Synthesis of 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine

Abstract The t-butyldimethylsilyl ether of 3-(p-toluenesulfonamido)propane-2-ol-1-(p-toluenesulfonate) on treatment with LiH undergoes ring closure to the correponding azetidine which is readily converted to N-tosyl-3-azetidinone oxime. By oxidative nitrolysis the latter affords 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine.