Newsgroups: rec.pyrotechnics
From: tam@quest1.questconsult.com (Timothy Melton)
Subject: Re: HMX What is it/How can it be made?
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 19:09:48 GMT

reyns@ismennt.is (Reynir Skarsgerd) writes:
>Martin Bell <101654.2003@CompuServe.COM> wrote:

>>What exactly is HMX. Is it similar to RDX? How can it be made?
>
>HMX is a mixture of RDX and TNT.  I'm not sure of the excact
>proportions.  If I were you I wouldn't even think about making the
>stuff.  RDX is very sensitive and you would probably end up blowing
>off parts of your anatomy.

If you don't know what you're talking about, please don't try to answer the
question.  HMX stands for "High Melting Explosive" and is also known as
Octogen.  It is 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazacyclo-octane.  RDX stands
for "Research Department Explosive" and is also known as Cyclonite or
Hexogen.  It is 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclyclohexane.  See any
similarities?  You were probably thinking of the B compositions, which are
primarily RDX and TNT.

FYI,

Tim
-- 
Tim Melton                    tam@questconsult.com
Quest Consultants Inc.        http://www.questconsult.com/
P.O. Box 721387               (405) 329-7475
Norman, Ok 73070-8069         Fax: (405) 329-7734

From: "Gerald L. Hurst" <glhurst@onr.com>
Newsgroups: alt.engr.explosives
Subject: Re: Explosives
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 04:39:02 -0500

They don't or at least didn't produce HMX economically.  HMX is a biproduct
of RDX manufacture and often simply treated as an impurity to be removed.

It has found specialty use in shaped charges for oil well casing
perforation.  The high price of isolating the material was considered
tolerable by some for these rather expensive little precision charges.


Jerry (Ico)

From: "Gerald L. Hurst" <glhurst@onr.com>
Newsgroups: alt.engr.explosives
Subject: Re: Explosives
Date: Sun, 17 May 1998 04:27:22 -0500

Sheetla wrote:

> i thought nitrated hexamine was RDX?

That's the truth but not the whole truth. Organic syntheses often
produce mixtures rather than a single desired product.  Such is
the case with RDX and HMX.


Jerry (Ico)