Editing RDX (section)

===Germany===
RDX was reported in 1898 by Georg Friedrich Henning (1863-1945), who obtained a [[Germany|German]] [[patent]]<ref name="Henning" /> for its manufacture by [[nitrolysis]] of hexamine ([[hexamethylenetetramine]]) with concentrated nitric acid.<ref name=urbanski>{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|pp=77–119}}</ref> In this patent, only the medical properties of RDX were mentioned.<ref name=urbanski/>

During [[World War I|WWI]], Heinrich Brunswig (1865-1946) at the private military-industrial laboratory {{Ill|Zentralstelle für wissenschaftlich-technische Untersuchungen|de}} (Center for Scientific-Technical Research) in [[Neubabelsberg]] studied the compound more closely and in June 1916 filed two patent applications, one for its use in [[smokeless propellant]]s<ref>{{Cite patent|country=DE|number=298539|title=Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Geschoßtreibmittels, das gegen Schlag verhältnismäßig unempfindlich ist|pubdate=1919-09-22|gdate=1916-06-15|assign1=Zentralstelle für wissenschaftlich-technische Untersuchungen GmbH}}</ref> and another for its use as an explosive, noting its excellent characteristics.<ref>{{Cite patent|country=DE|number=299028|title=Verfahren zur Herstellung von Sprengstoffen und Detonationsüberträgern|pubdate=1919-10-15|gdate=1916-06-15|assign1=Zentralstelle für wissenschaftlich-technische Untersuchungen GmbH}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gartz |first=Jochen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UNogAQAAIAAJ&q=Brunswig |title=Vom griechischen Feuer zum Dynamit: eine Kulturgeschichte der Explosivstoffe |date=2007 |publisher=Mittler |isbn=978-3-8132-0867-2 |pages=153 |language=de}}</ref> The German military hadn't considered its adoption during the war due to the expense of production<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Kristensen |first=Tor Erik |title=heksogen |date=2024-03-05 |work=Store norske leksikon |url=https://snl.no/heksogen |access-date=2024-10-31 |language=no}}</ref> but started investigating its use in 1920, referring to it as hexogen.<ref name="Gartz" />

Research and development findings were not published further until Edmund von Herz,<ref>{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|p=125}} credits "G. C. V. Herz" for the patent, but the patentee is Edmund von Herz.</ref> described as an Austrian and later a German citizen, rediscovered the explosive properties of RDX<ref name=":0" /> and applied for an Austrian patent in 1919, obtaining a British one in 1921<ref name="Herz-British" /><!-- Also FR51577A and CH88759A --> and an American one in 1922.<ref name="Herz-US" /> All patents described the synthesis of the compound by nitrating [[hexamethylenetetramine]].<ref name="Herz-British" /><ref name="Herz-US" /> The British patent claims included the manufacture of RDX by nitration, its use with or without other explosives, its use as a bursting charge and as an initiator.<ref name="Herz-British" /> The US patent claim was for the use of a hollow explosive device containing RDX and a detonator cap containing it.<ref name="Herz-US" /> Herz was also the first to identify the cyclic nature of the molecule.<ref name=":0" />

In the 1930s, Germany developed improved production methods.<ref name="Gartz" />

During World War II, Germany used the code names W Salt, SH Salt, K-method, the E-method, and the KA-method. These names represented the identities of the developers of the various chemical routes to RDX. The W-method was developed by Wolfram in 1934 and gave RDX the code name "W-Salz". It used [[sulfamic acid]], formaldehyde, and nitric acid.<ref name="urbanski-W">{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|pp=107–109}}</ref> SH-Salz (SH salt) was from Schnurr, who developed a batch-process in 1937–38 based on nitrolysis of hexamine.<ref name="urbanski-SH">{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|pp=104–105}}</ref> The K-method, from Knöffler, involved addition of [[ammonium nitrate]] to the hexamine/nitric acid process.<ref name="urbanski-K">{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|pp=105–107}}</ref> The E-method, developed by Ebele, proved to be identical to the Ross and Schiessler process described below.<ref name="urbanski-E">{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|pp=109–110}}</ref> The KA-method, also developed by Knöffler, turned out to be identical to the Bachmann process described below.<ref name="urbanski-KA">{{Harvtxt|Urbański|1967|pp=111–113}}</ref>

The explosive shells fired by the [[MK 108 cannon]] and the warhead of the [[R4M rocket]], both used in [[Luftwaffe]] fighter aircraft as offensive armament, both used hexogen as their explosive base.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMY9DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT17|title=World War 2 In Review No. 23: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress|last=Press|first=Merriam|publisher=Lulu Press|year=2017|isbn=9781387322572|pages=17}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>