FOX-7 or 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene (DADNE) is an

insensitive high explosive 'Insensitivity' (sensi'tivitē) refers to a lack of sensitivity for other's feelings. It may also refer to: * "Insensitive" (song), a 1995 song by Canadian singer Jann Arden * ''Insensitive'' (House), an episode of the TV series ''House'' * Cul ...

compound. It was first synthesized in 1998 by the

Swedish National Defence Research Institute Swedish National Defence Research Institute (, FOA) was a Swedish government agency in defense research existing from 1945 to 31 December 2000. It was amalgamated with the National Aeronautical Research Institute (FFA) into the Swedish Defence ...

(FOA).Bemm, U.; Östmark, H. (1998) "1,1-Diamino-2,2-dinitroethylene: a Novel Energetic Material with Infinite Layers in Two Dimensions". ''Acta Cryst'' C54: 1997-1999. . According to other information it was synthesized in the USSR in 1990. The name FOX-7 is derived from the acronym of the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), with the ''I'' replaced by an ''X'' to indicate an explosive, as in

RDX RDX (Research Department Explosive or Royal Demolition Explosive) or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (CH2N2O2)3. It is white, odorless, and tasteless, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified ...

and HMX. FOX-7 is similar to the insensitive chemical compound

TATB TATB, triaminotrinitrobenzene or 2,4,6-triamino-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene is an aromatic explosive, based on the basic six-carbon benzene ring structure with three nitro functional groups (NO2) and three amine (NH2) groups attached, alternating arou ...

, which is a

benzene Benzene is an Organic compound, organic chemical compound with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar hexagonal Ring (chemistry), ring with one hyd ...

ring compound with three

amino In chemistry, amines (, ) are organic compounds that contain carbon-nitrogen bonds. Amines are formed when one or more hydrogen atoms in ammonia are replaced by alkyl or aryl groups. The nitrogen atom in an amine possesses a lone pair of elec ...

and three

nitro group In organic chemistry, nitro compounds are organic compounds that contain one or more nitro functional groups (). The nitro group is one of the most common explosophores (functional group that makes a compound explosive) used globally. The nit ...

s. FOX-7 has a two-carbon backbone rather than a benzene ring, but the amino and

nitro Nitro may refer to: Chemistry *Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed: **Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2 **Nitro ligand ...

groups have similar effects in both cases according to published reports on the sensitivity and chemical decay processes of FOX-7. FOX-7 is stoichiometrically identical (but structurally unrelated) to the explosives and propellants

and HMX, and therefore produces the same quantity of gas per gram, a key determinant of performance. By various measures, such as dropped-weight impact, friction force, temperature of ignition, and response to heating under confinement, it is less sensitive than the benchmark explosive RDX, while having performance slightly greater than the same. Its explosive properties appear extremely favorable; in addition to its insensitive properties, the detonation velocity of mixtures of 80% FOX-7 plus

binders Ring binders (loose leaf binders, looseleaf binders, or sometimes called files in Britain) are large folders that contain file folders or hole punched papers (called loose leaves). These binders come in various sizes and can accommodate an arra ...

is as high as

Composition B Composition B (Comp B), also known as Hexotol and Hexolite (among others), is a high explosive consisting of castable mixtures of RDX and TNT. It is used as the main explosive filling in artillery projectiles, rockets, land mines, hand grenade ...

, and nearly pure FOX-7 based

plastic bonded explosive Polymer-bonded explosives, also called PBX or plastic-bonded explosives, are explosive materials in which explosive powder is bound together in a matrix using small quantities (typically 5–10% by weight) of a synthetic polymer. PBXs are normally ...

s are slightly superior to

. FOX-7 has been calculated to have a

detonation velocity Explosive velocity, also known as detonation velocity or velocity of detonation (VoD), is the velocity at which the shock wave front travels through a detonated explosive. Explosive velocities are always higher than the local speed of sound in t ...

of 8,870 m/s. Charges composed of EVA-coated FOX-7 granules pressed into pellets of 92% theoretical maximum density were found to have a detonation velocity of 7730 m/s, compared to 7630 m/s for a similar RDX/EVA composition, and 5% greater detonation pressure. FOX-7 is produced as of 2018 by EURENCO

Bofors AB Bofors ( , , ) is a former Swedish arms manufacturer which today is part of the British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. The name has been associated with the iron industry and artillery manufacturing for more than 350 years. History Locate ...

AB of Sweden, having been made in batches up to 7kg in 2001. In laboratory-scale synthesis, material costs were calculated at ~AU$3000/kg (prices in 2002 AUD) using prices from research chemical suppliers. At that time, FOX-7 could be purchased from NEXPLO Bofors AB at SEK3200/kg. Due to its small-scale production, the cost of FOX-7 is relatively high. However, the production is based on commercial starting material and the synthesis is uncomplicated. FOX-7 is an attractive subject for research and development due to its combination of insensitivity and power. FOX-7 performs similarly to

, one of the most powerful explosives and propellants in use, unlike other insensitive high explosives under investigation, such as TATB,

nitrotriazolone Nitrotriazolone (NTO) is a heterocyclic semicarbazide-derived high explosive first identified in 1905, but research into its explosive properties was not conducted until the 1980s. NTO is currently being used by the US Army in munitions, specifica ...

TEX Tex, TeX, TEX, may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tex (nickname), a list of people and fictional characters with the nickname * Tex Earnhardt (1930–2020), U.S. businessman * Joe Tex (1933–1982), stage name of American soul singer ...

, and 2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyrazine-1-oxide (LLM-105). Due to the need for less sensitive munitions, FOX-7 is being investigated at many military research centers, including in Australia, India, the USA, and Sweden.

References

Further reading