Abstract: The disclosed invention relates to a composition comprising a partially dehydrated product made by: (I) reacting (A) a hydrocarbyl substituted succinic acid or anhydride with (B) a polyol, a polyamine, a hydroxyamine, or a mixture of two or more thereof, to form a first intermediate product comprising: an ester, partial ester or mixture thereof when (B) is a polyol; an amide, imide, salt, amide/salt, partial amide or mixture of two or more thereof when (B) is a polyamine; or an ester, partial ester, amide, partial amide, amide/salt, imide, ester/salt, salt or a mixture of two or more thereof when (B) is a hydroxyamine, a mixture of a polyol and a polyamine, a mixture of a polyol and a hydroxyamine, a mixture of a polyamine and a hydroxyamine, or a mixture of a polyol, a polyamine and a hydroxyamine; the hydrocarbyl substituent of said acid or anhydride having an average of about 8 to about 200 carbon atoms; and (II) heating said first intermediate product at an effective temperature to form a second interm

Abstract: An explosive and method of making comprising one or more fullerene compounds. The fullerenes may be buckyballs, carbon nanotubes, or buckypaper.

Abstract: An oxidizer package for use in a solid fuel propellant system. The oxidizer package comprises a solid oxidizer in the form of discrete pellets of predetermined geometric shape. The pellets are arranged in an array with spaces amongst the pellets. A holder is provided for maintaining the pellets in the array for receipt of a binder introduced to spaces amongst the array of pellets. Preferred propellants include hydrazinium nitroformate and nitronium perchlorate. This arrangement for the pellets can achieve loadings as high as 85% by weight for the pellets.

Abstract: A solid heterogeneous, high performance rocket propellant, operable at high pressure with a burn rate relatively insensitive to changes in pressure and temperature, is disclosed. The propellant includes a binder formed from the reaction of a hydroxy terminated polybutadiene with a diisocyanate, ammonium perchlorate as an oxidizer, aluminum as a fuel, and iron oxide as a burn rate modifier. The ammonium perchlorate is a multimodal mixture of large paryticles with a weight mean diameter of about 70 to about 110 ?m and small particles having a weight mean diameter of about 7.5 to about 15 ?m. The propellant may also include bonding agents, curing catalysts, a plasticizer, antioxidant/peroxide scavengers, and pot life extenders.

Abstract: The subject of the present invention is lead- and barium-free propellant charges with primary explosives mixed with oxygen-supplying substances, characterized in that the primary explosives are selected from alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal salts of dinitrobenzofuroxanes and the oxygen-supplying substances are chosen from metal peroxides, nitrates of ammonium, guanidine, aminoguanidine, triaminoguanidine, dicyanodiamidine, and the elements sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, cerium, and/or multivalent metal oxides. The propellant charges according to the invention exhibit increased stability with respect to known propellant charges that are free of harmful substances.

Abstract: A high energy propellant, comprising an oxetane thermoplastic elastomer energetic binder admixed with a high energy explosive filler. The oxetane thermoplastic elastomer energetic binder preferably comprises from about five percent to about thirty percent by weight and the high energy explosive filler comprises from about seventy percent to about ninety-five percent by weight of the composition. A preferred propellant further includes an explosive plasticizer, preferably in an amount of about four percent to about seven percent of the plasticizer by weight of the propellant. The preferred filler is selected from the group consisting of CL-20, TNAZ, RDX and mixtures thereof. The preferred plasticizer is selected from the group consisting of TNAZ, BTTN, TMETN, TEGDN, BDNPA/F, methyl NENA, ethyl NENA and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: A method of preparing energetic metal-oxide-based energetic materials using sol-gel chemistry has been invented. The wet chemical sol-gel processing provides an improvement in both safety and performance. Essentially, a metal-oxide oxidizer skeletal structure is prepared from hydrolyzable metals (metal salts or metal alkoxides) with fuel added to the sol prior to gelation or synthesized within the porosity metal-oxide gel matrix. With metal salt precursors a proton scavenger is used to destabilize the sol and induce gelation. With metal alkoxide precursors standard well-known sol-gel hydrolysis and condensation reactions are used. Drying is done by standard sol-gel practices, either by a slow evaporation of the liquid residing within the pores to produce a high density solid nanocomposite, or by supercritical extraction to produce a lower density, high porous nanocomposite.

Abstract: Nondetonable, or low detonation sensitivity, substantially nontoxic liquid monopropellants are provided. The liquid propellants are formed from aqueous solutions of solid oxidizers in liquid oxidizers and water soluble liquid fuels and formulated to have a freezing point less than ?10° C. Liquid oxidizers may be inorganic or organic aqueous solutions, with hydrogen peroxide being preferred. Preferred solid oxidizers are water soluble nitrates including ammonium dinitramide, aminoguanidine dinitrate, ammonium nitrate, hydroxylamine nitrate, hydrazine nitrate, guanidine nitrate and aminoguanidine nitrate. Preferred liquid fuels are water soluble alcohols, amines and amine nitrates, hydroxyethyl hydrazine, hydroxyethylhydrazine nitrate, cyanoguanidine, guanidines, aminoguanidines, triaminoguanidines, and their nitrate salts, ethanolamine dinitrate, ethylenediamine dinitrate, polyvinyl nitrate, and aziridine.

