From: ahahma@kontu.cc.utu.fi
Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
Subject: Re: Trioxane vs. Hexamine vs. HMTD?
Message-ID: <1992Apr20.171117.1@kontu.cc.utu.fi>
Date: 20 Apr 92 17:11:17 GMT

In article <640@tekcae.cax.tek.com>, ralphc@tekcae.cax.tek.com (Ralph
Carpenter) writes:

> My question, which was answered in a posting I did not keep and cannot now
> remember: what is the difference between the (seemingly) older Hexamine
> tablets and the (seemingly) newer Trioxane Heat Tablets?

Hexamine is hexamine and trioxane is trioxane, two entirely different
compounds. Hexamine is an adduct of formaldehyde and ammonia, a
tricyclic compound. Trioxane is trimeric acetaldehyde. Hexamine is a
raw material for HMTD, RDX, HMX and a variety of other nitramines of
less importance.  Trioxane (or acetaldehyde) is a raw material for
pentaerythritol, which in turn can be nitrated to PETN (tetranitrate
of the former), another popular high explosive.

> Ralph Carpenter

ArNO
    2