| Abstract: | The density distribution of two legacy types of 1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐trinitrobenzene (TATB) particles were compared with TATB synthesized by new routes and recrystallized in several different solvents using a density gradient technique. Legacy wet (WA) and dry aminated (DA) TATB crystalline aggregates gave average densities of 1.9157 and 1.9163 g cm−3, respectively. Since the theoretical maximum density (TMD) for a perfect crystal is 1.937 g cm−3, legacy TATB crystals averaged 99% of TMD or about 1% voids. TATB synthesized from phloroglucinol (P) had comparable particle size to legacy TATBs, but significantly lower density, 1.8340 g cm−3. TATB synthesized from 3,5 dibromoanisole (BA) was very difficult to measure because it contained extremely fine particles, but had an average density of 1.8043 g cm−3 over a very broad range. Density distributions of TATB recrystallized from dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), sulfolane, and an 80/20 mixture of DMSO with the ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium acetate (EMImOAc), with some exceptions, gave average densities comparable or better than the legacy TATBs. |
