Phase transitions and chemical transformations of nitromethane up to 350 °C and 35 GPa

Stéphane Courtecuisse (1) , François Cansell (2, 3) , Denise Fabre (2) , Jean-Pierre Petitet (2)

1 Centre d'Etudes de Vaujours-Moronvilliers
2 LIMHP - Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Matériaux et des Hautes Pressions
3 ICMCB - Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux

Nitromethane has been studied as a model of the energetic nitro compounds. The phase diagram has been determined by Raman scattering in the pressure and temperature ranges of 0–35 GPa and 20–350 °C, respectively. Three new solid phases of nitromethane called III, IV, V, and their domain of stability have been located. A first chemical transformation is observed by the disappearance of nitromethane Raman modes and by the irreversible formation of a transparent solid called compound I (CI). A second chemical transformation [compound I–compound II (CII)], at higher temperature than the first one, is observed by the sudden darkening of the sample.

Domaines: Chimie-Physique [physics.chem-ph]

Stéphane Courtecuisse, François Cansell, Denise Fabre, Jean-Pierre Petitet. Phase transitions and chemical transformations of nitromethane up to 350 °C and 35 GPa. Journal of Chemical Physics, 1995, 102 (2), pp.968 - 974. ⟨10.1063/1.469165⟩. ⟨hal-04205359⟩