V. Manner, B. Tappan, B. Scott
Oct 21, 2014
Citations
1
Influential Citations
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Journal
Crystal Growth & Design
Abstract
The explosive erythritol tetranitrate (ETN) has been known since 1849 and has applications as a vasodilator; however, little is known about its structure and bonding. Here we present the X-ray crystal structure of erythritol tetranitrate (ETN), along with characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), infrared spectroscopy (IR), elemental analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Crystal packing and morphology are discussed in relation to explosive handling sensitivity (impact, spark, and friction testing). We compare the structure and property relationship to a closely related common nitrate ester, pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN).