Jump to content

What the heck is "napthyl"?


DDE

Recommended Posts

Alright, I've been reading the annual reports of the Salavat chemical plant, which is Russia's sole source of unsymmetrical dymethylhydrazine (do not ask me why I did that). And I've found a pretty expensive refit programme being run by XIth Department of Spetsstroi to adapt the plant to produce "napthyl".

What is that? I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

All I know is that, according to mainstream Russian media and with no details provided whatsoever, napthyl is going to be used as a drop-in replacement for RP-1 at Vostochny.

Those who heard of "syntin" (1-methyl-1,2-dicyclopropylcyclopropane) may be suffering from deja vu.

Edited by DDE
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The suffix "-yl" in chemistry means that it is an attached group. You can have a methane molecule, but if you remove one hydrogen and use the resulting free electron to bind it to something else, it becomes a methyl group. See the chemical compound you mentioned: cyclopropane is the base compound. It then has an additional cyclopropane attached to the 1 position, and another one to the 2 position. Finally, it also has a methane molecule attached to the 1 position. Thus you have: 1-methyl, 1,2-di-cyclopropyl, cyclopropane.

Based on this, you can deduce that "naphthyl" is also an attached group, and also that the molecule it derives from starts with "naphth-". That's fairly easy to look up: we're talking about naphthalene, a common organic reagent. There is also a molecule named "naphthene", but this example of a substance with an 1-naphthyl group clearly shows the fused benzene rings of naphthalene, so that confusion is cleared up.

As to what that factory is actually producing in order to replace RP-1? I have no idea. "We are producing napthyl" is merely saying "we are attaching naphthalene molecules to something else". The actual compound that comes out at the end will be called something far more complicated (or will get a marketing name, just like RP-1 or Syntin).

Edited by Streetwind
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is likely that the compound is a complex mixture of naphthyl with other moieties.

One example is xylenes in which the moieties can be on different carbons of a benzene ring.

It could be composed of 1, 4-methylene naphthyl, naphthyl-ethanol, 2-napthyl-propanol, etc.

Since the naphthyl is the only common moiety in the fuel they simply may just call it naphthyl.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, DDE said:

Alright, I've been reading the annual reports of the Salavat chemical plant, which is Russia's sole source of unsymmetrical dymethylhydrazine (do not ask me why I did that). And I've found a pretty expensive refit programme being run by XIth Department of Spetsstroi to adapt the plant to produce "napthyl".

What is that? I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

All I know is that, according to mainstream Russian media and with no details provided whatsoever, napthyl is going to be used as a drop-in replacement for RP-1 at Vostochny.

Those who heard of "syntin" (1-methyl-1,2-dicyclopropylcyclopropane) may be suffering from deja vu.

Distilled coal tar

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, InsaneDruid said:

C10H7 is called Naphtalén in france, Naphthalin in germany, and Naphthalen(e) quite regulary. No "deliberate misleading" here.

What he means is, they could be calling something "naphthyl" that's actually more like LH2/LO2 or anything else that's similarly unrelated :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 30.11.2016 at 0:39 PM, DDE said:

Alright, I've been reading the annual reports of the Salavat chemical plant, which is Russia's sole source of unsymmetrical dymethylhydrazine (do not ask me why I did that). And I've found a pretty expensive refit programme being run by XIth Department of Spetsstroi to adapt the plant to produce "napthyl".

What is that? I don't know, that's why I'm asking.

TL&DR: Mixture of hydrocarbons (naphthenes, isoparaffines, monocyclic aromatics) plus antioxidant additive:

 

   

1473695210-b317eb613241b35356c8bba50eac7

P.S. Source from Google Books.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...