Turel - 19-2-2004 at 00:03
I searched and it quite literally came up with nothing, so I figure this is worth asking about :
Has anyone ever considered subsituting polyphosphoric acid for acetic anhydride in the AA synth of RDX? PPA is liquid around 60C or less, and the
procedure calls for 90C.
I assume the AA acts as a strong dehydrating agent to facilitate the reaction between AN and trioxane. Could PPA function as the same? Phosphoric acid
is a stronger acid than acetic acid, I do not know if this really influences much.
-T
guaguanco - 19-2-2004 at 08:53
lack-of-hard-facts alert:
Acetic Anhydride + HNO3 yield tetranitromethane, a powerful nitrating agent. It may be a better choice for this reason.