SDM
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RDX
I am trying to synthesize RDX but my nitrated Hexamine turns to slimy goo during the H2O phase. This stuff is too thin to strain through a coffee
filter and refuses to air dry. Heating it will evaporate most of the liquid, but I am left with just a bunch of thicker goo. Please help.
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Detonationology
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Was the temperature monitored? Is it possible that the reaction got above 25˚C?
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SDM
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I mixed the Hexamine with the HNO3 on an ice bath and the temperature may have reached 28c but did not exceed 30c. Then I raised the temp to 60c for
10min. I cooled the solution to 16c before pouring it into my H2O.
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hissingnoise
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You may need to check this out?
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Detonationology
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What did you acquire the hexamine from? Was it sold as hexamine, or solid camp fuel (Esbit)?
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SDM
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I bought it from Skylighter, a fireworks supply company
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greenlight
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You could try nitrating the Hexamine with 60-70% Nitric acid to Hexamine dinitrate which is quite simple and then nitrating with high concentrated
Nitric acid into the desired RDX.
I have heard the Hexamine dinitrate is quite hygroscopic but I never had much trouble although I stored it in a desiccator.
If you use high concentrated HNO3 for the RDX step, you should get a much higher yield than with just hexamine as well as it already has two of it's
nitro groups.
The only use for an atomic bomb is to keep somebody else from using one.
George Wald
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SDM
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Thank you hissingnoise. I used your formula with the purest batch of white fuming I could make and presto! I have salts instead of goo.
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SDM
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Hey greenlight, what formulas do you use for hexamine dinitrate and for nitrating it.
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greenlight
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This works really good for the Hexamine dinitrate as long as you have the nitric I used 62% HNO3 with it and it worked fine:
http://williestop.tripod.com/Highexplosivespictorials/HDN.ht...
For the actual RDX part I used 50 ml vacuum distilled 99% Nitric acid (density-1.51) and 25 grams HDN that had been dried in a desiccator.
The synth was from the old E & W forum, I don't remember what the posters name was but involved adding the HDN to the 99% Nitric acid @ 15-25
Degrees, leaving at room temperature for 15 minutes and then heating it to 55 Degrees and holding for 12.5 minutes before dumping into 800ml ice
water. I ended up with 15.5- 16 grams.
Improved yields (I think 82%) where recorded by using 60 ml 99% HNO3 and some Ammonium nitrate as well. I have the notes on that as well if anyone is
interested as I wrote some of the good stuff from the E & W forum down luckily as it got taken down not long after.
[Edited on 5-10-2015 by greenlight]
The only use for an atomic bomb is to keep somebody else from using one.
George Wald
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SDM
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Thanks again greenlight. Can you initiate HDN with HMTD?
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greenlight
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Yeah you probably can with a HMTD det but it's hygroscopic which would affect initiation depending on moisture content and it is a weak explosive
anyway.
Much better to just use it as a raw material for RDX manufacture.
The only use for an atomic bomb is to keep somebody else from using one.
George Wald
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bluamine
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OMG!!
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