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NITROMETHANE

CAS NUMBER: 75-52-5

EC NUMBER: 200-876-6

MOLECULAR FORMULA: CH3NO2

MOLECULAR WEIGHT: 61.04

 

Nitromethane, commonly referred to as "nitro", is the principal ingredient for fuel used in motor racing. 
Nitromethane can be applied as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents, also applied effectively as a solvent or dissolving agent for acrylate monomers.

Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3NO2. 
Nitromethane is the simplest organic nitro compound. 

Nitromethane is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. 
As an intermediate in organic synthesis, Nitromethane is used widely in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings.

Nitromethane is used as a fuel additive in various motorsports and hobbies, e.g. Top Fuel drag racing and miniature internal combustion engines in radio control, control line and free flight model aircraft.
Nitromethane is a colorless, oily, highly flammable liquid with a strong, disagreeable odor that emits toxic fumes of nitrogen oxides upon decomposition. 

Nitromethane is used to make industrial antimicrobials and pharmaceuticals, and is also used as a soil fumigant and as a fuel in race car engines. 
Exposure to nitromethane irritates the skin and affects the central nervous system causing nausea, dizziness and narcosis. 

Nitromethane is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. 
Nitromethane appears as a colorless oily liquid. 
Flash point 95°F. 

May violently decompose if intensely heated when contaminated. 
Denser than water and slightly soluble in water. 
Hence sinks in water. Vapors are heavier than air. 

Produces toxic oxides of nitrogen during combustion.
Nitromethane is a primary nitroalkane that is methane in which one of the hydrogens is replace by a nitro group. 
A polar solvent (b.p. 101 ℃), it is an important starting material in organic synthesis. 

Nitromethane is also used as a fuel for rockets and radio-controlled models. 
Nitromethane has a role inhibitor, a polar aprotic solvent and an explosive. 

Nitromethane is a primary nitroalkane and a volatile organic compound.
Nitromethane is a colorless, slightly viscous, highly polar liquid. 
Most of the 16 million pounds of nitromethane produced yearly in the United States is used for the synthesis of derivatives used as pharmaceuticals, fumigants, and industrial antimicrobials. 

Nitromethane is also used as a fuel or fuel additive for high-performance race cars and as a solvent.
Nitromethane is a strongly polar, oily liquid that is used as a solvent or reactant in organic chemical synthesis and as a fuel in motor sports, rockets, hobby airplanes, and the like. 
Nitromethane is produced, along with other nitroalkanes, in a high temperature reaction between propane and nitric acid.

Drag racers such as John Force and his family use nitromethane as a fuel because it requires only about one-ninth as much air as gasoline for complete combustion. 
Although it has only about one-fourth the combustion energy of gasoline, its lower air requirement gives it the advantage of producing the high instantaneous thrust needed for drag racing. 
A colorless oily liquid. 
Flash point 95°F. 

May violently decompose if intensely heated when contaminated. 
Denser than water and slightly soluble in water. 
Hence sinks in water. Vapors are heavier than air. Moderately toxic. 

Produces toxic oxides of nitrogen during combustion.
Nitromethane is the simplest organic nitro compound. 

Nitromethane is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. 
As an reactant in organic synthesis, it is used widely in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings. 
Nitromethane also finds use as a racing fuel.

Nitromethane is used as a fuel in racing, particularly drag racing, to provide more power. 
Nitromethane is usually used with rich air/fuel mixtures. 

Nitromethane can provide power even in the absence of atmospheric oxygen, as described above, but it's also because nitromethane tends to produce severe knock and pre-ignition. 
Rich mixtures do however cause ignition problems and a lower combustion speed. 
In this context, Nitromethane is commonly referred to as "nitro" or "fuel". 

Nitromethane has also been used as a model rocket fuel. 
Nitromethane is normally mixed with methanol.
Nitromethane is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3NO2. 

Nitromethane is the simplest organic nitro compound. 
Nitromethane is a slightly viscous, highly polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in extractions, as a reaction medium, and as a cleaning solvent. 
As an intermediate in organic synthesis, it is used widely in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, fibers, and coatings. 

Nitromethane is also used as a racing fuel.
Nitromethane (75-52-5) is an explosive material that was originally manufactured for various applications including mining, construction, demolition, law enforcement, and military uses. However, due to threats of terrorism and increased attention to accident prevention, regulations concerning the transportation, storage, use, and transfer relating to explosives have steadily increased over the last few years and manufacturing limited.

 

USES OF NITROMETHANE:

The principal use of nitromethane is as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvents, which are used in dry cleaning, semiconductor processing, and degreasing. 
Nitromethane is also used most effectively as a solvent or dissolving agent for acrylate monomers, such as cyanoacrylates (more commonly known as "super-glues"). 
Nitromethane is also used as a fuel in some forms of racing. 

Nitromethane can be used as an explosive, when gelled with several percent of gelling agent. 
This type of mixture is called PLX.
Other mixtures include explosive mixtures of ammonium nitrate, nitromethane and aluminium powder.

As an organic solvent, it is considered to be highly polar (εr = 36 at 20 °C and μ = 3.5 Debye) but is aprotic and possesses very low Lewis basicity. 
Thus, it is a rare example of a polar solvent that is also weakly coordinating. 

