RDX

abbreviation of Research Department Explosive, formally cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, also called cyclonite, hexogen, or T4 powerful explosive, discovered by Hans Henning of Germany in 1899 but not used until World War II, when most of the warring powers introduced it. Relatively safe and inexpensive to manufacture, RDX was produced on a large scale in the United States by a secret process developed in the United States and Canada. The name RDX was coined by the British, and this name was accepted in the United States. The Germans called it hexogen, and the Italians called it T4. RDX is a hard, white crystalline solid, insoluble in water and only slightly soluble in some other solvents. Sensitive to percussion, its principal nonmilitary use is in blasting caps. It is often mixed with other substances to decrease its sensitivity.