Mechanistic and kinetic studies of the thermal decomposition of TNAZ and NDNAZ

The authors have studied the mechanism and detailed reaction kinetics of the thermal decomposition of 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ), and separately, its key decomposition intermediate, 1-nitroso-3,3-dinitroacetidine (NDNAZ), using a simultaneous thermogravimetric modulated beam mass spectrometer (STMBMS). These decompositions were conducted in a sealed alumina cell with a 2.5 {micro}m orifice, at varying temperatures and at a range of isothermal temperatures (at 10 C intervals from 120--160 C for NDNAZ and 160--210 C for TNAZ). The gaseous products have been identified and their rates of formation have been measured as a function of time, temperature, and pressure. This system is complex, with TNAZ decomposing by four separate routes, one of which leads to NDNAZ, which itself decomposes by at least two distinct routes