This makes Nitromethane useful for dissolving positively charged, strongly electrophilic species. 
However, its relatively high acidity and explosive properties (see below) limit its applications.

Nitromethane is used primarily as a chemical intermediate in the synthesis of biocides, chemicals, and agricultural products and intermediates. 
Nitromethane is slightly toxic to aquatic organisms, has a low bioconcentration potential, and is considered not readily biodegradable. 
 
Nitromethane is a mild eye irritant and is not likely to cause significant irritation to the skin. 
Long-term excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects. 
Nitromethane is an acidic carbon in organic synthesis. 

Nitromethane is also used as a motor racing fuel particularly for drag racing or radio-controlled models.​
The type of use will affect how hazardous nitromethane is. 

Nitromethane can detonate more easily when contaminated by acids, bases, amines or other “sensitizing” chemicals, or when handled at both increased pressure and elevated temperatures​.
Most of the nitromethane produced in the United States (85% to 90%) is used in the synthesis of nitromethane derivatives used as pharmaceuticals, agricultural soil fumigants, and industrial antimicrobials. 
Nitromethane also is used as a fuel or fuel additive with methanol in racing cars, boats, and model engines. 

Nitromethane formerly was used in the explosives industry as a component in a binary explosive formulation with ammonium nitrate and in shaped charges, and it was used as a chemical stabilizer to prevent decomposition of various halogenated hydrocarbons.
Nitromethane is used as an intermediate in chemical syntheses, but more importantly it is used as a solvent for coatings and inks. 

Nitromethane and the other nitroparaffins are excellent solvents for vinyls, epoxies, polyamides and acrylic polymers. 
Nitromethane also is used as a military propellant and a racing fuel additive (HSDB 1988). Mixed with methanol and castor oil it is employed as a model airplane fuel.


PROPERTIES OF NITROMETHANE:


-grade: reagent grade

-vapor density: 2.1 (vs air)

-vapor pressure: 2.7 mmHg

-assay: 96%

-autoignition temperature: 784 °F

-expl. lim.: 7.3 %, 33 °F

-refractive index: n20/D 1.382 (lit.)

-boiling point:101.2 °C (lit.)

-melting point: −29 °C (lit.)

-density: 1.127 g/mL at 25 °C (lit.)

 

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF NITROMETHANE:

Nitromethane is a highly flammable and explosive colorless liquid with a strong, disagreeable odor. 
Nitromethane is not explosive, but is used as industrial chemical for various purposes. 

Nitromethane can explode only in big quantity and in strong confinement. 
In combination with some further components, nitromethane is the important part of very strong, cap sensitive explosives. 
Therefore, nitromethane is an easy accessible precursor for preparation of strong home-made explosives.

Nitromethane is used as a stabilizer of halogenated organic solvents, rocket and racing fuel and a chemical intermediate. 
Nitromethane is also used as a solvent for cyanoacrylate adhesives, polymers and waxes. 

Nitromethane serves as a Michael donor, adding to alfa,beta-unsaturated carbonyl compounds through 1,4-addition in the Michael reaction. 
Nitromethane acts as a solvent used for extractions, reaction medium and as a cleaning solvent. 

Further, Nitromethane is used in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, explosives, fibers and coatings.
Nitromethane is explosive and can be detonated by shock or heat (HSDB 1988) and the chemical can be made more sensitive to detonation through the presence of other chemicals, especially amines and acids. 
Nitromethane forms salts with inorganic bases and the dry salts are explosive.

 

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF NITROMETHANE:

Colorless liquid with a strong, disagreeable odor. 
Odor threshold concentration is 3.5 ppm.

 

PREPARATION OF NITROMETHANE:

Nitromethane is produced industrially by combining propane and nitric acid in the gas phase at 350–450 °C (662–842 °F). 
This exothermic reaction produces the four industrially significant nitroalkanes: nitromethane, nitroethane, 1-nitropropane, and 2-nitropropane. 

The reaction involves free radicals, including the alkoxyl radicals of the type CH3CH2CH2O, which arise via homolysis of the corresponding nitrite ester. 
These alkoxy radicals are susceptible to C—C fragmentation reactions, which explains the formation of a mixture of products.

 

PRODUCTION METHOD OF NITROMETHANE:

Nitromethane and the other important nitroparaffins are synthesized commercially by the vapor-phase nitration of propane (Baker and Bollmeier 1978). 
At temperatures of 370-450°C and pressures of 8-12 atmospheres, nitromethane, nitroethane and 1- and 2-nitropropane are formed and then separated by distillation.

 

STORAGE OF NITROMETHANE:

Store in accordance with good practice. As an explosive, nitromethane should be treated as a controlled material and storage should be safe and secure. 
Any unexpected or uncontrolled loss must be reported to UCL Safety Services.

 

SYNONYM:

75-52-5
Methane, nitro-
Nitrocarbol
Nitrometan
CH3NO2
nitro methane
nitro-methane
NSC 428
MeNO2
MFCD00007400
RU5WG8C3F4
CHEBI:77701
Nitromethane, 99%, pure
Nitrometan [Polish]
Nitromethane, 96%, for HPLC
Nitromethane, 96%, ACS reagent

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