Explain Please!

[Redeye]

I searched the forum and the rest of the internet and everyone has said you can't use acetic acid in place of citric acid for HMTD, but why? They are both acids. Both are somewhat similar (ph, similar organic acids), and they would only act as catalysts. Please, someone with a fairly advance understanding, explain! Remember I'm new. Please just explain this one thing and I'll never ask another stupid question.

[Fingerless]

Try it and prove everyone wrong. Citric isn't the only stuff that works, HCL or H2SO4 works too.

[Redeye]

My hexamine is not dissolving. Is it the fact that I'm using shitty 3% H202 or because I'm using acetic acid or both?

[Redeye]

Would the fact that the mix is not being cooled have anything to do with it?

[Mr Cool]

You may have got the wax-coated hexamine fuel tablets, or the may not be hexamine... IIRC, hexadecan-1-ol or something like that is also used as fuel tablets.

Any acid will work, I normally use 15% HCl. It's not just a catalyst when making HMTD, it reacts with the ammonia formed. I *think* if the pH gets too high the reaction fucks up.

[Redeye]

I bought them at an Old Threshers flee market. When I got them home I noticed they weren't like hexamine tablets I have had in the past. They felt more like foam rubber. I bet they aren't hexamine, but they did say they contained hexamine. The box was in bad shape. It could have been repackaged. Shit......more money wasted. Does anyone know of any good/cheap sources of hexamine in South East Iowa?

[Victim]

Camping shop maybe..?