Hydrolysis of Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20)

Abstract

The hydrolysis of the α, β, and ε polymorphs of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane(CL-20) was investigated in dilute buffered aqueous solutions over a pH range of 4–10 and at 35, 43, 50, 58 and 65°C, with starting concentrations of CL-20 at one half the solubility limit for the respective temperature. In all cases, an overall first-order kinetic behavior was observed. The rate constants, half-lives, activation energies, and Arrhenius pre-exponential factors were determined. The latter was found to vary linearly with pH. Based on these findings, general formulas for the hydrolysis kinetics of the three polymorphs were developed.

Keywords:

• arrhenius equation
• CL-20
• HNIW
• hydrolysis
• kinetics
• polymorphs

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by the DOD U.S. ARMY TACOM/ARDEC Contract No. DAAE30–00-D-1011 #7.

Notes

^a The numbers in parentheses are the standard errors.

^a The numbers in parentheses are the standard errors.

^a The numbers in parentheses are the standard errors.