CHARACTERIZATION OF SMOKELESS GUNPOWDER BY MEANS OF DIPHENYLAMINE STABILIZER AND ITS NITRATED DERIVATIVES

Smokeless gunpowder frequently contains diphenylamine as a stabilizer. The diphenylamine acts as a nitrate scavenger and in turn is nitrated by complex processes. The various nitrated congeners of diphenylamine , which are numerous, may serve to characterize a sample of gunpowder because these derivatives reflect not only the production of the gunpo wder, but also its storage career and thermal history following manufa cture. These derivatives of diphenylamine may be isolated and identifi ed by means of thin-layer chromatography and liquid chromatography.