posted February 22, 2000 01:31 AM            

Also has anyone successfully synth. it? I tried using the process on Mega's site but on a smaller scale but I still haven't seen any precipitate yet.

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"The only thing Can stop me is Time and I'm Behind the Limits of Time..."

10g Hexogen(RDX) from this process you'd need 8.3-8.4 g Hexamethylentetramine 71g 99%pure Nitric acid.

The other process involving Ammonium nitrate, paraformaldehyde, and acetic anhydride. This process appears to be a simplified method of the "E-Salt process", which uses Ammonium nitrate, acetic anhydride, and boron trifluoride (BF3). But it seems that the BF is probably not absolutley essential.

In order to get:

4.8-5.0 g Hexamethylentetramine
48 g Ammonium nitrate and
86 g 99% pure Nitric acid

Into a Nitrator of 500 l volume is submitted nitric acid and entered to
Hexamethylentetramine and nitrate of ammonia. The ratios are: 1
part of Hexamethylentetramine, 10 parts nitrate of ammonia and 18 parts of
nitric acid. The temperature is held during the mixing process by cooling at 15°C.
From the Nitrator the mixture is transferred after the final addition of all
components, transferred over to heated pipes into a reactor, in which a temperature
is 80 °C. After 30 minutes the reaction is complete. The mixture is purged
into lower which is equipment and cooled down there on 20 °C. Here approx. 90% of
the developed Hexogens crystallize out. This Hexogen is sucked off of
the Waste acid by chamber filters, washed with water, neutralized with
5%pure Sodium carbonate solution, and is recrystallized from acetone.

The usual processing of the waste acid causes difficulties, there with the
Distillation ammonium salt crystallizes and pipings, valves etc. clogs. For this
reason the waste acid is cooled down to -12 °C , whereby " Ammonium­tri­nitrate ",
an addition compound from a section nitrate of ammonia and two sections of nitric
acid, to fail. The ammonium tri nitrate is melted over a Centrifuge
hydroextracted , with 300 °C, mixed with 99%pure nitric acid and added to the
production process.

The remaining waste acid still contains nitrate of ammonia and Hexogen. It is
given to volumes to a container with 3 m³ and neutralized with gaseous
ammonia. The temperature rises to 70 °C. The remaining Hexogen precipitates
crystalline. It is sucked off over vacuumfilter and washed with water. The solution is
chilled, whereby approx. 66 % of the remaining nitrate of ammonia precipitate out. The
Ammonium nitrate is separated. It is used for the production of Ammonium nitrate-based
explosives. The remaining solution is evaporated. After evaporation, Hexamine
nitrate and nitrate of ammonia remain the in arrears, which one admits to
following nitrating (CIOS XXXII-8, PB 925, URBANSKI 1964).

For the production of 1.000 kg Hexogen from the k-salt-process; are needed as
Basic materials (URBANSKI 1964):

- 480-500 kg of Hexamethylentetramin
- 4,800 kg nitrate of ammonia (nitrate of ammonia) and
- 8,600 kg of nitric acid.

Means: