Open AccessSynthesis and Characterization of Pentaeritritol Tetranitrate (PETN)
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advances in materials science and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2578-7217
DOI - 10.33140/jamser.03.02.07
Subject(s) - pentaerythritol tetranitrate , materials science , pentaerythritol , explosive material , thermogravimetric analysis , differential scanning calorimetry , fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , energetic material , yield (engineering) , nitration , characterization (materials science) , chemical engineering , infrared spectroscopy , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , composite material , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , fire retardant , engineering
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate is considered a high explosive that has been widely studied for its chemical andmechanical properties due to its nitrate ester group structure. Its applicability is intended from military purposes tomedicine and pharmacy. It is often a substitute for nitroglycerin and can be incorporated into polymeric matricesthat enhance its properties and make it safer to handle. In this work a synthesis of direct form elaborated according tothe reference material was presented, by the discontinuous nitration process, conducted in several steps starting fromPentaerythritol (PE) with fuming nitric acid, having a very significant and expected yield according to data referencedin previous studies. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) andDifferential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analyzes confirm the chemical structure of the substance obtained andthe mass variation as a function of temperature, and typical information which can be derived from measurementssuch as characteristic temperatures (melting, crystallization, reactions, glass transition) for characterization of highenergy materials. The explosive obtained by the new route proves to be effective and high yield.