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Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN, also known as corpent, pentrite, or rarely and primarily in German as nitropenta or pentrit) is one of the most powerful high explosives
Explosive material

File:M112 Demolition Charge.jpgAn explosive material is a material that either is chemistry or otherwise energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied by the production of heat and large changes in pressure upon initiation; this is called the explosion....
 known, with a relative effectiveness factor
Relative effectiveness factor

Relative effectiveness factor or R.E. factor is a measurement of an explosive's power for military demolitions purposes. It is used to compare an explosive's effectiveness relative to TNT by weight only....
 (R.E. factor) of 1.66.

most obvious use of PETN is as an explosive. It is more sensitive to shock or friction than TNT
Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H23CH3....
 or tetryl
Tetryl

Tetryl is a sensitive explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Its IUPAC nomenclature name is 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine and some commonly used synonyms are nitramine, tetralite, and tetril....
, and it is never used alone as a booster
Explosive booster

An explosive booster acts as a bridge between a low energy explosive and a low sensitivity explosive. It increases the energy of an initiating explosive to the degree sufficient to trigger the secondary charge....
. It is primarily used in booster and bursting charges of small caliber
Caliber

The term caliber designates the inside diameter of a tube, the diameter of a solid wire or rod, or a measurement of the length of a gun relative to its diameter....
 ammunition
Ammunition

Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery....
, in upper charges of detonator
Detonator

A detonator is a device used to detonation an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....
s in some land mine
Land mine

A land mine is an explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the proximity of a vehicle, person, or animal....
s and shells, and as the explosive core of detonation cord.

Apart from this, PETN is used as a vasodilator, similar to nitroglycerin
Glyceryl trinitrate (pharmacology)

Glyceryl trinitrate is an alternate name for the chemical nitroglycerine, which has been used to treat Angina pectoris and heart failure since at least 1870....
.






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Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN, also known as corpent, pentrite, or rarely and primarily in German as nitropenta or pentrit) is one of the most powerful high explosives
Explosive material

File:M112 Demolition Charge.jpgAn explosive material is a material that either is chemistry or otherwise energetically unstable or produces a sudden expansion of the material usually accompanied by the production of heat and large changes in pressure upon initiation; this is called the explosion....
 known, with a relative effectiveness factor
Relative effectiveness factor

Relative effectiveness factor or R.E. factor is a measurement of an explosive's power for military demolitions purposes. It is used to compare an explosive's effectiveness relative to TNT by weight only....
 (R.E. factor) of 1.66.

Uses

The most obvious use of PETN is as an explosive. It is more sensitive to shock or friction than TNT
Trinitrotoluene

Trinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H23CH3....
 or tetryl
Tetryl

Tetryl is a sensitive explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Its IUPAC nomenclature name is 2,4,6-trinitrophenyl-N-methylnitramine and some commonly used synonyms are nitramine, tetralite, and tetril....
, and it is never used alone as a booster
Explosive booster

An explosive booster acts as a bridge between a low energy explosive and a low sensitivity explosive. It increases the energy of an initiating explosive to the degree sufficient to trigger the secondary charge....
. It is primarily used in booster and bursting charges of small caliber
Caliber

The term caliber designates the inside diameter of a tube, the diameter of a solid wire or rod, or a measurement of the length of a gun relative to its diameter....
 ammunition
Ammunition

Ammunition, often referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery....
, in upper charges of detonator
Detonator

A detonator is a device used to detonation an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....
s in some land mine
Land mine

A land mine is an explosive device designed to be placed on or in the ground to explode when triggered by an operator or the proximity of a vehicle, person, or animal....
s and shells, and as the explosive core of detonation cord.

Apart from this, PETN is used as a vasodilator, similar to nitroglycerin
Glyceryl trinitrate (pharmacology)

Glyceryl trinitrate is an alternate name for the chemical nitroglycerine, which has been used to treat Angina pectoris and heart failure since at least 1870....
. A medicine
Medicine

Medicine is the art and science of healing. It encompasses a range of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
 for heart disease
Heart disease

Heart disease is an umbrella term for a variety for different diseases affecting the heart. As of 2007, it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, killing one person every 34 seconds in the United States alone....
, Lentonitrat, is nearly pure PETN.

Production

PETN's preparation involves the nitration of pentaerythritol
Pentaerythritol

Pentaerythritol is the organic compound with the chemical formula C4. This white, crystalline polyol is a versatile building block for the preparation of many polyfunctionalized compounds such as the explosive PETN and pentaerythritol triacrylate....
 with a mixture of concentrated nitric
Nitric acid

Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosion and toxic strong acid that can cause severe burns....
 and sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid, hydrogen2sulfuroxygen4, is a strong mineral acid. It is soluble in water at all concentrations. Sulfuric acid has many applications, and is one of the top products of the chemical industry....
. 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

History

Penthrite was first synthesized in 1891 by Tollens and Wiegand
Wiegand

Wiegand is an old German surname. It originated from the Old High German verb wgan, meaning to fight. through the past participle form wgant, meaning the fighter....
 by nitration of pentaerythritol
Pentaerythritol

Pentaerythritol is the organic compound with the chemical formula C4. This white, crystalline polyol is a versatile building block for the preparation of many polyfunctionalized compounds such as the explosive PETN and pentaerythritol triacrylate....
. 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
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. PETN is also one of the ingredients in Semtex
Semtex

Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications....
 plastic explosive
Plastic explosive

Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as Use forms of explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
. PETN was the explosive chosen by Richard Reid
Richard Reid (shoe bomber)

Richard Colvin Reid was convicted on charges of terrorism and is currently serving a life sentence in the United States for attempting to destroy a commercial aircraft in-flight by detonate explosives hidden in his shoes....
, which could have been used to blow up a 767 traveling from Paris to Miami if he wasn't stopped first.

See also

  • Pentolite
    Pentolite

    Pentolite is a high explosive used for military and civilian purposes e.g. warheads and booster charges.Military pentolite comprises a mixture of 50% PETN and 50% trinitrotoluene....
  • Semtex
    Semtex

    Semtex is a general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX and PETN. It is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications....
  • RDX
    RDX

    Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, also known as RDX, cyclonite, hexogen, and T4, is an explosive nitroamine widely used in military and industrial applications....
  • TNT
    Trinitrotoluene

    Trinitrotoluene , or more specifically, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H23CH3....


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