Dissolution Kinetics of IMX-101 and IMX-104; Operating Procedure Series: Characterization of IMX Dissolution

Abstract : The quantitative description of explosives dissolution is an essential component in predicting the fate and effects of munitions-associated, crystalline source materials that could potentially be released into the environment. This report offers a protocol for the assessment of Insensitive Munitions eXplosive (IMX) dissolution under controlled laboratory conditions. Experiments assess dissolution of IMX-101 and IMX-104 into moderately-hard reconstituted water (MHRW) at multiple temperatures (320C) and paddle mixing rates (2050 RPM). Details of the experimental design, procedures, and their rationale are discussed. The uniform experimental conditions provide for reproducible quantification of behavior designed to inform field-scale predictions where conditions are inevitably more complex and variable. The relative magnitude of dissolution rates are as follows: NQ NTO DNAN RDX. An exponential kinetic model is fitted to a small data sample to demonstrate one of many possible interpretations.