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NITRO DERIVATIVES OF HIGHER BENZENE HOMOLOGUES^399

Physical properties of 2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene

2,4,6-Trinitro-m-xylene crystallizes in white crystals at room temperature.

It is only slightly soluble in concentrated sulphuric acid - at a temperature of

150-160°C 10% of it goes into solution. In fuming sulphuric acid the solubility

is higher.

The solubility of 2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene in organic solvents is much lower than

that of α− trinitrotoluene (Table 88).

TABLE 88

SOLUBILITY OF 2,4,6-TRINITRO-m-XYLENB IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS

At room temperature At boiling point

Solvent g/100 ml of the solvent g/100 ml of the

solvent

Benzene 0.5 7.5

Toluene 0.5 20.5

Alcohol 0.05 0.55

The solubilities of trinitro-m-xylene (m. p. 180.5°C) in mixtures of benzene with

alcohol (after Kravchinskii [3]) are given below (Table 89).

TABLE 89

SOLUBILITY OFTRINITRO-m-XYLENE IN MIXTURESOF BENZENE

WITH ALCOHOL

Composition of the solvent,

parts by volume

benzene alcohol

1 0.5

1 1

1 1.5

1 2

Solubility, g/100 ml of the

solvents

at 8°C at 20°C

0.71

0.32 0.45

0.24 0.29

• 0.2

At high temperatures 2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene is readily dissolved by acetic acid

and by aniline. 2,4,6-Trinitro-m-xylene forms eutectics with aromatic hydrocarbons

and their nitro derivatives. Some of the available data are tabulated (Table 90).

The steam volatility of 2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene is low. At a temperature of 100°C
it begins to sublime. It can be purified by sublimation at 150-170°C. The thermal

conductivity of 2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene at 25°C is 0.00057 (Prentiss [12]).

chemical properties of 2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene

2,4,6-Trinitro-m-xylene is not affected by hot concentrated sulphuric and hydro-
chloric acids, but it reacts with alkalis in the presence of alcohol or acetone, yielding

an intense blue addition product.