Octanitrocubane (C8N8O16)

Octanitrocubane (molecular formula: C8(NO2)8) is a high explosive that, like TNT, is shock-insensitive (not readily detonated by shock).[1] The octanitrocubane molecule has the same chemical structure as cubane (C8H8) except that each of the eight hydrogen atoms is replaced by a nitro group (NO2). It is however not as powerful as once thought, as the high-density theoretical crystal structure has not been achieved. For this reason heptanitrocubane, the slightly less nitrated form is believed to have marginally better performance despite having a worse oxygen balance. Octanitrocubane is thought to have 20–25% greater performance than HMX (octogen). This increase in power is due to its highly ...View all