| Sol No.: |
Navy SBIR FY2014.1 |
| Topic No.: |
N141-017 |
| Topic Title: |
Environmentally Friendly Alternative Synthesis and Process to Manufacture Cost-Effective Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) |
| Proposal No.: |
N141-017-0323 |
| Firm: |
NALAS Engineering Services Inc.
85 Westbrook Road
Centerbrook, Connecticut 06409 |
| Contact: |
David Ford |
| Phone: |
(860) 581-8477 |
| Web Site: |
www.nalasengineering.com |
| Abstract: |
The treatment of glyoxal with benzyl amine or allyl amine towards the formation of the corresponding tetraazaisowurtzitane cage structure has established a cornerstone in the preparation of caged nitramines and has led to significant research aimed at converting these precursors into compounds of interest such as CL-20. Although a route based on benzyl amine was briefly employed in small commercial settings, severe problems have since forbid the use of this chemistry on large scale. An alternative route to CL-20 employing allyl amine as the ammonia surrogate has been developed and demonstrated by researchers at China Lake. Although these efforts have led to the validation of the chemistry at a lab scale, this sequence of reactions has shown potential to become commercially viable if given a thorough development and evaluation effort, which is the main focus of the proposed work. |
| Benefits: |
The effort proposed herein builds on the strong work performed at China Lake and offers a detailed assessment of the allyl amine chemistry to CL-20, providing the initial optimization and development required to enable this chemistry into a commercial setting. |