Crystal Structure, Packing Analysis, and Structural-Sensitivity Correlations of Erythritol Tetranitrate

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).