hexanitrobibenzyl

melting point ? °C	boiling point ? °C	hexanitrobibenzyl	molecular mass ? g/mol	density ? g/mL
table key	sensitivity ?	chemical formula X₂Y₃Z₄	explosive velocity ? m/s	estimated cost $?.00 /g

Hexanitrobibenzyl, or rather 2,2’,4,4’,6,6’-hexanitrobibenzyl, is a powerful and stable high explosive with properties similar to TNT, or HNS. Other names include 2,2’,4,4’,6,6’-hexanitro-sym-diphenylethane; HNBB; or HNB. This explosive is a close cousin to hexanitrostilbene, HNS, of which most of the hexanitrobibenzyl produced is used to make. This explosive is less powerful and less brisant than picric acid, and generally not nearly as good as HNS.

CHEMICALS APPARATUS

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Prepare a solution of 5 g of TNT in 5 mL of methylene chloride and 25 mL of methyl alcohol. Prepare a second solution of 0.20 g of sodium hydroxide in 14.5 mL of Clorox bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite). Heat the TNT solution to 50-55 C and add the bleach solution. Immediately filter the precipitate to collect it, wash with methyl alcohol, and allow to dry. Final yield is about 4 g or 80%. An alternative to this reaction is to use only 100 mL of methyl alcohol, no methylene chloride, and 0.5 g of sodium hydroxide in with 35 mL of bleach. The TNT solution is heated to 60 C and the bleach is added dropwise over a 10 minute period. Proceed with the filtering and washing as above.

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