DETERMINATION OF THE RATES OF FORMATION OF GASEOUS PRODUCTS FROM THE PYROLYSIS OF OCTAHYDRO-1,3,5,7-TETRANITRO-1,3,5,7-TETRAZOCINE (HMX) BY SIMULTANEOUS THERMOGRAVIMETRIC MODULATED BEAM MASS-SPECTROMETRY

The method for determining the rates of formation of gaseous pyrolysis products during thermal decompositions by simultaneous thermogravimetric modulated beam mass spectrometry is presented. The analysis procedure that handles both molecular and continuum flow from the reaction cell is described. The technique is illustrated with the isothermal decomposition of HMX. The temporal behaviors of the rates of formation of the pyrolysis products, H2O, HCN, CO, CH2O, NO, N2O, methylformamide, C2H6N2O, and octahydro‐1‐nitroso‐3, 5, 7‐trinitro‐1, 3, 5, 7‐tetrazocene, formed during the isothermal decomposition of HMX at 211°C, are presented. The results show that a complex condensed‐phase reaction mechanism controls the decomposition. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.