IONIZATION-POTENTIALS OF TNAZ AND ITS DECOMPOSITION PRODUCTS

The ionization potentials (IPs) of 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) and its thermal decomposition products were determined using charge-transf er bracketing experiments in a Fourier transform mass spectrometer. Th e products included: 1-nitroso-3,3-dinitroazetidine (NDNAZ); 3,3-dinit roazetidine (DNAZ); and the C3H3N3O4 fragment resulting from loss of H ONO from TNAZ. The IP of TNAZ is 10.36 (+/-0.1) eV, the IP of NDNAZ is 9.52 (+/-0.1) eV, and the IPs of DNAZ and the C3H3N3O4 Fragment are e ach 9.8 (+/-0.1) eV. These results are used to estimate relative produ ct yields in previous TNAZ decomposition experiments which employed ma ss spectrometry for product detection. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.