| PETN | |
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | [78-11-5] |
| PubChem | |
| SMILES |
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| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C5H8N4O12 |
| Molar mass | 316.137 g/mol |
| Density | 1.77 g/cm3 at 20 °C |
| Melting point |
141.3 °C, 414 K, 286 °F |
| Explosive data | |
| Shock sensitivity | Medium |
| Friction sensitivity | Medium |
| Explosive velocity | 8400 m/s |
| RE factor | 1.66 |
| Hazards | |
| Autoignition temperature |
190 °C |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox references |
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Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN, also known as pentrite, or rarely and primarily in German as nitropenta) is one of the most powerful high explosives known, with a relative effectiveness factor (R.E. factor) of 1.66.
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The most obvious use of PETN is as an explosive. It is more sensitive to shock or friction than TNT or tetryl, and it is never used alone as a booster. It is primarily used in booster and bursting charges of small caliber ammunition, in upper charges of detonators in some land mines and shells, and as the explosive core of detonation cord.[citation needed]
Apart from this, PETN is used as a vasodilator, similar to nitroglycerin. A medicine for heart disease, Lentonitrat, is nearly pure PETN.[1]
PETN's preparation involves the nitration of pentaerythritol with a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid. The preferred method of nitration is the ICI method, which utilizes concentrated nitric acid (98%+) alone, as mixed acid can create unstable sulfonated by-products.
C(CH2OH)4 + 4HNO3 → C(CH2ONO2)4 + 4H2O
Penthrite was first synthesized in 1891 by Tollens and Wiegand by nitration of pentaerythritol. In 1912, after being patented by the German government, the production of PETN started. PETN was used by the German army in World War I. [2] PETN is also one of the ingredients in Semtex plastic explosive. PETN was the explosive chosen by Richard Reid, which could have been used to blow up a 767 traveling from Paris to Miami if he wasn't stopped first.[3]
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