Smoker Root
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Why use a acetone bath in rdx synthesis?
At the end of the sybthesis before precepitating the RDX on cold water it says to eliminate linear nitramines with heat to heat the nitrating mixture
in a acetone bath at 50c for 5-10min. But i belive it can be done in a water bath. Then why acetone bath? Can anybody explain?
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Refinery
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I would doubt that water could cause hot spots.
Another thing is that acetone boils at 56C so it would buffer the temp effectively at or below.
I would be very vary of using such higly flammable liquid as a bath for any purpose whatsoever.
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Swinfi2
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While acetone is extremely flammable whoever wrote that prep thinks the chance of exploding from RDX outweighs the chance of fire. You can make a
spark free room/fume hood if you can make RDX.
You could use water, but you might explode if the bottom touches. Also Not knowing if you screw up to expect a bang or a fireball first might make you
a bit more careful.
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mackolol
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The smell of acetone in that kind of bath would be owerwhelming. And what a terrible loss.
Just use hotplate on low setting with water bath!
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Refinery
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Making water bath so that the bottom of the reactor doesnt touch the bath vessel is trivial. Boiling acetone and handling high explosive in such
vapors makes me think else. Also, I would see that adding more fear factor to a reaction only ups the chance of error.
Bigger bath, better temp control. You can use 10L bucket for 50C water and it sits right there for good with a small reaction vessel. Next to that,
plastic and external bath media heating eliminates hot spots.
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Smoker Root
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Quote: Originally posted by Refinery  | Making water bath so that the bottom of the reactor doesnt touch the bath vessel is trivial. Boiling acetone and handling high explosive in such
vapors makes me think else. Also, I would see that adding more fear factor to a reaction only ups the chance of error.
Bigger bath, better temp control. You can use 10L bucket for 50C water and it sits right there for good with a small reaction vessel. Next to that,
plastic and external bath media heating eliminates hot spots. |
That was my idea! RB suspended on a water bath easy as that. No need for nothing.
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Smoker Root
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| Quote: Originally posted by Swinfi2 | While acetone is extremely flammable whoever wrote that prep thinks the chance of exploding from RDX outweighs the chance of fire. You can make a
spark free room/fume hood if you can make RDX.
You could use water, but you might explode if the bottom touches. Also Not knowing if you screw up to expect a bang or a fireball first might make you
a bit more careful. |
What u mean if the bottom touches? Would it not be the same if it was on an acetone bath? And of course I am going to use an RB for a nitration and
just suspend it
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ThoughtsIControl
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I think your lab is trying to get the point across that you can use different mediums to boil a mixture in depending on its boiling point. Acetone
would be perfect as a medium since it boils at 56 C and you want to keep the mixture at 50C.
"I do not see myself as outside, why enter?"
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Refinery
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It could arise from jacketed reactor. Mantle filled with boiling acetone buffers temp to 56Cmax. Self controlling temp.
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