COMMON NAME – ONC
NAME – Octanitrocubane
CHEMICAL NAME – 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Octanitropentacyclo [4.2.0.02,5.03,8. 04,7] octan
TYPE – High explosive
DATE OF DISCOVERY – 1999
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – USA
MOLECULAR FORMULA – C8(NO2)8
MOLECULAR WEIGHT – 446
DENSITY – 1.98 g per ml
NORMAL STATE – Solid
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE/COLOR – White or colorless solid
INITIATION – Not released
SENSITIVITY – Very low sensitivity to shock or friction
STABILITY – Very stable
DETONATION VELOCITY – 10,100 m/s (33,136 fps)
RE FACTOR (BRISANCE) [TNT=1.0] – 2.38
TOXICITY – Not released
MELTING POINT – 200o C. + (392o F. +) Decomposes
SOLUBILITY – Insoluble in water
APPLICATIONS – PRINCIPLE USES – Being investigated for production as a powerful military high explosive
Theoretically, Octanitrocubane or ONC, has the possibility of being one of the most powerful explosives ever made. It is a dense, white crystalline solid that is very stable and insensitive. Because of the makeup of the ONC molecule, it has a huge quantity of energy stored within it. The major drawback to the material is the tremendous cost of manufacturing it. Even a few grams of ONC can cost multiple thousands of dollars to produce in a laboratory setting. Until there is an economical process to produce ONC on an industrial scale, it remains a laboratory specimen only.
