Sickman
Hazard to Self
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Registered: 9-5-2004
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Mood: Icy and I see!
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Dicyanoacetylene as an Explosive/Fuel!
I came across this chemical while reading the wikipedia article on ozone.
The chemical name is dicyanoacetylene. Another name is Carbon subnitride.
What I thought was interesting about the article on wikipedia Carbon Subnitride was the mention that "it can explode to carbon powder and nitrogen gas, and it burns in oxygen with a bright blue-white flame at
a temperature of 5260 K (4987 °C, 9008 °F),[1] which is the hottest flame of any chemical, according to Guinness World Records."
I'm having difficulty finding more relative information about the chemical and how it can be synthesized.
The fact that it may be an explosive in itself is interesting, but the idea that seems most profitable is as an additive to an oxygen rich explosive
as a fuel that can produce unusually high temperatures. It seems to me that such a high temperature would create an unusually large volume of
expanding gas in an explosion, and in combination with a high velocity, oxygen rich explosive, a very powerful energetic material.
If anyone has more info or thoughts on this chemical please share!
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not_important
International Hazard
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Note that dicyanoacetylene is somewhat reactive and unstable, if kept from contact with oxygen it can be stored for long periods at 0 C. At room
temperature, or in the presence of oxygen, it polymerises; it also reacts with a number of compounds.
The precursor acetylene dicarboxylate can be made by a bromination of maleic acid, followed by dehydrohalogenation. Alternatively it can be made by
reacting acetylene with finely dispersed sodium metal or sodamide, then pouring the suspension over dry ice.
The dicyano and dimethyl ester are both rather unpleasant to be exposed to.
[Edited on 21-9-2007 by not_important]
Attachment: C4N2 in laboratory simulations of Titans atmosphere(coll_1999a).pdf (178kB)
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garage chemist
chemical wizard
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Ullmann mentions that acetylene dicarboxylic acid is made industrially by anodic oxidation of butyne-1,4-diol. Butyne-1,4-diol is made from acetylene
and formaldehyde via the Reppe process.
Transformation of carboxyl to cyano group is straightforward (acyl chloride + ammonia ---> amide, then dehydration with P2O5 or SOCl2), although
the instability of the target may pose a problem.
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