formaldehyde - Sciencemadness Dot Org

USES OF FORMALDEHYDE 331
in a IT. S. patent. Dipentaerythritol, -which is obtained as a by-product
of the pentaerythritol process, yields dipentaervthritol hexanitrato.
(02XOCH2)3CCH2OCH2C(CH2OX02)3? on nitration^ 11 .
Pentaglycerol, CH3C(CH3OH)s, produced from propionaldehyde and
formaldehyde (page 154), gives trimethylolmeThylmethane trinitrate,
having the appearance of a yellow viscous oil 3 - 15 . PentaglycoL from formaldehyde
and isobutyraldehyde (page 154), yields a liquid dir.itrate,
(CH3)2C(CH2ONO*) 3 -, and trimethylolethylmethane, C2HsC':CH5OH33,
from w-butyraldehyde and formaldehyde nitrates to give a waxy, solid
dinitrate melting at 38-42°C 21 .
Ketone derivatives of formaldehyde which yield explosives on nitration
include anhydroennea-heptitol, which is prepared from formaldehyde and
acetone (page 155). This polyhydroxy ether gives a pentanitrate, melting
at 132°C, as well as lower nitrated products 14 . The tetramethylo! ketones
and alcohols obtained by reactions of formaldehyde with cyclopentanone
and cyclohexanone respectively also give explosive nitrates, according to
Friederich 8 .
Nitrate explosives derived from methylol derivatives of nitroparafiins
have attracted increasing attention with the development of practical
processes for the manufacture of the parent nitrohydrocarbons. Trimethylolnitromethane
trinitrate, prepared from trimethylolnitromethane (page
240) is a viscous, liquid explosive resembling nitroglycerol. This explosive
is also known as "nitToisobiitylglycermetrinitrate" and ^nib-glycerlnetrinitrate".
Nitroethane gives a dimethylol derivative with formaldehyde,
dimethyloimethylnitromethane, CH3C(CH20H)3XO2 (page 240j. On
nitration, this gives dimethylolmethylnitromethane dinitrate f2-methyl-2nitro-propanediol
1, 3-dinitrate) which melts at 139-140°C 2,4,S . The formaldehyde
derivative of 2-nitropropane, (GH3)sC(CHsOH)X02, reacts
with nitric acid to produce 2-nitro-isobutanol nitrate 25 .
Hexamethylenetetramine is also a parent substance for a number of
explosive compounds of which trimethylenetrinitramine (cyclotrimethylenetrmitraniiiie,
cyclonite, hexogen) is an important member 17 - 23 . The peroxygen
derivative, hexamethylenetriperoxydiainine (HMTD), whose
preparation has been previously described (page 289) is a relatively stable
organic peroxide having the properties of a primary explosive 18 - 19 ' 20 -- 4 .
Other explosives derived from hexamethylenetetramine include:
Hexamethylenetetramine perchlorates:
Mono, di? and tri perchlorate salts are reported by Hassel" as products
of the reaction of hexamethylenetetramine and perchloric acid in aqueous
solution.
Hexamethylenetetramine trinitro-TH-eresolate:
This addition compound explodes at 325°C according to Datta 5 .