Separation, Identification and Quantitative Determination of a Double-Base Propellant Ingredients

Access to various rifle projectiles is carried out by using of different compounds in various propellants. Therefore analysis and quantifying of coexisting ingredients in unknown samples are greatly helpful to produce of the same propellants by reveres engineering. The basic problem on this analysis is structural similarities of primary compounds in formed sample after producing. Correct determination and quantities are only carried by using of sensitive instruments or innovative laboratory methods. In this research, a new technique was developed for separation and determination of some ingredients in unknown double-base propellant. In this work after separation and measurements of nitroglycerin (NG), 2-nitro diphenylamine (2-NDPA) and dienpropyladipate (DPA) by reflux technique and HPLC system. Then the other ingredients including nitrocellulose (NC), lead resorcylate, copper resorcylate and lead salicylate were separated by an easy and classic method based on the selective solubility of these compounds in some solvent mixtures. After the separation, the ingredients were determined with infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, melting point and weighing techniques. Finally emission atomic spectrometry (ICP-AES) method was used to determination of Pb and Cu cations in the initial sample and the separated ingredients. The analytical results were suitable and comparable to each other.