Carboxylic Acid Lab Report

Activation of Zero-Valent Magnesium using Acetic Acid for the Degradation of Triacetone Triperoxide in Ethanol

Abstract

Triacetone triperoxide (TATP), a cyclic peroxide, is an explosive frequently used by terrorists and amateur chemists due to the ease of synthesis and the availability of reagents. A degradation method for degrading TATP in ethanol (EtOH) was proposed using an activated, zero-valent magnesium (ZVMg) system. Different acids were tested to determine their effectiveness in activating Mg for the degradation of TATP, and short chain carboxylic acids, particularly acetic acid, were observed to have the greatest effect on the TATP degradation rate. Other ZVMg systems were also tested including ZVMg mechanically alloyed

The TATP/EtOH solution was exposed to 0.25 g of Mg, Mg/Pd, or Mg/C. For statistical analysis, all experiments were performed in duplicate. Depending on the individual kinetic study, the different quantities of acid were added immediately after the addition of the TATP solution to the metal. Any unreacted TATP was extracted using toluene, and the reaction mixture was filtered using a nylon Puradisc® syringe filter (2 μm pore size) to remove the reacted metal. Water was added to the extracted solution to remove the EtOH from the toluene layer, and the sample was shaken for 2 min then centrifuged at 1200 rpm for 4 min. The organic layer was then removed for analysis using

1, ZVMg in EtOH (with no acid) did not readily degrade TATP during the 4.5 hour reaction time period. Due the inactivity of ZVMg in the degradation of TATP in EtOH, attempts were made to activate the ZVMg particles in EtOH. Mg/Pd had been used to degrade TATP in a water/methanol solvent [12], thus the mechanically alloyed Mg/Pd was also tested in EtOH solvent. Similar to the ZVMg system, TATP degradation was not achieved using the mechanically alloyed Mg/Pd in EtOH (Fig. 2). Additional methods were then attempted to activate the ZVMg and Mg/Pd systems for the degradation of TATP in