Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5.2.2 Property and Preparation of Ethyl Nitrate [
53
]
5.2.2.1 Chemical
-
Physical Property of Ethyl Nitrate
Ethyl nitrate, with other names of ethanol nitrate ester and nitric acid ethyl ester, is a
transparent oily liquid with a slight sweetish odor. It can be dissolved into water and
be miscible with alcohols and most other organic reagents. It also can dissolve
cellulose nitrate.
Molecular formula: C
2
H
5
NO
3
Chemical structure:
H
H
3
C
C
ONO
2
H
Molecular weight: 91.07
Oxygen balance:
61.5 % (CO
2
-based)
Nitrogen content: 15.38 %
Boiling point: 87
−
°
C
Density: 1.12
Combustion heat: 322 kcal/mol
The nitration heat of ethanol is 25.94 kJ/mol, Thomson calculated the com-
bustion heat
−ʔ
H and detonation heat (water) of ethyl nitrate to obtain the values of
1355.78 kJ/mol and 3568.95 J/g, respectively. The explosion property of ethyl
nitrate has been well known. However, in a long period, few attentions have been
paid to the compound. It only has been used as a component in the liquid fuel of
rockets and in explosive mixture with other oxidizers for blasting.
5.2.2.2 Explosive Property
The expanding value of lead block with water of ethyl nitrate is 345 cm. The
detonation velocity of ethyl nitrate in wide tubes is 6,000
7,000 m/s. A steady
detonation can be obtained to fill ethyl nitrate into a thick-wall metal tube. The
detonation velocities in a steel tube with a diameter of 27 and 60 mm are 5,800 and
6,020 m/s, respectively. In a steel tube with a diameter of 10 mm, the detonation
cannot happen. The lead-block value of ethyl nitrate is larger than chrysolepic acid
approximately by 20 %. Its shock sensitivity is low. 50 % of ethyl nitrate would be
exploded at the height of 500 mm for 2,000 g falling weight.
-
5.2.2.3 Preparation of Ethyl Nitrate [
1
,
15
,
53
]
In the preparation method of ethyl nitrate, cold ethanol will be dissolved into
concentrated nitric acid with the density of 1.41 g/cm
3
without nitrogen oxides. The
