Hexanitroethane
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hexanitroethane (HNE) is an organic compound with chemical formula C2N6O12 or (O2N)3C-C(NO2)3. It is a solid matter with a melting point of 135 °C.
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Hexanitroethane | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.011.857 |
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PubChem CID |
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CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C2N6O12 | |
| Molar mass | 300.0544 |
| Melting point | 135 °C (275 °F; 408 K) |
| Related compounds | |
Related compounds |
Nitroethane Tetranitromethane Trinitromethane Hexanitrobenzene Octanitrocubane |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Hexanitroethane is used in some pyrotechnic compositions as a nitrogen-rich oxidizer, e.g. in some decoy flare compositions and some propellants. Like hexanitrobenzene, HNE has been investigated as a gas source for explosively pumped gas dynamic lasers.[citation needed]
A composition of HNE as oxidizer with boron as fuel is being investigated as a new explosive.[1]
Preparation
The first synthesis was described by Wilhelm Will in 1914, using the reaction between the potassium salt of tetranitroethane with nitric acid.[2]
- C2(NO2)4K2 + 4 HNO3 → C2(NO2)6 + 2 KNO3 + 2 H2O
A practicable method for industrial use starts with furfural,[3] which first undergoes oxidative ring-opening by bromine to mucobromic acid.[4] In the following step, mucobromic acid is reacted with potassium nitrite at just below room temperature to form the dipotassium salt of 2,3,3-trinitropropanal. The final product is obtained by nitration with nitric acid and sulfuric acid at −60 °C.
Properties
The thermal decomposition of hexanitroethane has been detected at 60 °C upwards in both the solid and solution phases.[5] Above 140 °C, this can occur explosively.[6] The decomposition is first order and is significantly faster in solution than in the solid. For the solid, the following reaction can be formulated:[5]
- C2(NO2)6 → 3 NO2 + NO + N2O + 2 CO2
For the decomposition in solution, tetranitroethylene is first formed and can be trapped and detected as a Diels–Alder adduct, for example with anthracene or cyclopentadiene.[7][8]
