nitroguanidine

chemical compound

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Last updated

July 21, 2026

Quick Summary

Nitroguanidine is a crystalline, smokeless, and flashless propellant. It is typically produced by treating guanidine nitrate with concentrated sulfuric acid. This compound is a component in military smokeless powders, particularly for firearms that require rapid firing without overheating the barrel.1

Nitroguanidine is derived from guanidine, an organic compound with the formula HN=C(NH₂)₂. Guanidine itself can be prepared from calcium cyanamide and is a strong base. Nitroguanidine is one of its derivatives and has been used in explosives due to the low temperature it produces upon explosion.2

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guanidine
Of the derivatives, nitroguanidine, obtained by the action of sulfuric acid on the nitrate, has been used to some extent as a constituent of explosives; its peculiarity is the low temperature produced in the explosion. Aminoguanidine and substituted aminoguanidine are intermediates in the synthesis of a variety of…
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Of the derivatives, nitroguanidine, obtained by the action of sulfuric acid on the nitrate, has been used to some extent as a constituent of explosives; its peculiarity is the low temperature produced in the explosion. Aminoguanidine and substituted aminoguanidine are intermediates in the synthesis of a variety of…
Read More