DNI

     DNI, an acronym for dinitroimidazole, is a powerful insensitive high explosive. Other names for dinitroimidazole include 2,4-dinitroimidazole; 1,4-dinitroimidazole; 2,4-dinitro-1H-imidazole; 2,4(or 2,5)-dinitro-imidazole; 2,4(5)-dinitroimidazole; 2,5-dinitroimidazole; DNI-14; DNI-24; KA 121; and NSC 342704. DNI has an explosive force greater than that of TATB or TNT, but not quite as much as RDX or HMX. DNI has both excellent thermal sensitivity and impact insensitivity, and yet is still a powerful high performance explosive. DNI exists as two isomers, a 1,4- and a 2,4- version of which the 2,4- isomer delivers the best explosive performance. DNI is being considered as a replacement of TATB as the initiating explosive in nuclear warheads.

CHEMICALS	APPARATUS
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     Synthesis 1: Prepare a solution of 8.87 g of 4-nitroimidazole in 17.8 mL of glacial acetic acid cooled to 0 C in an ice bath. Slowly add 4.8 mL of 98% nitric acid dropwise to the solution over a period of 30 minutes while stirring. Maintain the temperature below 5 C during the addition. Next add 15 mL of acetic anhydride dropwise while maintaining the temperature below 0 C. Continue stirring at 0 C for 2 hours, and then at room temperature for 8 hours. Pour the mixture into a beaker containing an excess of crushed ice to precipitate the product. Stir the ice mixture for several minutes to insure complete precipitation. Filter to collect the crystals, and allow them to dry. Final yield is about 8.5 g of 1,4-dinitroimidazole. Synthesis 2: Prepare a mixture of 88 g of 4-nitroimidazole dissolved in 240 mL of glacial acetic acid and 120 mL of acetic anhydride. Slowly add 80 mL of 98% nitric acid dropwise to the mixture over a period of 1 hour while stirring. The mixture is then stirred at room temperature for 3 hours. Pour the mixture into a beaker containing an excess of crushed ice to precipitate the product. Stir the ice mixture for 1 hour to insure complete precipitation. Filter to collect the crystals, and allow them to dry. Final yield is about 85 g of 1,4-dinitroimidazole. Synthesis 3: Prepare a mixture of 2.3 g of 1,4-dinitroimidazole in 40 mL of chlorobenzene. Heat the mixture, while stirring, at 120-125 C for 4 hours. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and filter to collect the precipitate of 2,4-dinitroimidazole. Final yield is about 2.1 g. Synthesis 4: Place 2 g of 1,4-dinitroimidazole in a beaker and slowly heat it to 95-98 C for 25 minutes. The compound will melt at this temperature. It is then allowed to cool to room temperature at which time thermal rearrangement converts the 1,4 isomer to 2,4-dinitroimidazole.

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