Investigation of novel copper dinitroresorcinol complexes as an initiating substance

Abstract. An initiating substance is a type of explosive that is categorized by its ability to ignite or detonate an output charge. Commonly used primary explosives, such as lead azide (LA) and lead styphnate (LS), contains heavy metal, which are known for its toxicity and negative environmental effects. A common approach to synthesizing a novel compound that can replace heavy metal-based primary explosive is the coordination of nitrogen-rich ligands and energetic anions with transition group metals. In this work, various novel energetic coordination compounds (ECCs) based on copper and dinitroresorcinol were synthesized to obtain an initiating substance with lower toxicity and a smaller environmental footprint. These compounds' physiochemical and energetic properties, such as mechanical sensitivity and thermal stability, as well as their applicability as initiating substances were investigated.