8/3/2019 C. Wu- Powerful explosive blasts onto scene
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After nearly 20 years of effort, researchers have achievedthe
synthesis of octanitrocubane, a compound that could beone of the
most powerful nonnuclear explosives known.
Philip E. Eaton and Mao-Xi Zhang of the University ofChicago and
Richard Gilardi of the Naval Research Laboratoryin Washington,
D.C., report their feat in the Jan. 17 ANGEWANDTECHEMIE
INTERNATIONAL EDITION.
Eaton synthesized the parent compound, cubane, in 1964.At the
time, cubane had one of the highest densities of anyknown
hydrocarbon1.29 grams per cubic centimeter.Gasoline by comparison
has a density of 0.8 g/cm3.
Gasoline floats on water, he says. Cubane sinks like a
rock.In the early 1980s, Army researchers recognized that
cubane derivatives, especially octanitrocubane, could pack
anincredible punch. Since an explosion involves very fast
com-bustion, high densities lead to big blasts, Eaton explains.
Yougo from a compact solid to a lot of gas and energy, he says.
Octanitrocubane could be twice as powerful as trinitrotoluene
(TNT), and its thought to be20 to 25 percent more effective than
HMX [octogen], which is the state-of-the-art military explo-sive
right now, says Peter M. Gehring, a physicist at the National
Institute of Standards andTechnology in Gaithersburg, Md.
Adding the eight nitro groups to cubane proved to be a
challenge. The first four could beput on by manipulating functional
groupsthat is, replacing components of an existing
cubane compound, Eaton says. The next four were much more
painful. We had to develop newmethodologies.
Researchers havent yet made enough octanitrocubane to check its
explosiveness, but testson the small samples made by Eatons group
show that the compound has a density close to 2g/cm3.
Even though octanitrocubane may pack a powerful punch, its safe
to handle. The nice thingis that its shock insensitive, unlike TNT,
says Gehring. You dont blow your leg off carrying itaround.
Whats more, the compound fits another one of the militarys
requirements for an explosive:Its byproducts wont hurt the
environment. Eaton notes, It can kill you, but it cant be
toxic.Octanitrocubane should burn into carbon dioxide and nitrogen,
he says.
C. Wu
January 22, 2000
Vol. 157 No. 4 p. 54
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CONTEN2000
Powerful explosive blasts onto scene
Copyright 2000 by Science Service
Gilardi
Octanitrocubane consists of acube of eight carbons (white)
withnitro groups (oxygens in red andnitrogens in blue) attached to
eachcarbon.
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