Abstract: The present invention comprises an additive to a propelling charge that greatly reduces barrel erosion when used in a gun system compared to the current additives noted above. The invention provides both a high nitrogen to carbon monoxide ratio in the combustion products of the propelling charge in conjunction with a reduced flame temperature which both work to reduce gun-barrel erosion.

Abstract: An explosive composition comprises a porous fuel and an oxidizer. The porous fuel is a solid with a structure size measuring between about 2 nm and 1000 nm and has a porosity that lies between 10% and 98%. The oxidizer is solid or liquid at room temperature and is incorporated into the pores of the porous fuel. The oxidizer is selected, in an amount of at least 50% by weight relative to a total quantity of the oxidizer, from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl ammonium nitrate, organic nitro compounds or nitrates, alkali metal nitrates or earth alkali metal nitrates as well as metal nitrites, metal chlorates, metal perchlorates, metal bromates, metal iodates, metal oxides, metal peroxides, ammonium perchlorate, ammonium nitrate and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: An electrostatic charge dissipation composition having at least one energetic particle component and at least one electrically active polymer is coated on the energetic component and thereafter, the polymer coating is oxidized. In another embodiment, the electrostatic charge dissipation composition includes at least one energetic particle component, at least one non-conducting polymer binder, and at least one electrically active polymer is coated on the energetic component/binder mixture and thereafter, the polymer coating is oxidized.

Abstract: A method for preparing a pyrotechnic composition which comprises preparing a composition in a gel form using nitrocellulose and a nitro compound other than nitrocellulose, adding an oxidizing agent, a combustible material and a color rendering agent to the composition, followed by mixing, forming the resultant mixture into a desired shape, and then drying; and a pyrotechnic composition obtainable by using the method. This method can be used for simplifying a production process while maintaining the effect of a star and a lance used in a pyrotechnic composition, particularly in a firework composition.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of reducing the energy of an emulsion blasting agent as it is being loaded into a borehole and to an improved method of perimeter blasting wherein an energy reducing agent is added to and mixed uniformly throughout an emulsion blasting agent as it is being pumped or conveyed into a perimeter borehole to reduce the energy of the blasting agent to a desired level. In addition, by adding varying amount of gassing agents, the density and sensitivity of the emulsion blasting agent also can be controlled.

Abstract: A flexible inflator for an inflation assembly and related gas generating propellant compositions are provided. The flexible inflator includes at least one elongated strand of a propellant co-extruded with a moisture barrier. The propellant compositions are adapted for co-extrusion with a plastic sheath which forms the moisture barrier surrounding the propellant and include a binder fuel component effective to render the composition flexible and to impart sufficient adhesive properties such that the propellant composition and the plastic sheath adhere together, and an oxidizer.

Abstract: An igniter for an inflator has a heat generating body provided on a bottom surface of a pyrotechnic material accomodating space. By dripping a pyrotechnic material slurry including a fuel component and an oxidizing agent component dispersed in a solvent from above the accomodating space upon manufacturing the igniter, the heat generating body can be prevented from being damaged.

Abstract: The invention relates to granulated gas charges and their use. Said granulated gas charges, whose combustion fumes are nitrogen-free and low in carbon monoxide, contain a) between 5 and 50% by weight binders; b) between 0 and 90% by weight oxidizing agents; and/or c) between 0 and 75% of an organic, notably nitrogen-free, fuel.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel GPCR polynucleotides, GPCR polypeptides, gene delivery vehicles comprising and/or expressing the GPCR polynucleotides, antibodies and fragments capable of specifically binding to the GPCR polypeptides, and modulators of the GPCR. Also provided by the invention are host cells, transgenic organisms comprising the gene delivery vehicle of the present invention. Further provided are methods of using these compositions for diagnosis and treatment of GPCR associated diseases.

Abstract: A platform, housing, conduit, exhaust duct or other structural element that encloses or supports a hot operating engine or other machinery is described wherein a pattern of micro-cavities is defined on the outer surface of the structure for mitigating ignition of a flammable liquid that comes into contact with the structure, the micro-cavities being sized to minimize seepage into the cavities of the liquid because of its surface tension, thereby preventing wetting of the interior of the cavities by the liquid.

Abstract: Polymorphisms in the cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor 2 gene and their association with asthma are described.

Abstract: A process for preparing optically pure enantiomers of R-(?)tamsulosin of formiula Ia and S-(+)tamsulosin of formula Ib by resolving racemic tamsulosin of formula I by means of (IR)-(?)-camphor-10-sulfonic acid and (1S)-(+)-camphor-10-sulfonic acid, resp., in an environment of organic solvents, water or mixtures thereof.