Aminonitroheterocyclic N-Oxides — A New Class of Insensitive Energetic Materials

The need continues for new powerful but insensitive explosive ingredients, which match the performance of RDX with the insensitivity of TATB. One approach has been to take the inherent stability of an aromatic heterocycle, combine this with the explosive insensitivity and thermal stability associated with alternating amino and nitro groups, and to supplement the performance of the molecule with an energy contribution from the N-oxide functionality. The synthesis, characterization and properties (both sensitivity and performance) of aminonitro-pyridine-1-oxides and aminonitropyrimidine-1,3-dioxides will be described.