Process for the production of high energy material

Abstract

A process for the production of a high energy material involves reacting, in an inert organic solvent, a heterocyclic compound selected from oxirane, aziridine, oxetane or azetidine with a nitrogen oxide selected from dinitrogen tetroxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.4) and dinitrogen pentoxide (N.sub.2 O.sub.5) and, when the nitrogen oxide is N.sub.2 O.sub.4, oxidizing the O- or N- nitroso substituent or substituents in the product obtained to O- or N- nitro substituent or substituents. The heterocyclic compounds may be substituents or unsubstituted. In the former case the preferred substituents groups are halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, nitro and epoxy (as in epoxidized polybutadiene). The solvent is preferably a chlorinated alkane. Novel nitrated derivatives of polybutadiene, in which between 1% and 25% of the carbon atoms in the polymer are substituted by nitrate (ONO.sub.2), are also provided. These novel materials are liquid rubbers when the polybutadiene starting material has a molecular weight between 2000 and 10000.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.