Determination of the Elastic Constants and Related Properties of the Energetic Material Cyclotrimethylene Trinitramine (RDX) by Brillouin Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0121-YJL)

Introduction

Organic solid-state chemistry explores the chemical reactions and intermolecular interactions of molecular crystals. Starting with the pioneering work of Schmidt and his topochemical postulate, this field has expanded to include crystal engineering and mechanochemistry. Interest has recently been rekindled in the microscopic behavior of a particularly interesting class of solid-state chemical reactions—those that undergo detonation. Detonation can be considered to be a collective property of the material and is highly dependent upon intermolecular interactions, molecular arrangements, and molecular composition. The strength of the interactions between the molecules comprising a molecular crystal has a measurable effect on the macroscopic properties of the solid. Cyclotrimethylene trinitramine
RDX is a typical secondary explosive, as is β-HMX, and therefore is a logical choice for the determination of elastic properties, for comparison to those of other energetic materials, and for understanding how those properties relate to detonation.