RDX

RDX, or Research Department Explosive (C₃H₆O₆N₆), powerful explosive used in bombs. Discovered by Hans Henning in Germany (1899), RDX was used extensively by the air forces of both sides in World War II. Known also as hexogen and cyclonite, it is a white, insoluble, crystalline solid. RDX is produced by the action of nitric acid on a product of formaldehyde and ammonia. Its chief nonmilitary use is in blasting caps, detonators, and fuses. RDX can also be mixed with trinitrotoluene (TNT) to form a more powerful explosive known as Composition B.

See also: Explosive.