An Optimized & Scaled‐Up Synthetic Procedure for Trinitroethyl Formate TNEF

Abstract

Previous reports showed, that tris(2,2,2trinitroethoxy)methane, also known as tris(2,2,2-trinitroethyl) orthoformate or trinitroethyl formate (TNEF), exhibits a very high potential for application due to its excellent energetic properties and compatibility with state of the art binder systems for composite propellants. However, TNEF was never produced on a scale exceeding a few grams. In this work, a scaled and optimized synthetic procedure for the manufacturing of elemental analysis pure TNEF in a 100 g pre-technical scale is described. Applied optimizations focus on cost of the synthesis and improvements regarding a greener purification process. Acceptable yields were achieved in the 100 g scale and the described synthetic procedure could be easily applied in the technical scale in the next step. This could stimulate a broader application of TNEF as an environmentally benign high energy density oxidizer for composite propellants.