For solid-state energetic materials, it might be able
to exist
in different crystal structures, which is well-known as polymorphism.
Different polymorphs of the crystals exhibit different physiochemical
properties, such as solubility, dissolution rate, morphology, etc. In this work, the solid–liquid phase equilibrium
of 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazacyclooctane form α (α-HMX)
over various temperature ranges (298.15 to 358.15 K) was experimentally
determined using the dynamic method in 12 pure solvents, including
acetone, pyridine, acetic acid, 2-butanone, cyclopentanone, acetonitrile,
methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, ethyl acetoacetate,
methyl propyl ketone, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), at atmospheric
pressure. The experimental results indicate that the solubility of
α-HMX increases with increasing temperature in all test solvents.
The experimental solubility data were correlated with four thermodynamic
models, which are the modified Apelblat equation, the λh equation, the Wilson model, and the NRTL model. In addition,
the dissolution thermodynamic properties, such as the enthalpy, entropy,
and Gibbs free energy change, were also calculated with the experimental
data and NRTL model. All of these results lay the foundation for the
study of preparation and phase transformation of different crystal
forms of HMX and provide guidance for designing suitable crystallization
methods in different solvents.