The crystal structures of three primary products from the selective reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene

Abstract

The crystal structures of three primary products from the selective reduction of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) have been determined by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene) and single crystal X-ray diffraction (4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene and 2-hydroxyamino-4,6-dinitrotoluene). The molecular structure of 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene, including rotational disorder of the 6-nitro group, was subsequently detailed to a higher resolution by a single-crystal analysis. In contrast to the known structures of TNT, the crystal structures of these amino species are dominated by hydrogen-bonded sheets connected via ring stacking, whilst that of 2-hydroxyamino-4,6-dinitrotoluene is dominated by the dual hydrogen-bonding acceptor/donator role of the hydroxyamine group.