CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
| Physical Description | Pentaerythrite tetranitrate appears as white crystals. Density 1.75 g / cm3. Melting point 138-140 °C. Detonates at 210 °C. An extremely dangerous explosive, particularly when dry. Especially sensitive to shock and heat. Primary hazard is blast of an instantaneous explosion, not flying projectiles or fragments. |
|---|---|
| Color/Form | Tetragonal holohedra from acetone + alcohol |
| Odor | Faint, mild odor |
| Boiling Point | Explodes at 205-215 °C |
| Melting Point | 140 |
| Solubility | less than 1 mg/mL at 72 °F (NTP, 1992) |
| Density | 1.773 at 20 °C/4 °C |
| Vapor Pressure | 0.00000014 [mmHg] |
| LogP | 1.6 |
| Stability/Shelf Life | Although PETN safely withstands storage for 18 mo at 65 °C, continued storage has marked effects of instability; the presence of as little as 0.01% free acid or alkali in PETN markedly accelerates its deterioration. It is the least stable of the standard military bursting charge explosives. |
| Autoignition Temperature | 160 dec C |
| Decomposition | On decomposition it emits highly toxic fumes of /nitric oxide/. |
| Kovats Retention Index | 1791 |
| Other Experimental Properties | Severe explosion hazard when shocked or exposed to heat. ... on decomposition it emits highly toxic fumes of NO(x); can react vigorously with oxidizing materials |
| Chemical Classes | Other Uses -> Explosives |
COMPUTED DESCRIPTORS
| Molecular Weight | 316.14 g/mol |
|---|---|
| XLogP3 | 1.4 |
| Hydrogen Bond Donor Count | 0 |
| Hydrogen Bond Acceptor Count | 12 |
| Rotatable Bond Count | 8 |
| Exact Mass | 316.01387170 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic Mass | 316.01387170 g/mol |
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 220 Ų |
| Heavy Atom Count | 21 |
| Formal Charge | 0 |
| Complexity | 311 |
| Isotope Atom Count | 0 |
| Defined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Atom Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Defined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Undefined Bond Stereocenter Count | 0 |
| Covalently-Bonded Unit Count | 1 |
| Compound Is Canonicalized | Yes |
PRODUCT INTRODUCTION
description
Pentaerythrite tetranitrate appears as white crystals. Density 1.75 g / cm3. Melting point 138-140 °C. Detonates at 210 °C. An extremely dangerous explosive, particularly when dry. Especially sensitive to shock and heat. Primary hazard is blast of an instantaneous explosion, not flying projectiles or fragments.