High performance liquid chromatography of propellants. Part I - analysis of M1, M6, and M10 propellants

(Хаберман Джером. Высокоэффективная жидкостная хроматография порохов. Часть I - Анализ порохов марок M1, M6 и M10).Dover, New Jersey: army armament research and development center, 1986. -19 p.The stabilizer content of propellants In the Army stockpile is periodically determined to monitor their remaining safe life. The available standard methods of analysis are time consuming, and there is evidence that they may give misleading information. These methods are being replaced by state-of-the-art, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using reverse phase columns. High performance liquid chromatography permits the differentiation among the stabilizers and their degradation products together with accurate quantitation. This progress report describes work carried out in the analysis of single base propellants containing diphenylamine (DPA) as the stabilizer. Several degradation products have been identified and the routine determination of these compounds Is feasible. The degradation of DPA seems to follow a pattern that is unique for M1 and M6’s as compared to the pattern for M10's. It is postulated that the ingredients of the propellants, other than the nitrocellulose (NC), may influence the way in which the DPA degradation products are formed.