Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine
Hexamethylene triperoxide diamine or HMTD is a dangerous high explosive organic compound. It has very little use outside of amateur explosives, and because it was used in many terrorist bombings, it gets a bad reputation.
Contents
Properties
Chemical
Like most organic peroxides, such as acetone peroxide, HMTD is unstable and detonates when subjected to shock, friction, and heat. It is, however, less unstable than many other peroxides under normal conditions. It's sensitivity is greatly increased from exposure to ultraviolet light or in contact with most common metals. HMTD is chemically very stable when pure (free of acids, bases, and metal ions) and does not quickly sublime like its acetone counterparts.
Physical
HMTD is a white solid, which decomposes if heated to 75 °C. It has a density of 0.88 g/cm3. HMTD is soluble in THF, and somewhat soluble in ethanol.[1]
Availability
HMTD is not sold by any supplier due to its sensitivity.
Preparation
The preparation of HMTD always presents the risk of premature detonation and should not be attempted by amateurs. But if you really want to know:
14 g of hexamine is dissolved in 45 ml of hydrogen peroxide 30% concentration and stirred (mechanically) at 0 °C. An amount of 21 grams of finely powdered citric acid is then slowly added under continuous stirring for 3 h, at 0 °C. After 3 hours, the product is allowed to reach room temperature and left for 2 h. The white crystalline product is filtered off, and washed thoroughly with water, to remove any water soluble impurities and rinsed with methanol. The wet product is air dried. This part is risky as the product may explode during drying. The yield is around 50-70%.[2]
Larger amounts are not safe to handle, so it's best to try to make smaller amounts based on the process above.
Projects
Handling
Safety
Although it is more stable than most explosive peroxides, it is still sensitive to friction, shock and heat, especially when dry. Contact with metals should be avoided. If wet or underwater, it is more stable.
Storage
NEVER STORE HMTD!
Disposal
Being a sensitive explosive, it is easy to dispose of, though this is unsafe.
Safe disposal can be done by adding a mixture of zinc sulfate, copper(II) chloride with Zn and Cu powder, in a solution containing the peroxide. The salt/metal/peroxide ratio is 5:5:1. Small amounts of sulfuric acid are also added. [3]
References
- ↑ http://actachemscand.org/pdf/acta_vol_42a_p0165-0170.pdf
- ↑ http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ja00294a043
- ↑ http://energetics.chm.uri.edu/?q=/system/files/2008+Destruction+of+Peroxide+Explosives.pdf
