Hexamethylenetetramine
Hexametilentetramina
- Date
- 1859 · confidence high
- Place
- Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
- Credited to
- Alexander Butlerov
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Butlerov obtained this cage-shaped heterocyclic compound by reacting formaldehyde (which he himself had synthesized) with ammonia. It became a key building block for phenolic resins, urinary antiseptics and explosive precursors such as RDX.
The exact place where Butlerov carried out the work is not precisely confirmed by the sources consulted; Kazan is assumed, where he was a chemistry professor in 1859.
What it led to
- Phenolic resins for brake linings and fireproof materials
- Urinary antiseptic (methenamine)
- Precursor for explosives such as RDX
Built on
- Synthesis of formaldehyde