Effects of pressure on the thermal decomposition kinetics and chemical reactivity of nitromethane

Atomic mean square displacement study of the bond breaking mechanism of energetic materials before explosive initiation

Understanding and predicting the bond breaking mechanism of energetic materials before explosion initiation is one of the huge challenges in explosion science. By means of the mean square displacement of the atom from the equilibrium position and theoretical bond breaking tensile change of the chemical bond, we establish a new criterion to judge whether the chemical bond is broken. Further, α-RDX is used as the verification object to verify the accuracy of this model. We obtained an initial decomposition temperature of 434-513 K for α-RDX at 0 GPa, and the initial bond breaking type was N-NO₂. Finally, based on this model, we discussed in detail the breaking of chemical bonds of solid nitromethane near the detonation pressure. We think that the high temperature and high pressure caused by the shock wave may break all the chemical bonds of nitromethane near the detonation pressure.

A theoretical prediction on the shear-induced phase transformation of TKX-50

Dihydroxylammonium 5,5′-bistetrazole-1,1′-diolate (TKX-50) is a new and attractive energetic material that outperforms numerous common explosives because of its excellent properties and performance, and is thus a promising candidate to replace some of them.

A theoretical study of the activation of nitromethane under applied electric fields

C–N activation is the key step of nitromethane decomposition.

Some molecular/crystalline factors that affect the sensitivities of energetic materials: molecular surface electrostatic potentials, lattice free space and maximum heat of detonation per unit volume

We discuss three molecular/crystalline properties that we believe to be among the factors that influence the impact/shock sensitivities of energetic materials (i.e., their vulnerabilities to unintended detonation due to impact or shock). These properties are (a) the anomalously strong positive electrostatic potentials in the central regions of their molecular surfaces, (b) the free space per molecule in their crystal lattices, and (c) their maximum heats of detonation per unit volume. Overall, sensitivity tends to become greater as these properties increase; however these are general trends, not correlations. Nitramines are exceptions in that their sensitivities show little or no variation with free space in the lattice and heat of detonation per unit volume. We outline some of the events involved in detonation initiation and show how the three properties are related to different ones of these events.

Impact sensitivity and crystal lattice compressibility/free space

There is considerable evidence, which we discuss, indicating that compressibility and available free space in the crystal lattice are among the factors that govern the sensitivity of an explosive compound. Expanding and extending earlier work, we demonstrate, for 25 explosives, that there is an overall general tendency for greater impact sensitivity as the estimated free space per molecule increases. More specific relationships can be discerned by looking at subgroups of the compounds. The nitramine sensitivities, most of which are quite high, increase nearly linearly but only very gradually with free space. The nitroaromatics cover a wide range of sensitivities but all have an approximately similar intermediate level of free space. The remaining types of compounds show a reasonable sensitivity-free space relationship with one outlier: FOX-7 (1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene).

Decomposition of condensed phase energetic materials: interplay between uni- and bimolecular mechanisms

Activation energy for the decomposition of explosives is a crucial parameter of performance. The dramatic suppression of activation energy in condensed phase decomposition of nitroaromatic explosives has been an unresolved issue for over a decade. We rationalize the reduction in activation energy as a result of a mechanistic change from unimolecular decomposition in the gas phase to a series of radical bimolecular reactions in the condensed phase. This is in contrast to other classes of explosives, such as nitramines and nitrate esters, whose decomposition proceeds via unimolecular reactions both in the gas and in the condensed phase. The thermal decomposition of a model nitroaromatic explosive, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), is presented as a prime example. Electronic structure and reactive molecular dynamics (ReaxFF-lg) calculations enable to directly probe the condensed phase chemistry under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure, identifying the key bimolecular radical reactions responsible for the low activation route. This study elucidates the origin of the difference between the activation energies in the gas phase (~62 kcal/mol) and the condensed phase (~35 kcal/mol) of TNT and identifies the corresponding universal principle. On the basis of these findings, the different reactivities of nitro-based organic explosives are rationalized as an interplay between uni- and bimolecular processes.

