GB763438A - Improvements in or relating to explosives - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention comprises an explosive consisting of or comprising a trinitroethanol derivative having the grouping C(NO2)3, said derivative being an ester of trinitroethanol with an organic or inorganic acid or a nitrated trinitroethanol ester of said organic acid, or a trinitroethanol derivative of urea or melamine or an ammonia derivative of trinitroethanol, said ester, nitrated ester, or urea, melamine, or ammonia derivative being one which is capable of predetermined detonation and having a ratio of carbon atoms to oxygen atoms of less than 2 : 1. The explosives may be used either alone or mixed with one or more other explosives and other balance substances (see Group XXI). In examples: (1) crotonic acid is reacted under reflux with phosphorus pentachloride and when the mixture has cooled trinitroethanol is added and the mixture heated to 50 DEG C. and after cooling poured into water when the ester [(NO2)3C. C5H7O2] separates as an oil; (2) the chloride or the amide of benzoic acid is reacted with trinitroethanol to yield the trinitroethyl ester of benzoic acid; (3) the product of (2) is nitrated with a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acid at below 40 DEG C. to yield the trinitroethyl ester of mononitro benzoic acid; (4) adipic acid chloride is reacted with trinitroethanol to yield the dinitroethyl ester of adipic acid; (5) the ditrinitroethyl ester of phthalic acid is obtained from the alcohol and phthalic acid chloride and the ester may be nitrated; (6) nitroform, formaldehyde and ammonia are reacted to form ditrinitroethylamine which is then nitrated to form ditrinitroethyl nitramine; (7) nitroform, formaldehyde and urea are reacted in aqueous solution to form ditrinitroethyl urea; (8) melamine and trinitroethanol are reacted in aqueous solution to form tris (trinitroethyl) melamine; (9) trinitroethanol dissolved in carbon tetrachloride is reacted with phosphorus pentachloride to form trinitroethyl phosphate together with some trinitroethyl chloride; (10) trinitroethyldinitroacetate is obtained by adding trinitroethyl acetate to nitrating acid and then pouring the mixture into ice water. The stability and explosive characteristics of the various products are described and examples are also given of various mixtures of the products with known explosives (see Group XXI). Other organic acids mentioned are unsaturated dibasic and polybasic acids. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specifications 698,138 and 729,469.