Synthetic methodologies have been developed which yield a variety of diphenylamine (DPA) and 1,3-diethyl-1,3-diphenylurea (ethylcentralite or EC) propellant stabiliser degradation derivatives in high yield. The N-alkyl nitroanilines (N-methyl-2,4,6-trinitroaniline; N-methyl-2,4-dinitroaniline; N-ethyl-2,4,6-trinitroaniline; N-ethyl-2,4-dinitroaniline; N-ethyl-4-nitroaniline; N-ethyl-2-nitroaniline) have been obtained either by reaction of the parent aniline with the required alkyl halide under mild conditions or via Ullmann type chemistry. A robust and high yielding approach for the synthesis of di, hi and tetranitrodiphenylamines (2,2＇,4,4＇-tetranitrodiphenylamine; 2,4,4＇-trinitrodiphenylamine; 2,2＇,4-trinitrodiphenylamine; 2,4,6-trinihodiphenylamine; 2,4-dinitrodiphenylamine) is reported which involves passing the nitroanilines and chloronitrobenzenes down a base activated alumina column. The N-nitroso-N-alkyl compounds (N-nitroso-N-ethyl-4-nitroaniline; N-nitroso-N-ethyl-2-nitroaniline; N-nitroso-N-Methyl-4-nitroaniline; N-ethyl-N-nitrosoaniline; N-nitroso-2-nitrodiphenylamine) have been synthesised using nitrosyl acetate in acetic acid as the N-nitrosating agent.