TEX - 4,10-Dinitro-2,6,8,12-tetraoxa-4,10-diazatetracyclo[5.5.0.05,9.03,11]-dodecane - Review of a Promising High Density Insensitive Energetic Material

The title compound 4,10‐dinitro‐2,6,8,12‐tetraoxa‐4,10‐diazatetracyclo[5.5.0.05,903,11]‐dodecane – often referred to as TEX – is a very promising newcomer in the field of insensitive explosives. It is easily synthesized with good yield from cheap starting materials. TEX offers a respectable high ambient temperature crystal density (1.985 g cm−3) and hence good detonation velocity and pressure but is fairly insensitive towards mechanical and thermal stimuli. It has a large critical diameter and is advantageously used in large charges. 76 references to the public domain are given.