Synthesis, characterization and thermolysis studies on 3,7-dinitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane (DPT): A key precursor in the synthesis of most powerful benchmark energetic materials (RDX/HMX) of today.

This paper reports studies undertaken on 3,7-dinitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane (DPT). The synthesis of DPT was carried out by the nitration of hexamine based on the lines of reported method with minor modification. DPT was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Thermal stability of DPT was studied using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal analysis studies revealed that DPT undergoes decomposition at 211 degrees C. Decomposition of DPT using TG-FTIR indicated the evolution of carbon dioxide, water and oxides of nitrogen as main gaseous products. The electrochemical behavior of DPT was studied using cyclic voltammetric (CV) studies. The experimentally determined sensitivity parameters indicated the insensitive nature of DPT towards external stimuli. The performance parameters of DPT, RDX and HMX have been computed using Linear Output Thermodynamic User Friendly Software for Energetic Systems (LOTUSES) code. The predicted properties of DPT are interesting and important from the point of process technology and/or safety. The work reported in this paper enriches the existing scanty research and development data on one of the key precursor used for synthesis of important high energy materials (HEMs).