of hydrogen chemistry; and purification of TATB.

Synthesis and purification of 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB)

A method to convert surplus nitroarene explosives into trinitrophloroglucinol and triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) is described. Picric acid is directly aminated to diaminopicric acid, which is converted to trinitrophloroglucinol and triaminotrinitrobenzene.

Synthesis of trinitrophloroglucinol and triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB)

A process of preparing 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine including forming a 5-hydroxymethyl-5-nitro-1-alkyltetrahydro-1,3-oxazine, e.g., reacting a 1,3,5-trialkyl hexahydrotriazine and tris(hydroxymethyl)nitromethane, ring opening said 5-hydroxymethyl-5-nitro-1-alkyltetrahydro-1,3-oxazine to form a 3-alkylamino-2-hydroxymethyl-2-nitro-1-propanol salt, ring closing said 3-alkylamino-2-hydroxymethyl-2-nitro-1-propanol salt to form a 3-hydroxymethyl-3-nitro-1-alkylazetidine salt, nitrating said 3-hydroxymethyl-3-nitro-1-alkylazetidine salt to form a 1-alkyl-3,3-dinitroazetidine, and converting said 1-alkyl-3,3-dinitroazetidine into 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine is disclosed.

Synthesis of 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine

A method of making 3,6-diamino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine.

Synthesis of 3,6-diamino-1,2,4,5-tetrazine

3-Amino-6-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (ADMPT) and a method of making it.

ADMPT and its synthesis

A less sensitive explosive, 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one. The compound 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) has a crystal density of 1.93 g/cm.sup.3 and calculated detonation velocity and pressure equivalent to those of RDX. It can be prepared in high yield from inexpensive starting materials in a safe synthesis. Results from initial small-scale sensitivity tests indicate that NTO is less sensitive than RDX and HMX in all respects. A 4.13 cm diameter, unconfined plate-dent test at 92% of crystal density gave the detonation pressure predicted for NTO by the BKW calculation.

3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one, a less sensitive explosive

Ethylenediamine salt of 5-nitrotetrazole and preparation. This salt has been found to be useful as an explosive alone and in eutectic mixtures with ammonium nitrate and/or other explosive compounds. Its eutectic with ammonium nitrate has been demonstrated to behave in a similar manner to a monomolecular explosive such as TNT, and is less sensitive than the pure salt. Moreover, this eutectic mixture, which contains 87.8 mol % of ammonium nitrate, is close to the CO.sub.2 -balanced composition of 90 mol %, and has a relatively low melting point of 110.5 C. making it readily castable. The ternary eutectic system containing the ethylenediamine salt of 5-nitrotetrazole, ammonium nitrate and ethylenediamine dinitrate has a eutectic temperature of 89.5 C. and gives a measured detonation pressure of 24.8 GPa, which is 97.6% of the calculated value. Both the pure ethylenediamine salt and its known eutectic compounds behave in substantially ideal manner. Methods for the preparation of the salt are described.

Ethylenediamine salt of 5-nitrotetrazole and preparation

Novel explosives which comprise mixtures of ammonium nitrate and an ammonium salt of a nitroazole in desired ratios are disclosed. A preferred nitroazole is 3,5-dinitro-1,2,4-triazole. The explosive and physical properties of these explosives may readily be varied by the addition of other explosives and oxidizers. Certain of these mixtures have been found to act as ideal explosives.

Ammonium nitrate explosive systems

The chemical explosive, ammonium 2,4,5-trinitroimidazole, has explosive performance comparable to that of the well-known RDX, but a thermal stability which is significantly greater.

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Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

Michael D Coburn