The chemical degradation of normal paraffin hydrocarbon (NPH) diluents both in the pure state and mixed with 30% trlbutyl phosphate (TBP) was investigated in a series of experiments. The results show that degradation of NPH in the TBP-NPH-HNOg system is consistent with the active chemical agent being a radical-like nitrogen dioxide (N0") molecule, not nN0» as such. Spectrophototnetric, gas chromatographic, mass spectrographic, and tltrlmetrtc methods were used to identify the degradation products, which included alkane nitro and nitrate compounds, alcohols, unsaturated alcohols, nitro alcohols, nitro alkenes, ketones, and carboxyllc acids. The degradation rate was found to increase with increases in the HNO. concentration and the temperature. The rate was decreased by argon sparging to remove NO and by the addition of butanol, which probably acts as a NO scavenger.

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