Shri Datta Meghe Polytechnic

D E PA R T M E N T O F C H E M I C A L E N G G .

HEXAMINE
PRODUCTION
Group members : PROCESS
Kritika Singh.
Krishna Golar.
Guided by :
Nehal Meshre. S.V.Ashtikar
Suraj Dheple.
Aditya Gaikwad.
 Contents

I. Introduction
II. Process available.
III. Process description.
IV. Import & Export data.
V. Analysis of product.
VI. Conclusion
 1.Introduction

 Known from 100 years.

 Produced as 42% solution or powder.
 Since 1990 the no. of producers has been declining.
 Mainly produced in countries like Australia, Italy,
Germany, Mexico, etc.
 Key producers are Hummel Carton, Caldic, Hexion,
Abiya.
 Used as binder, production of resin, etc.
 It has medical uses too.
 Raw Material

Liquid formaldehyde and ammonia are the raw

materials for the production of hexamine.
Ammonia is found in the atmosphere being
produced from decay process of nitrogenous animal
& vegetable matter.
In industries, formaldehyde is produced by catalytic
oxidation of methanol.
 Properties of Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde as a gas, it is colourless.

It has a pungent & irritating odour.
It is flammable in nature.
Molecular weight: 30.02
Easily soluble in cold as well as hot water.
Also soluble in acetone, alcohol.
 Properties of Ammonia

Molecular weight: 17
It is a colourless gas.
Pungent smell.
It can be easily liquefied.
Chemically stable.
 Properties of Hexamine

Chemical Formula : C6H12N4

Appearance: White crystalline solid
Highly flammable
Solubility in water: 85.3 g/100 ml.
Melting point: 553 K.
Flash Point: 523 K.
Structure of Hexamine
 2.Processes Available

There are two methods available for the production

of hexamine.
One is the reaction in gaseous phase
Other is the reaction in liquid & gaseous phase i.e.
CHCO in liquid phase & NH3 in gaseous phase.
Above process is also known as Meissner process.
This process produces crystalline hexamine.
 NH3
Process Flowsheet
Drying

HCHO Reactor

Evaporator
Hexamine
 3.Process Description

Hexamethylenetetramine- (CH2)6N4

It is produced by a reaction between ammonia &

formaldehyde.
NH3 & HCHO are added to a reactor as an aqueous
solution.
It is exothermic reaction & temperature is 89 c.
4NH3+6HCHO=C6H12N4+6H2O
 Process Description

Conversion within the reactor is 42%.

Product is carried to evaporator where NH3 & H2O
are removed.
The product is then fed to a dryer for drying purpose.
Hexamine powder is obtained as product.
Experimental Setup
Solution of Hexamine
Product
 Advantages of Hexamine

a) High energy density.

b) Doesn’t form ashes after burning.
c) Highly soluble in organic solvents.
d) Various medical uses.
e) Super light weight.
f) Useful in synthesis of chemical compounds.
g) Compounds: plastics, rubber additives, etc.
h) Versatile reagent in organic synthesis.
i) It is also used for sealing compounds.
 Uses of Hexamine

a) It is used as a preservative in cheese under name of

E239.
b) It is used as fuel in the form of tablet by campers
and military.
c) It is also used as binders in brake & clutch lining.
d) It is used in production of powdery & liquid
phenolic resin where it is added as a hardening
component.
e) Previously used as mandelic acid salt.
f) Base component in producing RDX.
 Import Data

Country Amount in MT
Russia 488
Saudi Arabia 200
Iran 300
 Manf. Of Hexamine in India

Company Location Year of Establishment

Arrow Fine Chemicals Vapi 1986

Joyce Lub & chemicals Mumbai 1982
Arihant Chemicals Mumbai 2003
Kakar Chemicals Delhi. 1987
Simalin Chemicals Varodra 1992
 Analysis of product

Analysis of product is done by FT-IR.

FT-IR stands for Fourier Transform Infrared.
It can identify chemical bonds in a molecule.
It can determine quality & consistency of material.
It can determine the amount of components present
in the mixture.
 WHY FT-IR ??

It is a method for measuring all the radiation

simultaneously rather than individually.
It results in extremely fast measurements.
It has a high sensitivity than other processes.
There is very little possibility of mechanical
breakdown as it has only one moving mirror in the
interferometer.
 How FT-IR works??

Infrared energy emitted for a source is passed

through a interferometer where spectral encoding
takes place.
The beam is then transmitted or reflected from the
surface of sample depending on type of analysis.
Beam passes to a detector for measurement of
interferogram signal.
The signal is then digitalised and sent to the
computer where Fourier transformation takes place.
FT-IR Layout
Table for Analysis
Analysis Results
 Conclusion

Hexamine is produced from ammonia and

formaldehyde in liquid phase reaction.
The above process of manufacturing is preferred
because it need less equipment.
The solution obtained from the reactor is 42%
solution.