Kinetics and mechanism of thermal decomposition of 2-substituted 5,5-dinitro-1,3-dioxanes

Thermal decomposition of 2-substituted 5,5-dinitro-1,3-dioxanes in melt and in solution follows a homolytic mechanism with initial dissociation of the C-N bond. The reaction in solution is accompanied by oxidation of the initial compound with nitrogen dioxide formed as a result of decomposition. The rate of decomposition weakly depends on the substituent in position 2 of the heteroring. On the whole, the C(NO₂)₂ moiety in 1,3-dioxanes is less stable than in alkanes due to conformational features of the heteroring.Translated from Zhurnal Obshchei Khimii, Vol. 74, No. 10, 2004, pp. 1702–1705.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Stepanov, Kruglyakova, Astakhov, Golubtsova.This revised version was published online in April 2005 with a corrected cover date.