Nitroguanidine from AN+urea

[Dr_Pind]

I know I have mentioned this in another thread, but this possible route to a brisant high explosive comparable to TNT and made from simple fertilizers just won't leave my head.

It is stated that;

QUOTE: from PATR 2700, vol. 6, page G155.
"By fusing equimolecular quantities
of urea and AN:
H2N.C0.NH2 +NH4N03 -> H2N.C(:NH).NH.N02 + 2H20,
and then recrystallizing the product from boiling
water (yield about 92%)"
...it should be possible to produce nitroguanidine.

It almost looks to simple, but still, the equation adds up.
PATR is usually very accurate, so if this reaction doesn't work, why would it be written with reaction equations and yields? No way this could be an error. There are no references to the process, and therefore I have no way of telling if this is just an oversimplified reaction or if it might actually work. It might take a catalyst like silica to work, as seen in other processes.

Just think about it; urea fertilizer + ammonium nitrate fertilizer =
7000+ m/s brisant high explosive.

If you have any references, data or experience with this process, please comment.

[megalomania]

Let's see, the Encyclopedia is sometimes bad at numbering its references in the text, but the reference is probably listed at the end of the article. There are a lot of references for this entry, and I didn’t see any method mentioned in the reference annotations. I do however have some data for you.

This process is called the urea ammonium nitrate method often labeled as U/AN, and it is also called the British Aqueous Fusion process, labeled BAF. I don’t see any published references on the method, which leads me to believe this may be a proprietary manufacturing process. Hopefully the terms I provided can help you guide your search better.

[iHME]

IIRC Nitroguanidine is mentioned and a synthesis is given in the Kitchen Improvised Blasting Caps. The synthesis in it used OTC chemicals but was rather involved.

[Dr_Pind]

I read about the U/AN and BAF methods before the posting of this topic, and although they do look similar, there are some things that don't match. The method in PATR uses equimolecular quantities. The U/AN uses 2:1 quantities. Furthermore, the PATR doesn't mention a dehydration step, only fusion and recrystalization.
I'm not saying you're wrong Mega, but I just can't make it add up. Maybe it really is just OVERsimplified..
Would have been a nice synthesis though.. *SIGH*:(

Anyway, thanks for the info Mega. Much appreciated :)

[Boomer]

The kitchen crapbook wants to use NQ for blasting caps IIRC. Just about anything else from the nitric ester or nitramine families is better suited.

Also, they use a variation of the standard dicyandiamide/AN melt process to make GN, with urea being most likely just a flux. But they use calcium cyanamide without conversion!

Wasn't that the book that constantly warns of the deadly yellow gas nitrogen trioxide ?