A Study on Polymerization of Oxocane High Explosives

AbstractOxocane high explosives substituted to explosive group such as azide (-CH2N3), nitrate (-CH2ONO2), and hydrazine(-CH2N2H3) are investigated theoretically the acid catalyzed reaction using the semiempirical MINDO/3, MNDO andAM1 methods to use as the guidelines of high explosives. The nucleophilicity and basicity of oxocane high explosivescan be explained by the value of negative charge on oxygen atom of oxocane and the reactivity in propagation step canbe represented by the value of positive charge on carbon atom and low electrophile LUMO energy. It was known thatcarbenium ion was favorable due to the stable energy (11.745~25.461 Kcal/mol) between oxonium ion and carbeniumion in the process of cyclic oxonium ion of oxocane high explosives being converted to open carbenium ion in oxocanehigh explosives. The value of concentration of cyclic oxonium ion and open carbenium ion in equilibrium status wasfound to be a major determinant of mechanism, it was expected to react faster in the prepolymer propagation step inSN1 mechanism than in that of SN2.Key words: Oxocane, High Explosives, Polymerization, Oxonium Ion, Carbenium Ion