Elucidating the decomposition mechanism of energetic materials with geminal dinitro groups using 2-bromo-2-nitropropane photodissociation.

These experiments photolytically generate two key intermediates in the decomposition mechanisms of energetic materials with nitro substituents, 2-nitropropene, and 2-nitro-2-propyl radicals. These intermediates are produced at high internal energies and access a number of competing unimolecular dissociation channels investigated herein. We use a combination of crossed laser-molecular beam scattering and velocity map imaging to study the photodissociation of 2-bromo-2-nitropropane at 193 nm and the subsequent unimolecular dissociation of the intermediates above. Our results demonstrate that 2-bromo-2-nitropropane has four primary photodissociation pathways: C-Br bond fission yielding the 2-nitro-2-propyl radical, HBr elimination yielding 2-nitropropene, C-N bond fission yielding the 2-bromo-2-propyl radical, and HONO elimination yielding 2-bromopropene. The photofragments are formed with significant internal energy and undergo many secondary dissociation events, including the exothermic dissociation of 2-nitro-2-propyl radicals to NO + acetone. Calculations at the G4//B3LYP/6-311++g(3df,2p) level show that the presence of a radical at a nitroalkyl center changes the mechanism for and substantially lowers the barrier to NO loss. This mechanism involves an intermediate with a three-center ring rather than the intermediate formed during the traditional nitro-nitrite isomerization. The observed dissociation pathways of the 2-nitro-2-propyl radical and 2-nitropropene help elucidate the decomposition mechanism of larger energetic materials with geminal dinitro groups.