A simple controlled chemical reduction of 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazacyclohexane (RDX) and related nitramine compounds with zinc amalgam generates species that elicit intense chemiluminescence with tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(III), which extends this widely utilised chemiluminescence reagent to a new class of analyte and presents a sound chemical basis for a screening test for nitramine high explosives. Examination of the chemiluminescence profiles under stopped-flow conditions revealed contributions from multiple transient species formed in the initial reduction step.
