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Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Theoretical study on stabilization mechanisms of nitrate esters using aromatic amines as stabilizers
Zhi-Dan Sun1, Xiao-Long Fu2, Hong-Jian Yu2
1Key Laboratory of Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials of MOE, School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, PR China.
Aromatic amines stabilize nitrate ester propellants by reacting with nitro dioxide (NO2). This reaction has lower activation energy, preventing NO2 from catalyzing propellant decomposition.
Area of Science:
- Computational chemistry
- Chemical kinetics
- Materials science
Background:
- Nitrate esters are crucial propellants.
- Stabilizers are needed to prevent decomposition.
- Nitro dioxide (NO2) is implicated in decomposition pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the mechanism by which aromatic amines stabilize nitrate esters.
- To investigate the role of nitro dioxide (NO2) in nitrate ester decomposition.
- To compare the energetics of NO2 catalysis versus stabilizer intervention.
Main Methods:
- Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were employed.
- Structures of reactants, intermediates, and products were optimized using (U)B3LYP/6-31G**.
- Activation energy barriers for key reaction pathways were determined.
Main Results:
- Nitro dioxide (NO2) significantly lowers the activation energy for nitrate ester decomposition.
- Aromatic amines effectively scavenge NO2 with low activation barriers.
- The energy barriers for stabilizer-NO2 reactions are lower than those for NO2-catalyzed decomposition.
Conclusions:
- Aromatic amines act as effective stabilizers by intercepting NO2.
- This mechanism prevents NO2-catalyzed decomposition of nitrate esters.
- Computational chemistry provides insight into propellant stabilization strategies.
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