BEAF| melting point ? °C |
boiling point ? °C |
BEAF | molecular mass ? g/mol |
density ? g/mL |
| table key | sensitivity ? |
chemical formula X2Y3Z4 |
explosive velocity ? m/s |
estimated cost $?.00 /g |
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BEAF, an acronym for 1,2-bis (2,2-difluoro-2-nitroacetoxyethane), is an energetic plasticizer used to make plastic explosives. Other names for BEAF include difluoronitroacetic acid ethylene ester; bis(difluoronitroacetate) ethylene glycol; 1,2-Bis(2,2-difluoro-2-nitroacetoxyethane); and difluoronitroacetic acid 1,2-ethanediyl ester. Notice how none of those names spells BEAF, it is one of nature’s mysteries. BEAF is a very stable insensitive liquid explosive. It is never used alone, but is often used in modern formulations in small quantities along with other high explosives.
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Prepare a solution of 5.4 g of ethylene glycol and 27.3 g of difluoronitroacetic acid in a 150-mL beaker. Place the beaker in a salt-ice bath and cool it to at lest 0 C. Slowly add 50 g of concentrated sulfuric (> 95%) dropwise to the solution while stirring. Try to maintain a temperature under 0 C during the addition. After all of the acid has been added allow the beaker to stand at room temperature for 36 hours to complete the reaction. Place the contents of the beaker into a separatory funnel and allow the layers to separate. The lower layer consists of spent acid and can be discarded. The remaining upper layer should be shaken with a few small portions of water and then added to a small Erlenmeyer flask along with anhydrous calcium chloride to dry it. The dried mixture is then distilled under vacuum to yield BEAF, which boils at 73-75 C at 0.5 mm Hg. Yield is about 30%. An example of an explosive formulation containing BEAF is as follows: With rapid stirring by an overhead mixer combine 67.67% finely ground HMX with 30.92% BEAF and 1.41% of colloidal silica. For a plastic material add a very small amount of a cross linking agent such as di- or tri- acrylates, and a curing catalyst such as benzoyl peroxide, or methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. The explosive can be pressure injected into a mold and cured by heating at 40-60 C for 40 minutes.
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