Kinetics and mechanisms of thermal decomposition of nitroaromatic explosives

A critical examination of the kinetics and mechanisms of nitroaromatic explosives is made. The initiation reaction mechanisms differ with temperature. Shock initiation conditions produce mostly C-NO, bond homolysis. Impact initiation produces a mixture of C-NO2 homolysis and reactions of the non-energetic substituents on the ring. Time-to-explosion for times longer than about 0.1 seconds is controlled mostly by catalysis from the decomposition products of the parent molecule. The explosive characteristics depend to a large extent on the relative proportions of the gaseous decomposition products that are generated in the initial reaction steps.