pentaerythritol tetranitrate

noun

, Chemistry, Pharmacology.

1. a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, explosive solid, C 5 H 8 N 4 O 1 2 , used chiefly as a high explosive and as a vasodilator in treating angina pectoris.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentaerythritol tetranitrate¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

That includes bombs built with chemical triggers that avoid use of metallic components and powerful explosives such as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a white powder that can deliver a powerful blast.

From Wall Street Journal

Still, to ramp up the game's realism, "Warfighter" creators mimicked real-world weaponry and centered the plot on the ripped-from-the-headlines threat of an industrial explosive known as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, the same material used in 2001 by convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid when he tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight.

From Seattle Times

A preliminary analysis suggested a nitrate-based explosive, with traces of pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a plastic explosive, had been used in the attack.

From BusinessWeek

PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, is hard to detect.

From Washington Post

The materials included Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, or PETN, the explosive used in the 2001 airliner shoe-bombing attempt as well as airplane cargo bombs discovered last month.

From Washington Post