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Title: Vicarious nucleophilic substitution to prepare 1,3-diamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene or 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene

Patent ·
OSTI ID:392634

The present invention relates to a process to produce 1,3-diamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (DATB) or 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6,trinitrobenzene (TATB) by: (a) reacting at ambient pressure and a temperature of between about 0 and 50 C for between about 0.1 and 24 hr, a trinitroaromatic compound of the structure shown within where X, Y, and Z are each independently selected from --H, or --NH{sub 2}, with the proviso that at least 1 or 2 of X, Y, and Z are hydrogen, with an amount effective to produce DATB or TATB, or 1,1,1-trialkylhydrazinium halide wherein alkyl is selected from methyl, ethyl, propyl or butyl and halide is selected from chloride, bromide or iodide, in the presence of a strong base selected from sodium butoxide, potassium butoxide, potassium propoxide, sodium propoxide, sodium ethoxide, potassium ethoxide, sodium methoxide, potassium methoxide, and combinations thereof; in a solvent selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, dimethylsulfoxide, N-methylpyrrolidone, hexamethylphosphoramide, dimethylformide, dimethylacetamide and mixtures thereof, provided that when alcohols are present primarily DATB and picramide is formed; and (b) isolating the DATB or TATB produced. DATB and TATB are useful specialty explosives. TATB is also used for the preparation of benzenehexamine, a starting material for the synthesis of novel materials (optical imaging devices, liquid crystals, ferromagnetic compounds).

Research Organization:
Univ. of California (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
Assignee:
Univ. of California, Oakland, CA (United States)
Patent Number(s):
US 5,569,783/A/
Application Number:
PAN: 8-440,017
OSTI ID:
392634
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 29 Oct 1996
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English