Minimizing the amount of nitromethane in palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling with aryl halides

A method for the formation of arylnitromethanes is described that employs readily available aryl halides or triflates and small amounts of nitromethane in a dioxane solvent, thereby reducing the hazards associated with this reagent. Specifically, 2-10 equiv (1-5% v/v) of nitromethane can be employed in comparison to prior work that used nitromethane as solvent (185 equiv). The present transformation provides high yields at relatively low temperatures and tolerates an array of functionality, including heterocycles and substantial steric encumbrance.

Detonation in Shocked Homogeneous High Explosives

We have studied shock-induced changes in homogeneous high explosives including nitromethane, tetranitromethane, and single crystals of pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) by using fast time-resolved emission and Raman spectroscopy at a two-stage light-gas gun. The results reveal three distinct steps during which the homogeneous explosives chemically evolve to final detonation products. These are i) the initiation of shock compressed high explosives after an induction period, ii) thermal explosion of shock-compressed and/or reacting materials, and iii) a decay to a steady-state representing a transition to the detonation of uncompressed high explosives. Based on a gray-body approximation, we have obtained the CJ temperatures: 3800 K for nitromethane, 2950 K for tetranitromethane, and 4100 K for PETN. We compare the data with various thermochemical equilibrium calculations. In this paper we will also show a preliminary result of single-shot time-resolved Raman spectroscopy applied to shock-compressed nitromethane.

Preparation and characterization of new glassy system As2P2S8-Ga2S3

Glasses having the composition (100 - x)As2P2S8-xGa2S3 with x ranging from 0 to 50% were investigated to determine the compositional effect on properties and local structure. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and the stability parameter against crystallization (Tx - Tg) increased with the addition of Ga2S3. The structure of these glasses was probed by Raman scattering, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance. On the basis of the observed vibrations and the strength of the 31P-31P homonuclear magnetic dipolar coupling, two scenarios can be proposed for the structural evolution induced by the addition of Ga2S3. For x <or= 20% we may have the formation of GaS4E- groups (E = nonbonding electron), and for x >or= 30% we have depolymerization of the As2P2S8 units and the formation of a network of GaPS4 units with each PS 4/2 unit (Q4) species carrying a single positive formal charge.

Effect of Deuteration on the Diameter-Effect Curve of Liquid Nitromethane

The detonation properties of liquid nitromethane [CH(3)NO(2)] are probably the most thoroughly studied of any condensed-phase explosive. Because it is homogeneous (i.e., lacks hot-spot phenomena), it provides a window into the underlying chemical processes induced by a passing shock or detonation wave-such information is submerged in the complex fluid mechanics when heterogeneous explosives are detonated. In this paper, we provide experimental data and data analysis of the effect that deuterating nitromethane's methyl group has on some aspects of the processes that occur in the detonating liquid material. In the experimental part of this study, we report diameter-effect curves (i.e., inverse charge internal radius vs steady detonation speed) for pure CH(3)NO(2) and pure CD(3)NO(2) confined in right-circular cylinders of C-260 brass. Large differences in the infinite-medium (i.e., plane wave) detonation speed and in the failure diameter of the two materials are observed. Interpretations of the observations based on physical and chemical theory are given. The observed large decrease in deuterated nitromethane's infinite-medium detonation speed, relative to the protonated material, is interpreted in terms of the Zeldovitch, von Neumann, and Doering theory of steady-state detonation. We also estimate the relative size of the steady plane-wave reaction-zone length of the two materials. We interpret the observed increases in NM's failure diameter and its steady one-dimensional chemical-reaction-zone length due to deuteration in terms of the quantity of NM aci ion present. The new results are placed in the context of earlier work on detonating liquid nitromethane.

Structural and vibrational properties of solid nitromethane under high pressure by density functional theory

The structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of solid nitromethane under hydrostatic pressure of up to 20 GPa have been studied using density functional theory. The changes of cell volume, the lattice constants, and the molecular geometry of solid nitromethane under hydrostatic loading are examined, and the bulk modulus B0 and its pressure derivative B0' are fitted from the volume-pressure relation. Our theoretical results are compared with available experiments. The change of electron band gap of nitromethane under high pressure is also discussed. Based on the optimized crystal structures, the vibrational frequencies for the internal and lattice modes of the nitromethane crystal at ambient and high pressures are computed, and the pressure-induced frequency shifts of these modes are discussed.