The Secretary of State for Defence in Her Britannic Majesty's Government

The Secretary of State for Defence

Secretary of State for Defence in Her Majesty's Government of the United

Ross W Millar

Norman C Paul

Peter Golding

David H Richards

Preparation of nitratoalkyl-substituted cyclic esters

Preparation of epoxy nitrates

A process for the production of a high energy nitrate ester involves reacting, in an inert organic solvent, a heterocyclic compound, selected from oxiranes, oxetanes, N-substituted aziridines and N-substituted azetidines, with either N.sub.2 O.sub.4 or N.sub.2 O.sub.5, and when the compound is reacted with N.sub.2 O.sub.4, oxidizing the O- or N-nitrate substituents or substituent in the product to O- or N-nitrate substituent or substituents. The remaining ring carbon atoms on the heterocyclic compound may be substituted or unsubstituted. Preferred substituent groups for the C and/or N ring atoms on the compound include alkyl, cyanoalkyl, haloalkyl, nitroalkyl, and substituted aryl. Several novel nitrate ester are also provided, including nitrated derivatives of polybutadiene, in which between 1% and 25% of the carbon atoms in the polymer are substituted by vicinal nitrate ester (--ONO.sub.2) groups.

Process for the production of high energy materials

A process for the production of a high energy material involves reacting, in an inert organic solvent, a heterocyclic compound selected from oxirane, aziridine, oxetane or azetidine with a nitrogen oxide selected from dinitrogen tetroxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.4) and dinitrogen pentoxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.5) and, when the nitrogen oxide is N.sub.2 O.sub.4, oxidizing the O- or N- nitroso substituent or substituents in the product obtained to O- or N- nitro substituent or substituents. The heterocyclic compounds may be substituents or unsubstituted. In the former case the preferred substituents groups are halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, nitro and epoxy (as in epoxidized polybutadiene). The solvent is preferably a chlorinated alkane. Novel nitrated derivatives of polybutadiene, in which between 1% and 25% of the carbon atoms in the polymer are substituted by nitrate (ONO.sub.2), are also provided. These novel materials are liquid rubbers when the polybutadiene starting material has a molecular weight between 2000 and 10000.

Process for the production of high energy material

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Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Ross W Millar