AbstractsChemistry

The synthesis of RDX, a powerful high explosive, was accomplished in 1940 at McGill by reaction of a mixture of paratormaldehyde, ammonium nitrate, and acetic anhydride. A study was made of the conditions affecting the yield of RDX from the reaction, and a new method of conducting it found which enabled the reaction to be controlled When run in large batches, and which increased the yield to 50%. No means of purification was found yielding a product melting above 200° (British Specifications) without involving a large loss of material. From a study of the consumption of reactants and thermal phenomena of the reaction, a mechanism is advanced tor the McGill Process. This mechanism predicts the formation of many as yet unisolated by-products.