Potassium 4,5-Bis(dinitromethyl)furoxanate: A Green Primary Explosive with a Positive Oxygen Balance

Abstract

Potassium 4,5-bis(dinitromethyl)furoxanate was synthesized readily from cyanoacetic acid. It was characterized by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the structure was confirmed by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Its positive oxygen balance, high density (2.130 g cm-3), sensitivity (IS=2 J, FS=5 N), and calculated heat of formation (-421.0 kJ mol-1), combined with its calculated superior detonation performance (D=7759.0 m s-1, P=27.3 GPa), make it a competitive replacement as a green primary explosive.