title: Joint photomicrobial process for the degradation of the insensitive munition N-guanylurea-dinitramide (FOX-12).
abstract: N-Guanylurea-dinitramide (FOX-12) is a very insensitive energetic material intended to be used in the composition of next-generation insensitive munitions. To help predict the environmental behavior and fate of FOX-12, we conducted a study to determine its photodegradability and biodegradability. When dissolved in water, FOX-12, a guanylurea-dinitramide salt, also named GUDN, dissociated instantly to produce the dinitramide moiety and guanylurea, as demonstrated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. When an aqueous solution of FOX-12 was subjected to photolysis using a solar-simulated photoreactor, we found a rapid removal of the dinitramide with concurrent formation of N₂O, NO₂(-), and NO₃(-). The second component, guanylurea, was photostable. However, when FOX-12 was incubated aerobically with the soil isolate Variovorax strain VC1 and protected from light, the dinitramide component of FOX-12 was recalcitrant but guanylurea degraded effectively to ammonia, guanidine, and presumably CO₂. When FOX-12 was incubated with strain VC1 in the presence of light, both components of FOX-12 degraded, giving similar products to those described above. We concluded that the new insensitive explosive FOX-12 can be effectively degraded by a joint photomicrobial process and, therefore, should not cause persistent contamination of surface waters.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council Canada, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H4P 2R2, Canada.
authors.forename: Nancy N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Perreault
authors.forename: Annamaria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Halasz
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thiboutot
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ampleman
authors.forename: Jalal
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hawari
mesh_terms: D001711:Biotransformation; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D053834:Explosive Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D006146:Guanidines / Q000378:metabolism*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D014508:Urea / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053834:Explosive Agents; D006146:Guanidines; C587327:N-guanylurea; D014508:Urea