Mannitol hexanitrate

Mannitol hexanitrate is a powerful explosive. Physically, it is a powdery solid at normal temperature ranges, with density of 1.73 g/cm³. The chemical name is hexanitromannitol and it is also known as nitromannite, MHN, and nitromannitol, and by the trademarks Nitranitol and Mannitrin. It is more stable than nitroglycerin, and it is used in detonators.

Mannitol hexanitrate

Names
IUPAC name D-Mannitol hexanitrate
Systematic IUPAC name (2R,3R,4R,5R)-Hexane-1,2,3,4,5,6-hexayl hexanitrate
Other names Mannitol hexanitrate Nitromannite Nitromannitol Nitranitol Mannitrin
Identifiers
CAS Number	15825-70-4 Y
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image
ChEMBL	ChEMBL2104740 N
ChemSpider	55696 N
ECHA InfoCard	100.036.280
EC Number	239-924-6
PubChem CID	61818
UNII	99AU28W1G9 N
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID8065953
InChI InChI=1S/C6H8N6O18/c13-7(14)25-1-3(27-9(17)18)5(29-11(21)22)6(30-12(23)24)4(28-10(19)20)2-26-8(15)16/h3-6H,1-2H2/t3-,4-,5-,6-/m1/s1 N Key: DGMJZELBSFOPHH-KVTDHHQDSA-N N InChI=1/C6H8N6O18/c13-7(14)25-1-3(27-9(17)18)5(29-11(21)22)6(30-12(23)24)4(28-10(19)20)2-26-8(15)16/h3-6H,1-2H2/t3-,4-,5-,6-/m1/s1 Key: DGMJZELBSFOPHH-KVTDHHQDBN
SMILES C([C@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@@H](CO[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-]
Properties
Chemical formula	C6H8N6O18
Molar mass	452.15 g/mol
Density	1.73 g/cm3
Melting point	112 °C (234 °F; 385 K)
Solubility in water	insoluble
Explosive data
Shock sensitivity	more sensitive than PETN, slightly below the line separating primary and secondary explosives
Friction sensitivity	comparable to PETN
Detonation velocity	8260 m/s (@ 1.73 g/cm3)
RE factor	1.70
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). N verify (what is YN ?) Infobox references

Mannitol hexanitrate is a secondary explosive formed by the nitration of mannitol, a sugar alcohol. The product is used in medicine as a vasodilator and as an explosive in blasting caps. Its sensitivity is high, particularly at high temperatures (> 75 °C) where it is slightly more sensitive than nitroglycerine. Nitromannite is a class B explosive.

The production of pure MHN is not a trivial task, since most preparations will yield a mixture of MHN and lower esters (pentanitrate and lower).^[1]

See also

• Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN)
• Xylitol pentanitrate
• Erythritol tetranitrate (ETN)
• Ethylene glycol dinitrate
• Methyl nitrate

References

1. Künzel, Martin; Yan, Qi-Long; Šelešovský, Jakub; Zeman, Svatopluk; Matyáš, Robert (2014-01-01). "Thermal behavior and decomposition kinetics of ETN and its mixtures with PETN and RDX". Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry. 115 (1): 289–299. doi:10.1007/s10973-013-3265-2. ISSN 1388-6150. S2CID 95382460.

• The Chemistry of Powder and Explosives, Tenney L. Davis

External links

• Powerlabs.org