TEX – 4,10‐Dinitro‐2,6,8,12‐tetraoxa‐4,10‐diazatetracyclo[5.5.0.0^5,9.0^3,11]‐dodecane – Review of a Promising High Density Insensitive Energetic Material

Abstract

The title compound 4,10‐dinitro‐2,6,8,12‐tetraoxa‐4,10‐diazatetracyclo[5.5.0.05,903,11]‐dodecane – often referred to as TEX – is a very promising newcomer in the field of insensitive explosives. It is easily synthesized with good yield from cheap starting materials. TEX offers a respectable high ambient temperature crystal density (1.985 g cm−3) and hence good detonation velocity and pressure but is fairly insensitive towards mechanical and thermal stimuli. It has a large critical diameter and is advantageously used in large charges. 76 references to the public domain are given.

Thermal decomposition of isolated and crystal 4,10-dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazaisowurtzitane according to ab initio molecular dynamics simulations

“…1a) possesses the same isowurtzitane cage structure as CL-20 (2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12hexaazaisowurtzitane or HNIW), which is one of the most powerful high explosives that have been synthesized to date, and it also has a relatively high ambient temperature density of 1.99 g cm À3 . 2 The absence of sterically demanding nitramine groups in the TEX structure greatly reduces its sensitivity greatly and makes it an interesting insensitive energetic material (h 50 > 177 cm). 3 Its heat of formation, detonation velocity, and detonation pressure were calculated to be À541 kJ mol À1 , 8665 m s À1 , and 41.03 GPa, respectively.…”

Combining Performance with Thermal Stability: Synthesis and Characterization of 5‐(3,5‐Dinitro‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl)‐1H‐tetrazole and its Energetic Derivatives

“…In addition, paired with low sensitivity to external stimuli, this is indispensable for the safety of the persons handling the materials. [6][7][8] Green chemistry is also becoming an increasingly important point to consider in the development of energetic materials. [3,9,10] Newly developed materials should therefore be completely free of toxic or environmentally harmful reactants in their synthesis.…”

Decomposition Kinetics of Substituted Energetic Isowurtzitane Cage Molecules Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL‐20) and TEX: A Comparative Study

“…Though based on Isowurtzitane cage structures, TEX exhibits insensitive nature due to the absence of sterically demanding nitramine groups . These features make TEX not only an interesting explosive but also an interesting model compound for the development of new insensitive energetic materials . Thermal hazard assessment of TEX also has been carried out by using accelerating rate calorimeter and the results are reported in literature .…”