Kinetics study of a condensed detonating explosive

We discuss a method for determining chemical–kinetic parameters for condensed explosive materials under the extreme pressure and temperature conditions of detonation. It utilizes theoretical results obtained from the Euler equations of fluid mechanics and experimental detonation data, which consist of steady-state shock shapes and detonation velocities measured as a function of charge size. We determine Arrhenius parameters for detonating commercial-grade nitromethane. The sensitivity of the method to various uncertainties in the input is tested. Results for the Arrhenius activation energy (EA = 92±23 kcal/mole) and vibrational factor [log10 k(sec−1) = 18±2] are larger than the gas phase values. These results are compared with those of other workers.